Soll 17th March - general advice? and will there be snow?

A snowHead

Hi all,

Just looking for advice on first skiing trip please?

Thinking of soll, but will there be snow week of 17th March?

Or any other resorts (with snow) with good skiing and night life for four 30 year olds? Preferably Austria, with OK prices for ski passes etc (Soll seems cheapish - but is it for a reason?)

Any advice much appreciated!

Cheers Mike

A snowHead

Hey Mike

Welcome to snowheads!

I was in Soll 2 weeks ago - had fantastic time. My 4th ski trip but first time to Austria. Soll is a great resort for beginner/intermediate. Austria has had the best snow in something like 60yrs this year - it was close to perfect when we were there plus it has been really cold since. Can't be sure but between natural forces and loads of snow cannons i'd guess you should be ok but I'm far from an expert on weather predictions or skiing for that matter! There is another few guys here organizing a trip to Soll the same week (17/03) and they have some info on their thread about weather around that time - take a look: http://www.snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=85549

Nightlife in Soll is good fun - good apres ski and lots of bars in center. In general prices for beers and food are very reasonable and cheaper than Ireland.

I'd highly recommend. If you want any info about Soll just give me a shout.

Have a fantastic time

Emma Very Happy

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Hi Emma,

Thanks very much for the info! Appreciate your time in responding!

I am 95% ready to book just have something in the back of my mind worrying about the snow!

If anyone can help me with that last 5% and have experience of Soll (or similar) In mid March I'd really appreciate it everyone.

Cheers Mike

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Hi Mike,

I have been to Soll in mid March 4 times now as my birthday is 17th March and it's a good excuse for a holiday. We have always been able to ski at this time and the runs down to the village have only been closed once (there was still good skiing to be had from the middle station).

As Austria is having the best snow in decades I'm pretty sure that you will be fine for snow this year.

There is also a number of threads on here that discuss how as Austria is further east than France and that the snow falls on meadow rather than rock you don't need as much snow to make it skiable. This effectively makes a 700m village height equate to 900m if it were a french resort. (I've probably got this wrong, but I'm sure that someone will correct me!)

Just book it, you won't regret it.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Agree with Wardster00 - I've been to Soll a few times in mid to late March and usually in normal a season it's fine, plus with the amount of snow they have at the moment, I really wouldn't worry. They're reporting 90cm at the bottom which is normally about the the amount they have at the top at this time of year.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Mimorris, would you be asking this question if you were going to a French resort with a base station height of 1000m and skiing at 3000m? Probably not, is my guess.

As you go further east the snowline falls because the moderating effect of the maritime air masses is reduced! By the time you hit the eastern Tirol, it has fallen by about 300m. The further east you go the lower it gets. It is part of a well documented phenomena called Continentality.

We are currently getting fallsof beautiful dry powder snow such as falls (in far greater amounts sometimes) in Utah, Montana, colorado and Arizona. This is because the weather system producing it is coming from the drier east and into the very cold Siberian air systems we have at the moment. it is amazingly dry and light. Those out playing in the overnight falls today are very very lucky people.

I skied in Söll last year at the end of March and we all know what a bum year it was for snow and high temperatures that was! Go ahead and book, you'll have a great time.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

And don't forget that you'll actually be skiing much higher than the height of the village ( 700m ). Some people get put off Austrian ski resorts because the village height is so low. But apart from the runs back to resort or the village nursery slopes, most of the skiing is much higher. Though do be aware that the stronger sun in March can produce slushy conditions on lower South facing slopes.

After all it is free

Dear all (Emamcl, mauddib, Samerburg Sue & jimmy bog),

Thank you so much for your advice and input regarding my question.

Just to let you know my first skiing holiday to Soll is now booked !! (yeah!!) and we can't wait.

We are staying in hotel Poswirt, going on 17th March and there will be four of us (30-35yrs). We are beginner/intermediate and have had beginner levels 1,2,3 and improver levels 4,5,6 at the chillactore indoor centre in Manchester.

We now need to book ski passes, boots, poles & skis and some lessons, so if anyone has any advice on this it is very much appreciated (best price I can get for all this is £280ish).

Or if anyone has any more tips for Soll they would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks again!

Mike

Soll is part of a domain called Ski Welt (Ski World) which has 7 other resorts of Going, Ellmau, Scheffau, Itter, Hopfgarten, Brixen and Westerdorf all linked together at the top as depicted in this piste map. If you worry about lack of snow in mid Mar it is equivalent to worrying the sky might fall. It is common in the Austrian resorts to ski from the landing of the first Gondola upward in poor snow condition that affect the home run back to the lowest station.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Mimorris, you probably already know this, if you want group lessons tuition in Austria is usually all day. If you want some time to ski with just your mates out of lesson time, then maybe have a couple of hours private lessons each day on the first few days with just your mates.

That said I've always enjoyed group lessons, just not done them all day for all 6 days of a holiday.

Another tip, if you want to be able to move in the afternoon, don't have grostl and kaiserschmarrn for lunch, have one or the other. Laughing

We're off to Kitzbuhel a couple of weeks after you go to Soll, so there better be some snow.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Mimorris, I would rent from Edinger at the gondala you can also leave the skis and boots there for about 14 euros a week. Or you could try Daves Sports in the village about 50mtrs from your hotel.

snow reports

Mimorris, Postwirt is nice hotel, good choice. As per skid & slide get your skis and boots from Edinger by the bubble, makes it so much easier not having to carry them about every morning and evening, plus it's a short walk to Hexenalm for Apres Very Happy

I did Soll about that time. I'll never forget the blizzard at the top, coming lower down to get below the cloud only to be soaked by the rain. That ride back up the top wa about as cold as I have ever been.

I can't remember the name of the hotel we stayed in, but it was the best pizza I have ever eaten (the Jager Tee was pretty good too)!

You know it makes sense.

Mimorris, you're going to have a great time. We'll be just leaving the SkiWelt on the 17th this year although we've been there right up to the last day of the season in previous years. Samerberg Sue, knows what she's talking about so if you get a thumbs up there, you'll be fine (no pressure SS!) Even in a season like last year, we were also skiing that week in Soll and it was fine.

We've stayed in the postwirt five times and it's a nice place. Apparently it has a pool, but due to the lateness of our return from a variety of excellent apres ski bars, we never got to see it!

Look at hiring your skis online before you go on skiset or skinet as well. Or just go to the Edinger shop up near the gondola which as the others have said is very convenient. I'm fairly sure you don't need to book these in advance.

As for lessons, check out the two ski schools listed on www.skiwelt.com/en
Skischule Knolln - www.skischule-knolln.at
Skischule Söll-Hochsöll Embacher - www.skischule-soell.com
and call them or send an email for more info. If there are enough of you, look at the prices of private lessons for the group compared to a week of general lessons.

And there's a pizza place down the road from the postwirt. It's great - not sure if it's the same place as musher means - word of warning though - mind the step particularly in ski boots!

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

i used to live in munich and ski welt was one of our standard weekend favourites. for quieter pistes, head towards scheffau and beyond. the main tourist resorts such as soll, hopfgarten etc are all around the main mountain so it can be very busy but there's a huge amount more towards the east end. also try westendorf. it's not directly connected, so requires a short bus ride, but it is included in the ski pass and is less busy too. but it is a biiig area with a pretty good lift network, so not a lot of bottlenecks.

i hear the snow, as reported by several above, is excellent this year, so have fun. i remember many runs back to the car at scheffau, skiing through 6" of slush for the last few hundred metres.

A snowHead

Dear all,

Thanks so much for all your advice we can't wait to go now. The snow looks great at the minute, 280cm at the top and 100cm at resort level.

Seems a little rain due but hopefully the snow holds out.

If anyone has been recently any more advice is greatly appreciated!!

Cheers Mike Very Happy

A snowHead

Even if the snow at resort level has disappeared by then (and it would have to warm up a lot methinks) then Soll is fine for coming down by lift fri the midstation. In fact the 2 home runs (one red and one blue track) aren't always so much fun at the end of the day (and highest risk). Though the blue track does have a nice bar to watch the sunset a few hundred metres from the end.

Soll was my first village level trip and I was completely won over by the ski hire with lockers thing at Edinger - I enjoyed the shortish walk up there in the morning (without skiboots ) and the walk back in the evening with a stop at Hexenalm (the bar just below the Edinger with witches on the roof). Its slghtly post ironic austrian but leave your critical facilities outside and its great fun. Friends have stayed at the Postwirt - said its nice and right in centre of the village.

Finally, I thought the self service food on the mountain was far better quality/value than France (not sure if it has the high end stuff as we were big group with kids / big kids with group)

Enjoy!

snowHead

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Soll 17th March - general advice? and will there be snow?

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