 Poster: A snowHead
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Fellow SHs, can you help with a resort selection?
We (Mrs SM and I) have just bagged a couple of incredibly cheap eJ flights to Innsbruck at the end of March next year. Now we need to decide where to stay.
Mrs SM is a timid skier, and doesn’t like to put in the miles, particularly as she can’t cope with unexpected challenges (i.e. a tricky red, or, heaven forbid, a black, blocking her path back home. She likes cruisey blues and easy, wide, predictable reds.
I’ll have a go at anything (pisted).
From time to time I’ll leave her to her own devices to either potter around the resort slopes or chill out at the pool, solarium, wellness centre (what’s a wellness centre anyway?).
Good nightlife would be nice.
Currently looking at Selva and Solden. Both easy drives from Innsbruck. Stayed in Selva before and loved it. How does Solden compare?
Anywhere else?
Thanks everyone.
SM
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@shockingmoment, Selva or elsewhere in the Sella Ronda - don't know the area well enough to recommend specifics. But not Arabba (some of the surrounding slopes are quite steep, including the steepest red I've ever come across - though wide as a couple of football pitches IIRC). There can't be a more beautiful ski area anywhere. Corvara, maybe. Or a place I hanker after going, but life just seems too short..... Madonna di Campiglio. One day.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Solden has extremely rowdy nightlife and the town (not really a village) is spread out along the valley floor, so a bit short of convenience.
However, there are miles of cruisey blues and plenty of straightforward reds. There's even the option of downloading by gondola at either end of the resort if the last run home is too much to contemplate for the Mrs! A trip to Obergurgl on a good day is easy and also worth doing (don't go on a poor vis day - Obergurgl's eccentric piste marking verges on the downright dangerous!)
There's a huge 'aquarena' swimming pool, 'wellness' thing, nearby too. It's also not far from Innsbruck - bus shuttle or fiddly bus-train-bus journey vis Innsbruck main railway station.
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| Quote: |
Solden has extremely rowdy nightlife and the town (not really a village) is spread out along the valley floor, so a bit short of convenience.
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Total crap - the night life can be rowdy IF you want that kind of thing, but it is restricted to a few bars and clubs along the main drag and around the Giggijoch valley base station after people finish skiing. It is also nowhere near as rowdy as places like Mayrhofen, Saalbach-Hinterglemm or St Anton. As soon as you move away from the main street, it is a quiet place with some really good VFM accommodation. I've been to Sölden many times, even stayed in places along the main street and never been disturbed of an evening by rowdiness!
As the OP has access to a car, they don't even have to use the free shuttle buses that link all the areas of the village. Free car parking available at the base stations of all the lifts going out of the village to the slopes.
The thermal baths you are referring to is in Längenfeld which is actually quite a nice place to base yourself - for the baths check this link out: http://www.aqua-dome.at/en The Austrian ski teams stay there during their training for the season openers.
@shockingmoment, from what you describe of your wife's preferences, then have a look at some of the Zillertal resorts. I've enjoyed a couple of good days skiing in the Kaltenbach/Hochfügen area for example while recovering from knee surgery in the past. As you have a car you are not dependent on the Zillertal Railway (part of the ski pass) unless you want to use it. If it comes down to just a choice between Selva and Sölden, then for your wife, I would go for Selva simply because she knows it and can probably decide for herself which runs she enjoys.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@shockingmoment, I'd recommend one of the Val Gardena (Grödental) resorts as well. You say you are looking at Selva, but have you considered staying instead at Ortisei/St Ulrich? It's the prettiest of the 3 Val gardena towns (Selva, St Christina, Ortisei) and the gentle skiing on the Alpe di Suisi/Seiseralm on one side of the town should suit Mrs SM very well. On the other side of the town is the Seceda plateau which has a bit more adventuroous skiing inluding the excellent 10.5 km long red 2 run "La Longia" back to Ortisei. From Seceda you can ski down to St Christina and then do the SassLong Men's World Cup downhill course with its famous camel bumps. Although Ortisei isn't on the Sella Ronda if you want to do it you can easily get to Selva, either by car which you say you have, or the frequent buses. You can of course also ski to Selva via Seceda - St Christina, but if you are doing the Sella Ronda circuit you'd need to set off early.
Edit: Having seen Samerberg Sue's suggestion of the Zillertal (and the slopes of Kaltenbach for Mrs SM) that's also definitely worthy of your consideration. As she says, as you have your car with you that gives you great flexibility for all the ski areas in the Zillertal. I hotel I can recommend near Kaltenbach is the Alpina in the nearby village of Ried, there's a ski bus stop directly in front of the hotel which goes to the Kaltenbach base station, which incidentally also has a huge free car park if you are driving yourself.
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Only rowdiness I've seen in Sölden was inside the Dutch bar and inside the other one that was really loud. Apart from that, it's a small town with a road going through it. Even in the other bar with Bayern Munich on TV playing some other team it was very civilised. OK there's a bar at the bottom of the lift playing loud music at 4pm, but it's Austria - pretty much every ski village has a bottom of the lift/run bar.
Selva (and it's linked surroundings) has the benefit of being Italy and Tirol in one.
All of the above in Austria have free parking. Dunno about Selva. All of the above have nice gentle blues and easy reds. Especially Ortisei/Seiseralm.
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Well, @andy, and @Samerberg Sue, one day I'll tell you about the punch up I saw outside one of the bars near the Giggijoch one night. 'Extremely rowdy' probably doesn't do it full justice! Perhaps that has coloured my thinking but it didn't put me off the place - I like Solden very much - especially as I stayed in the extremely quiet hamlet of Zwieselstein a few miles up the road. A nice place to stay if you split your skiing between Solden and Obergurgl.
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Thanks folks.
Now even more undecided....
We haven't booked a car (yet). If Solden we'd probably opt for a taxi / transfer bus. If Selva then I guess we'd rent a car for the week as it's a bit further out.
We like a few beers after a days skiing, and love the singing that normally accompanies it... we've stayed in Selva / St Kristina before, and Ischgl and enjoyed them all.
I think it was Arabba that tipped her over the edge. Long gondala, down, turn right around the mountain - carnage.... loads of moguls, steepish red, bodies strewn everywhere.... She bum-shuffled down and I had to ski carrying her skis / poles.... I thought I looked quite good. She didn't notice 
Anyhoo - Solden sounds good, and we know Selva. Plus a bit more research (Zillertal).
I don't think we'll be disappointed in either so I'll do an accom search for both.
Any suggestions?
Indoor pool would probably be a good idea for the day(s) she won't want to ski.
Thanks everyone
SM
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We walked to Ortisei from St Kristina one day (2h or so), then bussed it and skied it another.
Gorgeous little village and nice slopes (for her).
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The cable car is quicker than that gondola. The "red" first pitch in Arabba is black imho, and is only coloured red because it's a key route on the Sella Ronda loop. Not so bad first thing if you get nice corduroy, but after an hour it's mostly carnage. Not just the moguls, but too many that don't like it, all waiting for each other to go first to avoid crashing in to each other. Thought that the newish lifts there might have made it possible to skip that section. If or when Arabba Fly lift goes in (oh look pigs with wings!) it'll almost definitely be skippable (I think).
Definitely recommend Kaltenbach in Zillertal as per Alastair Pink's post. Nothing difficult there at all apart from the long run back in to town (that you don't need to take).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@shockingmoment, checkout Serfaus.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| shockingmoment wrote: |
Anyhoo - Solden sounds good, and we know Selva. Plus a bit more research (Zillertal).
I don't think we'll be disappointed in either so I'll do an accom search for both.
Any suggestions?
Indoor pool would probably be a good idea for the day(s) she won't want to ski.
Thanks everyone
SM |
Well for Kaltenbach in the Zillertal the hotel Alpina in the adjacent village of Ried that I linked to has a "wellness" facility with pool, sauna, solarium etc : http://www.alpina-ried.at/en/spa-wellness
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@shockingmoment, I can recommend Madonna di Campiglio as mentioned above, but it is 3 hours from Innsbruck.
I haven't stayed in Solden but when driving through it last March it was pretty much devoid of snow and pig ugly. Happy to accept that's not the case, but it certainly didn't look remotely appealing.
Personally, I can very strongly recommend Obergurgl which fits your criteria beautifully. It's just a bit further up the valley from Solden with IMO a great deal more charm (and snow). The runs are easy and confidence giving. Have a look at the Hotel Crystal (nothing to do with the TO of the same name although they do send people there). Two swimming pools and all the other malarkey.
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You know it makes sense.
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+ 1 for kaltenbach .
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Lovely wide open gentle pistes... Cervinia fits the bill. If the OH wants to chill out you can do the trickier stuff over the Zermatt side.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Whoops ignore that, probably a bit of a trek from Innsbruck.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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For a specially nervous skier it might be worth thinking about trying to find the quietest pistes. I found the pistes on the Sella Ronda (first week in February) a great deal more crowded than my area in France would be in the same week - really quite a startling difference. I'm not a nervous skier but still find the numbers a bit trying. Because of the days when there was no skiing in Arabba I didn't see as much of the area as I'd hoped - that's the plan for this coming visit, for the Birthday Bash. People who know the area well said you can get away from the crowds if you avoid the big Sella Ronda circuit runs, which would be worth trying.
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I agree with @Onnem about the Kronplatz area. Bruneck / Brunico is an easy drive from Innsbruck. There is accommodation at Reischach / Riscone right at the foot of the slopes and that also is close to the leisure centre / pool / sauna at http://www.cron4.it/en/index.php There is actually anton-aus-tirol table dancing at the K1 bar if you want it. Don't be put off by the fact that the two runs down to Reischach are blacks. There is easy access up and down the mountain by gondola. Some of the beginners areas are at the very top of the mountain and it is quite normal for people to travel both up and down in the gondolas. Good selection of blue and red runs.
You can also stay in Olang / Valdaora or Perca / Percha. We looked at http://www.sonnblick.it/en/ as that seemed very good value and handy access to the slopes, but didn't stay there in the end - not sure if there is much else going on in Perca / Percha.
Our preference is for San Vigilio which is prettier, has a decent choice of bars (but no table dancing that we have found)
This year there are two British tour operators offering accommodation in San Vigilio (but the hotels don't look to be well placed) so it could be that the end is now in sight. But it's my favourite place. Suits me (age 57, piste skier, started skiing age about 35, like a beer after a day on the slopes, can't stand the "Benidorm on snow" type of resort)
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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one +1 from me for Kronplatz...ok, its not like Dolomites, but
1. some nice villages around
2. you could find very cheap accommodation (appartments) if you go with a car and stay 10min away from lifts
3. Brunico is lovely...its more a small town or a big village...but more to do and see if you are bored
4. if you have a car (or with bus) and you have dolomits superskipass you could go to alta badia and join the Sella Ronda...
5. the skiing in Kronplatz is for me 1st class...wide nice and relatively easy slopes, but also some black slopes (more or less difficult)
If you have to choose between Zillertal or Sölden then much better Zillertal...
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Thanks everyone for making it a lot more difficult....
It's a nice position to be in though - some great choices there, and some that I wouldn't normally consider.
This is the reason this forum is so good!
Thanks,
TA
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Went to Solden last year, when you get up there are loads of motorway cruisers but.... I personally wouldn't go there again, the resort is on a main road that is like the A1 on a busy day and the run down to resort is ridiculous, the last 400m it narrows and the final bend is like carnage corner, your Mrs would hate it. There is zero alpine atmosphere in the resort, in fact when you get down there are no slopes to be seen and you wouldn't know you were in a ski resort...apart from the pole dancing bars and the intersport shops! Another thing I remember is it takes a long long time to get up to the glacier and when you finally get up top there isn't much skiing up there, mind you the couple of times we went all the way it was snowing heavy and you couldn't see much so we probably didn't do it justice. -1 for Solden from me.
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Kaiser846
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the resort is on a main road that is like the A1 on a busy day
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Hmm, a route that goes nowhere except to other skiing villages in winter and ends at the last village, slight exaggeration don't you think.
Yes it is stop and go, particularly in the morning start and afternoon end periods, with the cars and coaches moving back and forth to their accommodation, but probably because of all the tourists crossing officially at the pedestrian crossings and those crossing illegally where there aren't any! Don't remember too many people playing chicken with the trucks on the A1 the last time I drive its full length!
If the runs down to the village are such carnage, what's wrong with downloading at the end of the day? I ski the runs down to the valley during the day and download when these are full of people regardless of their skills.
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| There is zero alpine atmosphere in the resort, in fact when you get down there are no slopes to be seen and you wouldn't know you were in a ski resort...apart from the pole dancing bars and the intersport shops |
Perhaps looking at the village from the other side of the river or from further away than just the from the 800m between the Giggijoch and Gaislachkogl base stations, your perspective may have changed a wee bit too! As for the pole dancing clubs - 2 obvious ones and one discretely positioned behind a couple of standard Aprés bars down a private side street to one of the poshest hotels in town, WOW Sölden really is a den of iniquity and should be avoided at all costs by [name your diety of choice]-fearing respectable, clean-living people! Soho eat your heart out; Amsterdam's Red Light district and Reeperbahn, you are both toast in terms of sordidness! 
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@Samerberg Sue, You know Solden far better than I do (having driven through just a couple of times) and maybe better than @Kaiser846, as well, but I have to agree with much of what he says. It's not an attractive place. It's the sort of place you drive through on your transfer and everyone thinks "Please God, don't tell me we are staying here." It is pretty depressing looking. Busy road, no charm, steep and narrow snowless run into town. I suspect the reality is far better than the first appearance, but when there are so many other great places.....why bother?
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@foxtrotzulu, I bother because uninformed comments like yours and @Kaiser846 mean that people miss out on a fabulous, snow-sure resort! Just do a search on here and see the "impressions" of Sölden that seem to prevail. I could same the same about many resorts - Chamonix on a miserable day, especially Chamonix-Süd for example or Montgenevre, Claviere and their add-on Caesana are all pretty dire as you "pass through them" on one of the few roads to remain open between Italy and France that does not involve a toll tunnel! Grindelwald is not exactly inviting in the rain either (it rained both times on arrival for my last 2 visits), get the picture. One of my favourite resorts in the southern French Alps is Serre Chevalier, just try crossing that road if you've ended up in the "cheap seats" with a Tour Operator - sod the views, I want to be able to cross the road without having to race across between the trucks 
I was also unimpressed with Sölden when I first arrived, but the skiing was superb and has continued to be superb. Exploring the town I now avoid the Crystal-type places on the main drag and stay in a variety of accommodation I find myself - from the 29 Euro a night B&B I used on the Sölden Race Weekend this year, to the 100 Euro a night Wellness Spa hotel I used for a few days of pure self-indulgence. The village-like atmosphere is to be found on the other side of the river, along with amazing views of the mountains!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Samerberg Sue, Fair points. Although the comments you classed as 'uninformed' always had the caveat that they were based purely on a brief view of the town. They were first impressions. I never commented on the ski area other than to say that the visible runs back down into the town were brown and muddy last March. In fact, the only comment of mine that you disagreed with was the charm of much of the town and I'm not wholly sure you disagreed with that.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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This season is looking a bit like the last with the southern alps (I.e. Italy) getting more snow. May be a factor.....
Personally I recommend anywhere in the South Tirol
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@foxtrotzulu, most of the searches on here throw up such grossly inaccurate statements about Sölden such as "riddled with sex shops and strip bars", run by the Russian Mafia, heavy trucks racing through on their way to Italy, etc! Snap decisions and band-wagonning to appear knowledgeable. I decline to comment on French resorts that I skied in for over 2 decades because it is now more than 2 decades since I visited most of them so my view and impressions are no longer valid in my opinion. However I probably have more French ski miles under my belt than most people on here, so surely my opinion is valid!
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You know it makes sense.
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Solden does lack charm and the road is much busier and more difficult to cross than is ideal in ski boots. But as, @Samerberg Sue, says, there are alternatives to the industrial-feel of the main drag. I chose Zwieselstein, a quiet hamlet up the road to Obergurgl. The skiing is grand, though, with good variety and much more extensive than it looks on the map. I'd return in shot but would definitely stay out of town.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Samerberg Sue, I'm sure your opinion on French resorts and Solden are 100% valid. I think anyone's opinions are valid as long as one sticks within the bounds of commenting upon what one knows. I fear many of us are inclined to stray beyond that at times but I hope I didn't do so above. 
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Poster: A snowHead
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I think anyone's opinions are valid as long as one sticks within the bounds of commenting upon what one knows.
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agreed, and don't use their experience in a handful of resorts to make sweeping statements about "Austria" or "France".
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What a great position to be in. I've skied in Solden, Selva and Kronplatz before. We are from SA so I can't comment on roads of anything like that as we fly and bus / train it usually. Kronplatz was my least favourite and Selva the best of all 3. Solden is great skiing but the lifts I did find to bottle neck a lot. I loved the town Selva and the pistes were great. We took 2 days to ski the orange and green circle runs which was amazing and the other days just skied in Selva. Lots of great runs and restaurants. Of the 3, definitely my favourite!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Another excellent resort I can recommend is Obergurgl - a few km's from Solden. It is linked to Hochgurgl and both have the nicest widest blue slopes. If I have to recommend my top resort for beginners it would be Obergurgl.
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Samerberg Sue ....
Everyone is entitled to an opinion and I guess you are a big fan of Solden and like all biased people appear to be a bit one eyed. I liked the skiing at Solden, with a few reservations (it's a hell of a schlepp up to the glacier!) and I don't mind nightlife nor the various types of bars there but you cannot get away from the fact that it is a drawn out resort on a main road with no charm, alpine or otherwise. I could go there a hundred times and that would be the same. I personally prefer St Anton, Ischgl and Saalbach and so do all of the skiers in our party but hey what do we know.... The fact is I am entitled to an opinion as much as you are be it ill informed or not, what part of actually having being there and having eyes that see the main road and the dreary town makes it ill informed I don't know.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Further to my Obergurgl post - they have a great apre ski pub with live music on the last run home - we stayed in Hotel Alpen with a hot water pool and saunas etc - could see the hotel from this pub!
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Only been to Solden once (April 2012) - loved the place. Loved the bands playing at the top of the Giggijoch (sp?) gondola at the end of the day and the umbrella bar in the hotel at the bottom was ace. Really good ski school (Yellow Power), great snow for spring skiing and if I'm in the mountains, I'm good for alpine charm! 
Aren't most glaciers a bit of a stomp to get you by the way? Actually thought the trip to the glacier and back to meet the kids for lunch made a good circuit.
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I think I’ve decided. Solden / Soelden / Sölden.
There looks to be better access to a lot more blues here than at Selva. I need to build her confidence slowly…
Now where to stay.
There is a thread on here that lists a couple of couple of places so I’ll give them a whirl.
In the meantime – the main lift to the big blue ski area…. I assume this is the Giggijochbahn?
Is there a skibus that runs through the (other side of the) village? I can’t find a skibus map.
If we stayed at Haus Wilhelm, Windaustraße 23 on the other side of the river - for example – is it easy access to / from the Giggijochbahn lift?
Map shows a 15m walk, I assume that’s in decent shoes and not ski boots!
Any suggestions for a reasonable B&B / apartment / hotel around the Giggijochbahn area?
We’ll probably have a rental car but I’d rather not use it.
Any hints / tips for an Innsbruck transfer if we decide not to rent a car?
Thanks folks.
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yes...the main area is the Gigijoch area. BUT...if the weather is good, you must go to the Glacier blue slopes.....much much better than Gigijoch
on the other hand if Glacier is closed because of weather consider of skiing that day because Gigijoch area will be TOTAL FULL...go up and if you see thousands of peoples on the slopes, then be more carefull
You coud rent a depot in the rent shops near Gigijoch for boots and skies. So you could walk with your shoes all the way
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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The postbus up from the Oetz railway station, as mentioned above, gets very busy and can be decidedly uncomfortable with big bags, skis etc. It also goes round the houses and stops at every possible place in the valley. The Oetztaler shuttle was brilliant on the way back - no other passengers and effectively a private transfer from close to our accommodation.
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FAQ
