 Poster: A snowHead
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I've not much holiday left next year, so looking at a short 4 or 5 day break, flying into Innsbruck I think. Easyjet do a Wed flight from Manchester, back on the Sunday.,
I've done the Arlberg many times, also skied Ishgl, but looking for somewhere new.
Wondering about Solden or Obergurgl, one of the party had a bad accident in slush a few years ago so looking for the place with the best chance of good snow (and well aware that in recent years later April has sometimes been colder than Feb with better snow).
We are all very good skiers, can cover a lot of ground if we want to (https://www.latania.co.uk/blog/2024/04/12/escapade-2024-regular-visitor-greg-complete-the-challenge/) , also would be looking for a day or two off piste, and/or some touring.
Any view on the two resorts suitability? Any recommended hotels, ideally with pool/spa area.
Cheers,
Greg
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Obergurgl is not as high as Sölden or as large a ski area. More offpiste opportunites at Sölden too.
Sounds to me like Obergurgl could be too small for your group.
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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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I haven't been to Obergurgl in winter, but there's not a lot of ground available to be covered there. Google maps is handy for a comparative view of ski area sizes. I have used the [tiny!] Vent lift system, but only in summer 
My Sölden experience is from multiple season's end visits. I don't know about the "touring" potential, although it's in the middle of an excellent summer snow plodding area. You may need to know what you're about.
I would not expect [eg] Sölden to have better snow than Ishgl; they're presumably in similar snow belts. But the glaciers at Sölden are an excellent backstop, with a large area covering multiple aspects to deliver a range of slope conditions. So Sölden's a safer bet in that respect, but that's not quite what you're asking.
Hotels? I did my time in the cheapest places in town, which I'd recommend for being cheap. I've not been since Covid, so I'm out of date. Not everywhere is open all season. I like Vaya Sölden a lot. It doesn't have a pool (bah!), but the spa on the top floor is excellent and the rooms exceptional: big and funky with wooden floors. You can park right outside and the service is good. The Central [a stone's throw from the Vaya...] has been there forever summer & winter, and is a very safe bet, plus it's got a substantial spa area with a pool. The Vaya is smaller and funkier, a contrast to the Central which is the big dog with all the features. There are obviously lots of hotels which will be solid Austrian I'm sure. There are lots of smaller guest house type places which can be really good, more personal and of similar quality. There is a big and good municipal swimming pool with full spa facilities in the middle of the town.
Location-wise, well you can see the map but all the stuff's pretty close together, and there are plenty of bridges across the river... not much of an issue for going out. For skiing, there are shuttle buses and the two main lift points are vaguely at opposite ends of the town. You don't have the same "home run meets bar full of noisy people late afternoon" thing in Sölden as I saw in Ishgl. There are bars at the bottom of the lifts, but when I've been there at season end, people had to download to those. They had all the usual Austrian features as you'd expect. You can buy alcohol at piste-side places all day. On mountain food is... mediocre, but some of the smaller places have decent cakes and coffee, if you look for it.
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I have been to both resorts the OP mentioned but in December.
Both hotels had a nice spa and a pool.
There is a free and effective skibus connecting them, they are on the same skipass so I would choose based on your group perception of evening fun.
Obergurgl (Hotel Austria through Crystal Sk) felt mostly family orientated with half boards and very quiet evenings except some pizza etc.)
Sölden (Die Berge Lifestyle Hotel) with a roof pool and extraordinary breakfast, plenty of dinner options nearby from classic Austrian restaurants to American style dinners centered on meat.
More Apres in the village, some SHs here disliking Solden due to alleged frivolous bars on the main street (didn't bother to enter, was with my kids both times).
I reckon Ischgl late March early April is a good option too
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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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@kitenski, having never skied or been to either, I'd pick Sölden, and ski Obergurgl for a day on the same pass if I felt the need to/for a change of scenery.
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| swskier wrote: |
| @kitenski, having never skied or been to either, I'd pick Sölden, and ski Obergurgl for a day on the same pass if I felt the need to/for a change of scenery. |
This is exactly what we did earlier this year, but in hindsight would have preferred to stay in Obergurgl as it is just a nicer alpine village type of atmosphere.
Solden has the bigger ski area and is closer to Innsbruck, has good infrastructure etc, but the town is a bit meh. Its just a main road that runs up the valley (to Obergurgl) with apres bars, hotels and strip clubs lining it. Obergurgl is picture-postcard nice and I'd have said that the off piste is better/more varied. Also, plenty big enough for a few days once you've spent a day skiing in Solden. And in my opinion there are better mountain restaurants and better on-the-hill apres in Obergurgl.
..Nick
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| DB wrote: |
Obergurgl is not as high as Sölden or as large a ski area. More offpiste opportunites at Sölden too.
Sounds to me like Obergurgl could be too small for your group. |
Isn't the village of Obergurgl about 600m higher than Solden??
..Nick
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I would 100% pick Ischgl or Arlberg over either of them. If you really want somewhere new, at that time, maybe Serfaus; or if you don’t mind just a slightly longer transfer maybe Nauders? I’ve never skied there but biked there a lot, and and it looks like it would be a lot of fun in winter.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@drporat, Seconded for the Die Berge - probably the nicest hotel I've even stayed in for ski holiday (and I've stayed in the Four Seasons in Blackcomb/Whistler)
Also check out Pension Edelweiss just at the Giggijoch car park or Haus Ulrich next door to Restaurant Corso.
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| big_ben wrote: |
| DB wrote: |
Obergurgl is not as high as Sölden or as large a ski area. More offpiste opportunites at Sölden too.
Sounds to me like Obergurgl could be too small for your group. |
Isn't the village of Obergurgl about 600m higher than Solden??
..Nick |
It is....but the resort itself is very quiet.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| big_ben wrote: |
| DB wrote: |
Obergurgl is not as high as Sölden or as large a ski area. More offpiste opportunites at Sölden too.
Sounds to me like Obergurgl could be too small for your group. |
Isn't the village of Obergurgl about 600m higher than Solden??
..Nick |
It is....but the resort itself is very quiet.
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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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@clarky999, why wouldn’t you ski those two areas compared to the Albert or Ischgl?
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@kitenski, the resorts and the skiing are simply not on the same level IMO. Ok there’s great touring up there in Ötztal, but in both Obergurgl and Sölden you’ve essentially got a couple of main lifts going up one side of the valley/mountain and most of the skiing is on that same aspect. Just doesn’t compare to the variety and interestingness of the skiing in Arlberg/Ischgl. And Sölden town is just fugly…
For me Sölden/Obergurgl are almost more day trip type places rather than somewhere I’d book a holiday too, at least if resort skiing was the main agenda. If touring was the focus that might change things…
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You know it makes sense.
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@clarky999, while you are correct of course and one cannot compare Oetztal to Arlberg or to Ischgl for challenging skiing and for the variety of pistes, how does the timing of his vacation influences your decision?
Personally I've never been that late in Austria and even in mid March St. Anton or the blue pistes above Lech were slushy and even sticky.
Warth was evidently holding well.
Will on piste skiers enjoying to go fast from place to place and refraining from repeating the same pistes over and over still enjoy Arlberg in early April?
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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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@clarky999, interesting cheers!! I was aiming for elevation to avoid sticky snow! I guess with Ischgl the person with the recent accident could download though and avoid home runs. Any touring and OP would need to be day trips only!
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Poster: A snowHead
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@drporat, well first up I actively enjoy slush, and one of my favourite things to do in April is soft snow piste cruising a big loop from St Anton around the Arlberg to Lech etc and back on big surfy powder skis. And I really love the home run slushy bumps under Gampen and Galzig at the end of the day. So maybe I'm not the best person to answer that question haha!
BUT I would say Ischgl at least maintains snow quality as well as the other two - it's also quite inner alpine (=drier and colder) and much of the terrain is north-facing.
And remember it does still regularly snow to the valley in March and April; Obergurgl especially is not a fun place to ski in a storm so variety of terrain is still important especially if you're booking ahead (from Obergurgl/Sölden you'd want to head down the Ötztal to Hochötz, but it is a bit of a schlepp).
All that to say, I think my recommendation would stay the same (although I would also keep Serfaus in the pot for the same reasons as Ischgl). Hope that helps a bit 
Edit: if I was booking and paying in advance for a ~1 week trip to a (single) resort in Austria, it would be to Arlberg, Ischgl, Saalbach or Kitzbühel, and it would be in March. And if it had to be at another time of year it would still be one of those resorts. I would only branch out if I was either booking last minute and could choose based on weather or if explicitly planning to move around and ski different places based on weather during the trip.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Mon 30-09-24 19:51; edited 2 times in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| dazman wrote: |
@drporat, Seconded for the Die Berge - probably the nicest hotel I've even stayed in for ski holiday (and I've stayed in the Four Seasons in Blackcomb/Whistler)
Also check out Pension Edelweiss just at the Giggijoch car park or Haus Ulrich next door to Restaurant Corso. |
Thirded for the Die Bergen, kinda stylish but chilled.
I'm terrible with names but there is a decent pizza place behind it, good burger place half way down the main road and a top pasta place (might be the Corso) a little way further down.
I don't drink or party but I love Solden, especially the insanely long run from the top to bottom.
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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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I visited Sölden in late March many years ago. We had a 5-day trip, but for two of those days, the glacier was closed due to high winds (or something similar, I can’t recall exactly). As a result, we had to stay in the Gigijoch area, which became extremely crowded because of the situation. Do not underestimate the weather, even during this time of year.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@drporat, I've skied 9 years in the Arlberg and had everything from winter snow in April down to Stuben to slush (which I also love) so deep you sank to boot depth if you took your skis off on piste!!
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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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| clarky999 wrote: |
@kitenski, the resorts and the skiing are simply not on the same level IMO. Ok there’s great touring up there in Ötztal, but in both Obergurgl and Sölden you’ve essentially got a couple of main lifts going up one side of the valley/mountain and most of the skiing is on that same aspect. Just doesn’t compare to the variety and interestingness of the skiing in Arlberg/Ischgl. And Sölden town is just fugly…
For me Sölden/Obergurgl are almost more day trip type places rather than somewhere I’d book a holiday too, at least if resort skiing was the main agenda. If touring was the focus that might change things… |
Perfectly summed up. Head to Solden when the conditions off Gaislachkogl are in, for some of the best big lines of your life. Otherwise, lots of resorts offer a better experience.
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Done both a number of times early April. Conditions in both have been excellent, but as mentioned, Solden much better for experienced skiers.
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Skied Obergurgl many years ago in mid March. The preceding weeks had been very cold creating very hard pistes. Found the skiing very bland and limited, with the exception of skiing between a small group of trees at the end of the village. Wont go back again. Skied Galtur/Ischgl for the last three holidays and loved it. Next season we are trying Hochsolden. The "nightlife" in Solden doesnt interest us. so there for the ski area
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| big_ben wrote: |
| DB wrote: |
Obergurgl is not as high as Sölden or as large a ski area. More offpiste opportunites at Sölden too.
Sounds to me like Obergurgl could be too small for your group. |
Isn't the village of Obergurgl about 600m higher than Solden??
..Nick |
Yes the village itself is higher but Sölden has the higher ski area. ( e.g. if it's a warm spring, the snow tends to be better higher up)
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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1. St Moritz
2. Solden
3. Obergurgl
4. Livigno
5. Ischgl
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| big_ben wrote: |
| swskier wrote: |
| @kitenski, having never skied or been to either, I'd pick Sölden, and ski Obergurgl for a day on the same pass if I felt the need to/for a change of scenery. |
This is exactly what we did earlier this year, but in hindsight would have preferred to stay in Obergurgl as it is just a nicer alpine village type of atmosphere.
Solden has the bigger ski area and is closer to Innsbruck, has good infrastructure etc, but the town is a bit meh. Its just a main road that runs up the valley (to Obergurgl) with apres bars, hotels and strip clubs lining it. Obergurgl is picture-postcard nice and I'd have said that the off piste is better/more varied. Also, plenty big enough for a few days once you've spent a day skiing in Solden. And in my opinion there are better mountain restaurants and better on-the-hill apres in Obergurgl.
..Nick |
Agree with this. Obergurgl is charming, patrician, family friendly resort with old world hotels, a lot of ski in ski out places. Solden is much more rough and ready, much less charming and is essentially a road. But it does have nightlife and while there has been reference to the titty bars, there are also some excellent apres ski bars which are good for a laugh.
Skiing is good in both areas. I skied late April it was warm enough to wear a t-shirt on the slopes yet the glacier's snow in Solden was still in excellent condition at 3 in the afternoon. The world cup black is also excellent. I remember both resorts having wide areas of unpisted mountain side that I thought would be good for off piste.
Only stayed BnB but if you like spas, pools etc there is a world class wellness place about 20 minutes down the road, terme something or other. Best I've ever been in. Multiple outdoor pools framing views of mountains and excellent adult only wellness downstairs. I'd go back just for that to be honest.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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[/quote} there is a world class wellness place about 20 minutes down the road[/quote]
https://www.aqua-dome.at/en/thermal-spa/
Also, re Obergurgl/Hochgurgl, the red run down to Hochgurgl village is really lovely unless it gets really warm. Rarely busy too.
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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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Yes that's it. Class place.
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