 Poster: A snowHead
|
hi
looking at solden for a short 4 nights end of feb....
never been to austria before so we are looking for somewhere to give it a go!
Husband is very confident intermediate but i'm more the nervous intermediate-type, checked out the piste map and we can see alot of reds, what's the opinion on the runs for a nervous intermediate? we ski mainly in Italy and due to their often over zealous piste gradings have rarely come across any reds that have been to scarey! but obviously we appreciate this is probably not the case elsewhere!........ any thoughts/opinions much appreciated
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Hi, you will find Soelden perfect for both your skiing abilities. Yes there are quite a lot of reds but nothing too daunting and plenty of high cruisey blues on the Tiefenbach glacier. I took a mixed group of advanced and intermediates there and everyone had a good time.
Word of warning though, although I had planned the trip out of UK and German half terms, half of Holland appeared to be there..so make sure your trip does not coincide with their half terms or you will have to be in the queue at 8am if you dont want to wait at least an hour to get up on the mountain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
thanks for the tip, i checked the 'euchro ski holiday' thing and it looks like the dutch holidays fall when we want to go....... maybe have to have a rethink! it seems the only place we can go end of feb that dosn't collide with school holidays is italy! and we wanted to try something different.......
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
I loved Soelden - lovely long runs, great scenery, very good grooming, not too crowded on my visit, good value mountain restos, plenty of cheapish b&bs and apartments as well as good value hotels, reliable snow, efficient lifts. I don't think the reds are especially more challenging than anywhere else; don't remember anything especially narrow or awkward.
Try to stay somewhere off the main road, which is the through-road on to Obergurgl. Apres is very lively in places and includes a few 'rude' bars; there are also plenty of normal umbrella bars and other apres spots; this might also affect where you stay as the occasional hotel or b&b might be noisyish. It's nice and close to Innsbruck for the transfer. Other worthwhile apres-ski is to take the bus down to Laengenfeld to the Aquadome, a fab pool/sauna/steam room complex. Really great place but prepare to go BARE... (it's compulsory in the saunas).
For a different Austrian intermediate-friendly place - though it may also be full of the Dutchies - try Montafon, accessible from Zurich or Innsbruck or Friedrichshafen; great Austrian walley near the Swiss border.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
I would say the Austrian probably are more religious in grooming their piste than the Italian.
Solden is very popular with intermediates and have the famous 4 peaks, 3 of which are over 3000m. Very good snow while we were there this Feb as we went to France and discovered the appalling condition in the second week.
Two of the 4 peaks have plenty of blue runs. The Tiefenbach glacier is the sunny one. When the weather is sunny that place is as good as you can get anywhere in the Alps. It has 148km piste so big enough to keep most skiers entertained for a full week. It next door Obergurgl, starting at 2000m above sea level, is smaller (110km piste) and has more snow but the layout is spread out 4 mountains in rapid succession. The two sell their own ski passes. Solden is more fun and has a nice town of a decent size. Obergurgl is more upmarket aiming at visitors willing to pay. Skiers there seemed more mature and seldom went for speed. Solden gave us a more youthful image.
The only negative I have is it has too many strip clubs which are not regular features a skier would find in the Alps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
saikee, There is only the one that I know of, on the main road towards the Gaislachkogl lift! A wee bit of an exaggeration to say the least. Just a bit in your face but so what, no-one is forcing you to go in! And there are loads of other places to visit. Don't be such a prude.
I think it will meet the OP's requirements very well. Yes the Giggijoch bubble is crowded at times, but the Gaislachkogl is just as good and not as busy. The bus will take you to either free of charge.
Lots of options on both sets of pistes and well linked as well. You will have a blast cbowls30. The road is not too busy once the evening wears on as the road only goes to Obergurgl, the pass into Italy is closed all winter. The range and choice of accommodation is brilliant.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Samerberg Sue,
I would admit seeing about three strip clubs on the main road is an exaggeration for "too many". Don't have a problem with them as we normally hunt for a nice place for coffee and cakes. Just can't remember seeing them elsewhere in Austria so it did make a strong impression on us. Austria is my favourite country to ski as I have sampled 33 places so far. There isn't one we didn't like. We skied Solden this year because our choice of better resorts (we prefer quiet resorts where skiers give room to each other like Obergurgl, Ischgl, Lech etc) were running out. Solden surprised us, like Mayrhofen, as a much quieter, better and more enjoyable than we thought.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
saikee, they are around - Mario Matt tried to make the K-K into an upmarket table dancing/lap dancing place at one point I believe. The Europeans are way more broad-minded than the Brits or Americans and prefer control rather than banning.
They are only sleazy if that is what the punters want. They, like the bordellos, are meeting a need, if they were not they wouldn't be there. The only one I know of is the "Live Girls" place on the right-hand side as you drive up towards the Gaislachkogl lift system. I've seen both in many other resorts or nearbyas well. I think you misinterpreted the others as there are no more on the main road. I've been stuck in traffic on day trips to the glaciers often enough to have crawled along the entire length of the village and walked it a few times as well. Only the one "funny" bar and that is treated as a bit of a joke, catering for the boozey Brits, Russians, Scandinavians and Dutch I was told by a local hotelier.
I don't think you can tar a resort on the basis of one rather "loud" shack with a few pictures of "ladies" outside! Sölden is way more than one or two bars. Blink and you'll miss them 
|
|
|
|
|
|
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.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sölden has some awesome sliding. I have no other advice to add other than come back on here when you have a short list of hotels, I found the access lifts are quite apart and you're hotel could be poorly situated. English isn't as widely spoken as some of the other Austrian resorts, but I believe it's getting more popular with Brits since I was last there so perhaps this is changing?
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
|
|
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.
|
red 27, Innsbruck is your closest then probably Zurich and use the train that people use for St Anton (Get off at Ötztal Bahnhof) and catch the bus or a taxi up to Sölden. The Blunderbuses (Bundesbus/Postbus) run a fairly cheap regular service up the valley.
Memmingen and Friedrichshafen used to be offered by the cheap budget airlines - someone was asking about Memmingen the other day, so I assume someone flies in there from somewhere in the UK. Not sure about Friedrichshafen any more - that used to be super as there is a station is right along side the Arrivals exit!
Failing that any of the airports in the region (Munich or even Salzburg) and hire a car? Munich and Salzburg are probably equidistant in self-drive timings
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
a) solden is awsome. reds are challenging but after a day of practice a nervous intermediate will soon love it
b) efficient lifts. doesnt matter how crowded, youll be on the lift in no time
c)huge ski area, place seems empty at times due to its sized
d)great apres
e)one strip place called rodelhutte. so lots is an exagggeration
f) no brits. just locals and dutch and germans having a great time without fighting. unfortunately only time i saw someone stroppy in a bar was a brit. cringe. been 3 times now and love it.
g)lunch at the various mountains is great. huge portions and reasonably priced
h)stella pint in irish bar is 3 euro 20.!! great place to have a few before spending more cash at grizzly, fire n ice etc
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
|
You could always stay up in Hochsoelden, very quiet with a few lovely restaurants and ski in ski out with access to the same pistes as Soelden without the long goldola ride first thing!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
Im planning similar trip to Solden early in Jan but have hed no success at all finding someone to take us for 3 nights so I imagine you may have problems getting 4 nights in higher season Feb. If you find a hotel to take you then please elt me know!!!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Samerberg Sue, Ta. looks like the Railjet Vienna train doesn't stop at Otzal - one has to change at Landeck. best journey time 4 hours from ZCH so not great for me.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
We skied a day in Solden last year - we were based in Obergurgl but used our pass for one day to ski at Solden. It was very busy but it was the New Year week and the dominant nationality appeared to be the Russians!!! The queue and crush to get on the gondola was horrible and lift queues up to lunchtime were busy and pushy not nice for a small person!!!
I enjoyed the skiing but it was icy and scrapy in places (lower down) - worst part was the fight a Russian bloke nearly had with my husband, who had objected to the guy pushing me aside (toppling me over) so that he could get on the chairlift before me!!
I found the grading of the pistes interesting - there was one blue (sorry cant remember piste number) which started off with a particularly steep part - definately not blue, more like easy black, for a short sharp section but then ended up pan flat at the bottom for a long while. By the way, you could always tackle the steep part like me, by having another skier (yes she was also Russian!!) ski over your skis, making you fall over and then you can just slide down the fast part of the slope on your a*** !
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
info@felsblick.com
we are staying here for new years . impossible to find hotels as all do sat to sat for tour operators!! seems great. 200 quid each for the week in an apartment,1 mile from solden. ski bus in village called zweilstein
alternatively we stayed ini lagenfeld last march. 25 mins on free ski bus. taxi back at night 30 euro. we stayed at the bruggerhoff in lagenfeld. basic but clean, normal breakfast etc. basically someone where to sleep only. limited english but the daughter speaks englisg in email quite well
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
russians are tolerated in solden but not liked at all . plenty of rowdy but as usual friendly dutch and germans .
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Was in Solden last year at the end of March and got whacked hard on the helmeted head by a Russian guy barging in the gondola queue. They do seem to take pushing and shoving to new level.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
s?
