Sölden is the largest municipality in Austria, with an area of 468 km² in the southern part of the Ötztal in the Imst district, Tyrol. Sölden is located at an altitude of 1368 m above sea level. A.
With almost two million overnight stays per year and 15,000 guest beds, Sölden is an important tourist area, mainly for winter sports. The former character of a mountain farming village, which was predominant in the entire Ötztal until the second half of the 20th century, was lost and was replaced by a tourist-alpine architectural style.
The cable car to the Gaislachkogel starts in the south of Sölden up to an altitude of 3,058 m. The 13 km long Ötztal Glacier Road branches off from the Pitze district of Mercen to the Rettenbachferner ski areas and via the highest tunnel in the Alps to the Tiefenbachferner.
Above the valley lies at about 2083 m above sea level. A. The Hochsölden hotel complex, which is connected to the valley by a road and a cable car. The Giggijoch ski area is located above Hochsölden. The Berghof is at an altitude of 1435 m above sea level. A. north of the Rettenbach, directly above the center of Sölden.
Tourist infrastructure in winter
The Sölden ski area, which also includes two glaciers (Rettenbachferner and Tiefenbachferner), has 39 cable cars and 146 kilometers of slopes. The main part of the ski area is at an altitude of over 2,000 m and in three places reaches a height of over 3,000 m. The highest point that can be reached by lift is at 3,250 m.
Furthermore, an open-air theater and the FIS Ski World Cup take place annually on the Rettenbach Glacier, see Alpine Ski World Cup in Sölden.
In 2010, the 17 meter deep, 416,500 m³ “Panoramasee”, the largest artificial reservoir in Tyrol for snow-making systems, was put into operation.
Tourist infrastructure of Sölden at a glance:
- 39 cable cars (from 1377 to 3250 m)
- 148.3 km of slopes (including 61.5 km of blue, 58.3 km of red and 31.1 km of black slopes, and 6 km of ski route)
- three cross-country trails (16 km)
- illuminated toboggan run
- illuminated ice rink
- Swimming pool, indoor tennis center, sports arena
- 38 ski huts
- 2 fun parks (Tiefenbach / Giggijoch)
Tourist infrastructure at a glance (Obergurgl / Hochgurgl):
- 23 cable cars (from 1800 to 3080 meters)
- 110 km of slopes (including 35 km of blue, 55 km of red and 20 km of black slopes, ski routes)
- 36 km cross-country ski run
- illuminated ice rink
Tourist infrastructure at a glance (Vent):
- 4 cable cars (from 1900 m to 2,680 m)
- 15 km of slopes (of which 5 km blue, 10 km red, ski routes)
- 4 km cross-country ski run
Tourist infrastructure in summer
- Gaislachkogelbahn at the summit
- Venter Höhenweg from Gaislachkogel towards Vent
Summer tourism in Sölden is mainly characterized by mountain hiking and high alpine mountaineering. In addition to the numerous alpine pastures, there are 16 high alpine huts, most of which belong to sections of the German Alpine Club.
Tourist infrastructure at a glance:
- 300 km of hiking trails
- Cycle paths (forest paths)
- Via ferrata, climbing garden
- Tennis court, indoor swimming pool