Sölden. A place name that is as well-known to skiers and snowboarders as Paris is to city travelers. Experts talk shop about whether Sölden or Ischgl is the number one après mecca. We try to take a look behind the scenes of the party metropolis. Does Sölden perhaps offer more than masses of drunken skiers, overcrowded pistes and mountains filled with pop music? A look at a topographical map could provide a possible positive answer. We took a look and paid a visit to the après-ski stronghold in Ötztal.
Tyrol is experiencing its snowiest winter for many years. Especially at lower and middle altitudes, there is finally so much snow that it has been possible to ski down to the deep and low-precipitation Inn Valley for several weeks straight. Undaunted, we reach the cave of the apres-ski lion. Images of staggering drunks on the main road in the early morning, ski clubs with neon yellow high-visibility vests slobbering after the next best woman's backside are buzzing around in our heads.
However, our fears are not fulfilled. Despite the carnival vacations, the clientele seems to have changed slightly. The drunks have given way to a more dignified crowd. Although pop hits can still be heard and the most sporting activities usually take place in the numerous mountain huts, the real excesses of the extreme tourists are absent.
The reason why we sought out Sölden, however, is not the latest developments in apres-ski, but relates to the topography of the ski area. The gondola lift to the Gaislachkogel not only provides access to an altitude of just over 3000 meters and a great view of the Ötztal mountains, but also great freeride terrain. Apart from two smaller pistes, the mountain is relatively cone-shaped and offers interesting freeride terrain in almost every exposure.
On site at the Gaislachkogel
This time there are four of us here in Sölden. Together with Marc, Morten and Max, we first check the snow conditions (current conditions report). The snow conditions here in the otherwise rather snow-poor Ötztal are sufficient for freeriding right down to the valley floor at around 1300 meters. However, in the high alpine areas the wind has blown the snow away and ridges and ridges are often free of snow. Unfortunately, we can no longer find any really exhilarating powder snow. This is the only negative point we can identify during our freeriding days here.
First, we take a look at a south-facing variant from the mountain station on the Gaislachkogel. Freeriders are still a rather rare sight in Sölden and so our discussion of the descent and the descent itself into one of the steep gullies (Gaislacher Kar up to 45°) is watched by numerous skiers. We could still hear a few "Oh's" and "Ah's" on the descent before we sailed down the wide enjoyable slopes towards the Gaislacher Alm and Sonnecklift.
Another lap of the Gaislachkogel is on the agenda. This time we take a closer look at the large bowl directly below the gondola. The Wasserkar offers great freeride terrain directly from piste to piste. The upper section is pleasantly steep and the lower section is a delightful finale. Without having taken a single step uphill, or even a single skate step or pole push, we are back at the Gaislachkogelbahn lift after a few minutes and a whopping 900 vertical meters.
Big 3 - All good things come in threes
Inspired by the promotional activities, we head towards the "Big 3". But instead of peaks, we count the third freeride descent. So, off we go to round number three. We have already looked at the northern side of the Gaislachkogel area from Schwarzkogel and here we noticed a beautifully curved gully. Again, we just turn off the ski slope and are right at the start of the descent of the approx. 600-metre-long gully. Unfortunately, there has been a lot of wind here over the last few days, so we only find compacted snow. We unpack our best piste technique and ski with rattling skis directly to the pass road that leads to the Rettenbach and Tiefenbachferner sub-ski area. Here, a piste takes us straight back to one of the numerous huts. After these three descents, we have earned a beer or several.
However, we still have to indulge in a little treat with soft snow before we leave. Once again, we start at the Gaislachkogel and ski down the south-facing Gaislacher Kar. This time, however, we start a short counter ascent on the valley floor. A small ridge between the Gaislachkogel and the glacier ski area offers challenging terrain over a few meters of altitude on its northern side. Perfect for a short high-alpine interlude with settled powder snow and a few cliffs. Unfortunately, the spring-like warming hits us after this descent. The road from Sölden to Vent has been closed since the morning and wet snow avalanches are constantly thundering down. Time for us to hoist the freeride sails and enjoy ourselves on the groomed slopes.
Conclusion
Sölden offers amazingly varied and exciting terrain for freeriders: high alpine couloirs, wide enjoyable slopes and sparse forest for bad weather days. And if you like, you can also end a successful day as a freerider in one of the numerous bars. But even here, risk management is essential. Because as a freerider, you might regret a night of drinking when you look out of the Gaislachkogel gondola lift in the morning.
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