Better late than never - Powder in Sölden

Sometimes ski season involves less days than I would like. Unfortunately, this year was one of those years. I have been heavily focused on some other goals in 2023 (more on this here), and the work required to achieve those goals meant that skiing had to take a back seat. It seems that my timing for this was pretty good as Europe has had a pretty terrible winter with the Italian Alps suffering the most. Regardless, I needed to get out at least once this year and fortunately my friends had the same goal.

Ski group

After living in Sweden a few years, a colleague and friend invited me to join in with a group of guys that had been taking trips together to the alps for several years. The first year I joined was in 2017 when we traveled to Laax, Switzerland where we enjoyed a fantastic couple of days of exploring. Since that time I have joined in the with the group every year outside of a break during the Covid lockdowns of 2021. Each year the trip has offered not only fantastic skiing but great food, culture, relaxation and of course fantastic company. It is really a fun group and something I look forward to every year. This year would be no different.

Planning

Normally we plan the trip in the fall (Swedish people are so much better than me at planning) and generally go late in the spring. This has always been a sore point for my oldest daughter as I always seem to traveling on her birthday. This year we started the planning rather late and in order to be home for my daughter's birthday, we planned to go a little later. This made the bookings a bit tougher but we managed to find a nice apartment just a ten minutes drive from Sölden, Austria. The advantages of staying outside of town are that you generally can get more space for less money and sometimes even better amenities, like in this case a spa. Given that we always book a car and drive from the airport, it wouldn't be a problem to drive to the resort each day. We were fortunate to find a quite large and accommodating place at a relatively quiet time of year.

Getting to the Alps is easy - A train, a plane and a van

Before I knew it the trip was upon us. My son decided to join so we embarked together carrying our overloaded bags, avalanche packs and skis from our flat to the train station up the street. Living without a car has its advantages, but sometimes I miss the convenience when carrying such heavy items. Nonetheless, we are lucky to live 1 km from the train station and it is a short 45 minute direct train ride to the airport. Flights to Munich from Stockholm are abundant, cheap and short. Lufthansa is also a great airline for skiing as they do not charge extra for sports baggage. It was an easy stroll through security with the avalanche pack as I carried proper documentation with me, explaining what I was carrying. Before we knew it we were landing in Munich and piling into our huge Mercedes rental van. The trip to Sölden was a short 3 hours and we arrived in our accomodation by 9PM. A quick dinner and skiing was only 12 hours away, woo hoo!

Let the skiing begin

Having spent the early winter months training, I was itching to get on skis and see how my legs would feel. The forecast for the next few days was nothing like the spring weather that we were expecting. The lower valley had exposed grass but winter had refused to give up. The weather would be cold and clear in the mornings and snowy\wet in the afternoons. Nothing like the spring sun and soft moguls I was expecting.

It was a short 10 minute drive to the mountain and the parking was simple and readily available right next to the main gondolas. I have been a bit spoiled growing up in the US where we could always boot up in a warm lodge, as opposed to skiing in Europe, where booting up in the parking lot is much more common. The advantage of this is that there is no messing around in the lodge and before you know it you are in the lift and on your way to a day of excitement.

Like riding a bike

Skiing is a bit like riding a bike in that your muscle memory quickly adapts and you are back into your familiar patterns. This includes my somewhat awkward and aggressive skiing form where I look like I am trying to beat the mountain to a pulp, and at the same time showing an occasional wayward left hand pole plant. Yes, it all returned quickly, including the smile on my face as I was back where I belong, on skis, in the mountains, with friends and enjoying every second of it.

The morning was spent like any morning and a new mountain. Exploring the terrain, getting a feel for things and scouting potential off-piste locations. It took a bit of time to cross the system and get out to the upper mountain but the crowds were non-existent and the lift lines short. We took a few runs down the FIS race slope (the glacier where the first world cup is held every year), doing everything we could to not take a single turn on the actual piste and hunting powder on the adjacent slopes. As the winter in the Alps was quite poor this season, we were a bit nervous to venture too far out of bounds and risk avalanches. Even during our short visit to the area we saw multiple small avalanches triggered which made our decision a wise one. Nonetheless, we found a number of untouched spots before lunch found the terrain to be quite good. We were fortunate to have a bit of sun for lunch and enjoyed the type of Spring weather we expected by eating lunch on the restaurant deck. Soon after lunch it turned snowy and we were left blindly navigating the slopes for most of the afternoon. Still, being on skis, no matter the weather, is always better than a day at the office.

The Apres skiing seen was somewhat lively for being a Thursday in late march and the Gluhwein as tasty as ever. We kept it pretty mellow as we were looking forward to relaxing back at our apartment in spa with the two Saunas plus heated recliners.

Healthy eating

Since we had a rather large kitchen, we decided to make our own dinners for the first two nights rather than eating out every night. My friends are excellent cooks, restaurant worthy, and each nights dinner was healthy and amazing. With the trip focused on skiing, we ended the nights early, preferring to be well rested for the next day's adventure.

Hoping for snow

We were not sure what to expect given that it was raining in the valley, but when you end the day in a white out, you hope that the next day results in knee deep powder and epic runs.

We found an amazing little Austrian bakery where we would start each day before heading up the lifts. They did things their own way, directing us how to order and running a tight ship. The food was amazing, the coffee perfect, and the service outstanding. We looked forward to this ritual every day.

Finding the POW

Day 2 began with more sun, and as we headed up the lift it looked like nothing but groomed trails. No signs of the huge dumps of snow we were praying for, but we were just happy to be on snow. Once we exited the top lift we headed toward what we expected to be beat up tracks from the day before but instead we were greeted with untouched fresh powder. The entire morning was spent making fresh tracks in the various spots we had scouted. We were alone in these amazing spots and we had the powder to ourselves. Where was everyone? If this was Engelberg, where we were last year, the fresh tracks would have been taken by 11 AM and we would be hunting for anything we could find. All of what we found was just a stones throw off the piste, and sometimes a short hike up to an open ridge. Upon returning home, we would realize that there were many other places to explore on the mountain that would normally be good options on a good snow year.

Day 3

Day 3 was like Groundhog day. Starting the day with sun and the discovery of new snow. We found some nice couloirs with proper steeps to keep things exciting. Nothing like the spring skiing we had anticipated but certainly conditions we would take again and again. We enjoyed a proper dinner in town where the service was again fantastic and the food filling.

An amazing 3 days

We left Sölden content but wishing for even more days to explore. 3 days of skiing for one season is pitiful and I will make sure that 2024 is a much different year. I will definitely be going back to this amazing place as there is so much more to see. We could also see that there are great touring possibilities so perhaps the next trip will include hiring a guide and getting out in the backcountry for a few days. Overall, I can highly recommend Sölden as a top choice for a proper skiing holiday.