 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi there
So after a week of trying to find resorts for a beginner ski trip, we've narrowed down our resort choice to either Soll or St Johann in Tirol (after ditching bulgaria) but we don't know which one to choose!
There's 3 of us in our early 20's who've not been skiing before, and we're not sure which place may better for skiing and snow (going 7th march).
Would be great if anyone has any advice on which resort to choose?
Thanks!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We skied the Eichenhof area of St Johann, which was my first trip and found it perfect. Good ski school and enough to keep beginners occupied. Can't comment on Soll I'm afraid, never been
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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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crabtreehannah,
Hi! I'm fairly new to this site too and there's so much helpful stuff on it. I do know both resorts very well and have spent many happy times in both places and in the surrounding area. As you are all beginners and in your 20s, I think Soll is the better choice. It's a pretty and very compact village with access to a huge area, easy runs (and harder, if you improve) and the night life is excellent, esp for younger people. St. Johann is just up the valley and is also very pretty and traditional but it is a town and has outskirts where some of the hotels are based. Its home skiing area - the Kitzbuhler Horn - is good for beginners and has more mountain restaurants than you can shake a stick at but it is smaller and very busy on the home runs. The night life is not as good as Soll, assuming you will want to meet up and mingle with the people you get to know and it tends to bottom out after teatime. A lot of families use it as a base for the surrounding and good but spread out resorts or as a cheaper alternative to Kitzbuhel which is just around the corner but not linked for skiing. I've also been to both with my kids, as teenagers and when in their 20s and they much preferred Soll. I think you will all have a better holiday in Soll. Hope this helps,
Aneira
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PS. Sorry - forgot the most important bit, the snow conditions! There is hardly any altitude difference between the two resorts and the Ski Welt (Soll is in that) has invested heavily in snow cannons so the snow I don't think should be a factor in your decision. St. Johann is only 10 mins up the valley, does have north facing slopes but if (bearing in mind the good conditions this year) it all had started to get slushy I still would advise Soll.
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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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I would confirm Aneira's and kyoto49's comments. Both resorts have good beginners' areas, St. Johann at the Eichenhof lifts (which are a bit outside the town) or at Bauernpenzing, which is near Oberndorf, even further away from central St. Johann. In Soll there are beginners' slopes below the gondola (also a bit away from the village). There are ski buses to get you there. Once you've passed the first days, though, St. Johann maybe offers the easier next step. The runs down from the middle station of the Harschbichl gondola (and the chairlifts on the lower slopes there) are well suited to intermediate skiers, allowing runs back down into the valley. I wouldn't recommend the red run down beside the gondola back to Soll for beginning intermediates; it is quite difficult and often it is too busy (I would judge it more difficult than even the narrower section in St. Johann, where there is also an alternative route past the lower station of the Jodlalm lift). There is also a blue run from Hochsoll back down to the valley but I've never skied that (yet); maybe someone else can comment on it. Intermediates in Soll can ski the Hochsoll area, after taking the gondola up, and, if need be, can always take the gondola down again. Summarising, I find Soll slightly more challenging, St. Johann a little easier.
Can't comment on the nightlife as I ski from home.
There shouldn't be any problem with snow, though the lower slopes may be soft if the weather is mild.
You should have a great holiday in either resort 
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I don't think the SkiWelt (Söll) is ideal for beginners. It's great for intermediates, consisting mostly of reds at the easier end of the red spectrum. But there are not many blues, and the lower runs down near the resort can be tricky in mild weather or when it's busy. Beginners tend to have to go up to Hochsöll, the first gondola stop, and ski the blue slopes there. Also, Söll is on the north side of the Hohe Salve and the SkiWelt range, so the pistes can be a bit gloomy, with the sun only showing up in the afternoon. If it's cold enough to preserve the snow, the Brixen/Westendorf side is nicer to ski.
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