Sölden can do more than just party. That's probably the key realisation of our day with local Rudi Wyhlidal. He came to Sölden in Ötztal from Lower Austria over 20 years ago and is now married to a Sölden woman. Today Rudi shows us "his" Sölden.
We start our day together with Rudi over a cappuccino at Café s'Rimele, a favourite meeting place for locals. Rudi is now one of them, as he has married a Sölden girl. Just around the corner is the new Giggijochbahn cable car, a futuristic building right next to an old wooden house. The interior of the valley station is reminiscent of a modern underground railway station, as the gondolas float along like a string of pearls. The cable car effortlessly swallows up skiers who want to make the most of this dream day on the mountain - including us. The biggest advantage of the new Giggijochbahn is that there are no more waiting times. "An incredible improvement compared to the previous lift," explains our guide.
After our first descent on the Funslope, we enjoy a fantastic view from the top station of the Roßkirpl chairlift down into the Pollestal valley. "I've been down this valley on my mountain bike before in summer, it was a wonderful tour," says Rudi. He smiles as he looks down. "You could go a bit higher up with the Schwarzkogllift, it's pretty impressive."
Other tips for summit photos are the Tiefenbachkogel and the Schwarze Schneid in the glacier ski area, two of the Big 3. We should visit the third in the group on this day, namely the 3,058 metre high Gaislachkogel. From the Gaislachkogel, a 270-degree view opens up over the Venter Valley, to Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, to the Timmelsjoch on the border with Italy and down to the village of Sölden.
As a snowboarder and former park designer, one of Rudi's favourite places in the ski area is of course the Sölden Snowpark on Giggijoch. "It may not be as massive as elsewhere, but everyone has fun here, from pros to beginners." The snow park and the media obstacle have made Sölden a world-famous meeting point for the snowboard and freestyle scene. "At the end of every season, we build a huge obstacle. Skiers, snowboarders, film-makers and photographer teams from all over the world came together there. That was a lot of fun."
In addition to the Giggijoch with its snow park and wide pistes, where most ski courses are held, sporty skiers particularly like the Gaislachkogel. With its challenging and steep pistes, it is the sports mountain and daring freeriders can also be seen there time and again. The glacier ski area on the Rettenferner and Tiefenbachferner is ideal for an early start to the ski season in autumn. Like the Giggijoch, it is suitable for leisure skiers and snowboarders - with the exception of the steep slope on the Rettenbachferner, where the first Ski World Cup race of the season takes place every year.
At lunchtime, we start to feel hungry and Rudi turns off in the direction of Gampe Thaya, a ski hut with its own Alpine inn. "It's just super rustic and cosy. They produce quite a lot themselves up here. There are no mass-produced goods here, only really good products - which are even better prepared." Our stop for spaetzle, dumpling duo and Kaiserschmarrn confirms Rudi's statements one hundred per cent.
Other places to stop are the very small and cosy Bratkartoffelhütte and the Hühnersteige in Rettenbachtal. Among the larger mountain restaurants, Rudi recommends the Giggijoch restaurant in particular, "they cook great food." And if you want something really exclusive with star-level cuisine, take the Gaislachkoglbahn cable car to ice Q, where film scenes for "James Bond" were shot. "This is really super high-end dining at 3,000 metres with an incredible view."
Sporthütte Fiegl, Rudi's shopping tip, is located on the southern edge of Sölden: "I get everything I need there. The advice is of course top-notch in any sports shop in Sölden, but I usually come here."
After a long day of skiing, Sölden is the perfect place to party. Night owls are in good hands at Bierhimmel, which has been THE bar in Sölden for years. There are live bands and good beer. Bands also perform every week in the small hut in the centre of the village with the programmatic name Live. The recommendation for dancing the night away is the Katapult, probably the best-known disco in Sölden - and of course the Electric Mountain Festival as an event tip. "But I'm more of a rocker than an electro fan," says our guide Rudi. As a family man, he now takes a more relaxed approach. That's why he takes us to the friendly JaTi burger restaurant. We also meet Rudi's wife Anja and little Jussi there. Over a craft beer, the burgers with unusual names such as "Black Beauty" and the sweet potato fries taste particularly good, while the interior is a mixture of antique shop and upcycling.
A cheap but nice place to stay in Sölden are apartment houses and nice guesthouses such as the Sun Alpin recommended by Rudi - modern alpine style, newly refurbished and with lots of wood. Those looking for a 5-star hotel will find what they are looking for at the Hotel Central, and we also recommend the lifestyle hotel Die Berge, the Hotel Bergland and the Hotel Vaya. The history of this hotel is also linked to that of our guide: When Rudi first came to Sölden years ago, there was another hotel on this site where he stayed for a short time. It has since made way for the stylish, new Hotel Vaya, which so far has only good things to say.
Our conclusion: If you come to Sölden, you can expect rugged three-thousand metre peaks with ultra-modern mountain lifts and top gastronomy, rustic alpine pastures and endless ski slopes as well as a legendary snow park. In the village there are great sports shops, bars with live music and of course clubs to dance the night away - Sölden offers the full package. See you soon in Ötztal!
