I visited Sölden in 1996, so these impressions may no longer reflect the resort as it is today. My first surprise came when our tour bus arrived at the hotel and I saw no snow in the village centre. I was only 16 at the time and had not thought much about what that might mean. Once we reached the slopes by gondola, however, it all made sense: Sölden is one of Europe’s highest-altitude ski resorts, and the snow quality was excellent from the very first day. With most runs sitting at around 3,000 metres, conditions felt consistently strong.
That high-altitude setting gives Sölden a clear advantage over lower resorts, which can struggle with less reliable snow.
The slopes are versatile, and as an ambitious skier at the time, I remember having great fun on some of the more adventurous runs.
To put that in context, I have since checked more recent views on the ski area. The broad consensus is that Sölden offers particularly strong terrain for ambitious intermediates. Its high-alpine setting also gives it the added attraction of two glacier ski areas.
The village itself, however, did not leave much of an impression on me. Compared with the charm of Saalbach, which I had visited the year before, it felt a little lacking in character.
One memory does stand out, though: I persuaded my parents to buy me a pair of Atomic Arc race skis from a local shop. I cannot remember its name, but it was not a chain, had a good selection, and the owner welcomed us warmly—he even offered my parents a schnapps.
As for nightlife, I have little to add—after a full day of hard skiing, all I wanted was a good night’s sleep.