Solden, Austria Trip 1/22 thru 1-29
January 31, 2005
A group of Timberline skiers and friends just returned from Solden on Saturday. I must admit, it is one large ski area among many in the region. We skied until we dropped. The Glacier area on the top (elevation 3309m) was almost as big as the geographical square mileage of Canaan Valley from North to South. This is one experience that I was glad to be a part of. Although it is a poor snow year there, their conditions rivaled many of the US top ski areas. The only negative was that fresh powder experiences were sparce and the risk of slides/avalanches were great.
Solden is great, but glacier skiing in Austria is really a different animal. You are correct that they've had tons of snow this year.
I spent a week out in Breck over New Years, and while I enjoyed it, I'm still partial to European resorts. Chamonix, Val d'Isere, Val Thorens, Cortina... The size of these linked resorts is awesome. I need to ski Utah next, and maybe I'll change my mind...
