A New Approach to Skiing in Sölden

Skiing has always been a family affair, but it’s also one of the most challenging activities I’ve ever attempted. My children are passionate about it, and their enthusiasm is infectious. However, there are times when their stories about skiing become more annoying than entertaining. They talk about how they love sliding down black runs, recounting the time our ski instructor called me “Mum,” followed by “Hurry up, Mum,” and then “Where’s Mum?” It’s all very well being kids who learned to ski young – it took them just three hours, while I still haven’t mastered the basics. So when an opportunity arose to leave them behind and go back to basics with like-minded friends, I seized it.

Our destination was Sölden, nestled in Austria’s Ötztal Valley, and we stayed at Das Central, a five-star family-run hotel. The resort sits at 1,377 meters, but the ski area reaches up to 3,340 meters, making it one of the highest skiable regions in Austria. This means snow is guaranteed from October through May. Arriving in mid-December, before the school holidays, the slopes were pristine with few children around.

The Giggijoch gondola is a state-of-the-art ride that takes us from the base station in the center of Sölden to 2,283 meters in just eight minutes. It’s a popular meeting point for ski schools and a great spot for lunchtime gatherings. We met our instructor, Leena, from the Sölden-Hochsölden Ski School, who reminded us that skiing should be fun. She took us back to basics, perfecting snow ploughs, stops, and early turns on gentle slopes before moving us to the learner area.

Here, on a beautifully groomed slope, I started gaining confidence in mastering controlled parallel turns. It felt like I had cracked the code that my kids instinctively understood. Over two mornings, I progressed to seamlessly linking parallel turns, relaxing my body and facing downhill to pick up speed. This skill helped me avoid a three-year-old snowploughing at 20 miles per hour.

For those ready to move beyond the learner slope, Sölden offers Schwarze Schneid, Austria’s longest ski run from the top of the Rettenbach glacier. Starting at 3,250 meters, this is the highest point you can reach by gondola in the Ötztal Valley, offering breathtaking views over the Italian Dolomites. The run is 15km long, with blue and red routes or a World Cup slalom slope for experienced skiers.

Sölden caters to all abilities across its three areas – Giggijoch, Gaislachkogl, and the two glaciers, Rettenbach and Tiefenbach. There are 146km of slopes, including 76km of easy runs, 38km for intermediates, and 23km graded difficult. With 31 lifts, the resort also features a snow park, cross-country routes, and an illuminated toboggan trail.

But there’s more to a ski trip than just skiing. For our group, the food and wine were a major drawcard. On-mountain restaurants offer menus far beyond the standard family-friendly meals, with a focus on local ingredients. My first lunch included an enormous schnitzel and a milk casserole, a dessert resembling bread and butter pudding, and a jug of custard.

The next day, we took two cable cars up to the ice Q restaurant, a glass cube featured in the James Bond film ‘Spectre.’ Here, we enjoyed a two-hour lunch with panoramic views of the Alps, dining on mahi-mahi, beef cheek, and a dessert made with plum, tonka bean, blackcurrant, almond, and olive oil. The restaurant even has its own wine, PINO 3000, created by Sölden Das Central hotel, matured at over 3,000 meters in oak barrels.

Afternoons were spent relaxing in Das Central’s heated rooftop pool and jacuzzi, as well as in the newly installed cryotherapy chamber. A session involved 30 seconds in a pre-chamber at minus 30C, followed by two and a half minutes in an adjoining chamber at minus 110C. Despite the extreme cold, we all slept well and woke up without muscle soreness.

Our first dinner was a tasting menu at the hotel’s Otztaler Stube, which received Sölden’s first Michelin star in 2025. We ended the night with a drink by the fire. The second dinner was at Restaurant Feinspitz, where we enjoyed a multi-course meal of locally-sourced ingredients, followed by a visit to the wine cellar housing 30,000 bottles for a final glass of Champagne.

Children are welcome at Das Central, and during school holidays, the mountains are full of them. However, Sölden offers adults who can get away during term time a chance to find their ski legs in five-star luxury, dining in Michelin-starred restaurants and sipping vintage pinot. Who needs to be an expert skier when learning is this much fun?

Booking Information

Das Central Hotel in Sölden offers double rooms from €250/£218 per person per night, based on two people sharing on a half-board basis. One-day ski lift passes in Sölden start from €78/£68 for an adult.