Soll - introduction

Lively and picturesque Söll has long been a favourite with British skiers and snowboarders. It’s not hard to see why.

It is the archetypal Tirolean village, dating back centuries, and full of charm and tradition. Its mainly stone and timber chalet-style buildings cluster round its onion-domed church. And the huge added attraction: Söll is one of the villages that comprise the mouth-watering ski network known as the Ski Welt, or Ski World.

This is probably still Austria’s largest linked ski area, embracing nine villages and 174 miles of runs with 92 lifts. We say probably, because the recently-expanded Saalbach-Hinterglemm area claims an almost-identical overall length of piste.

The Ski Welt is true family skiing, with lots of reds and blues heading out over seven major peaks – and beautiful terrain of a decidedly unintimidating nature. Challenges can be found and there is a great deal of superb off-piste, but this is not an area for those seeking really scary stuff.

Söll is one of the leading resorts in this network. It has a direct link into the Ski Welt by gondola. The village itself is not ski-in ski-out, and the gondola is a very short ski-bus ride, or a longer walk, from the resort centre. But there are some hotels near the gondola to which you can ski all the way back.

Söll has undergone something of a change in character over recent years. Though still very lively – with some legendary watering holes such as the Whisky Mühle (00 43 5333 53 26) – it has acquired a somewhat more sophisticated air and has some excellent restaurants and bars.

Highlights

• Attractive, friendly and historic Tirolean village, and traditionally very welcoming to British guests
• Part of the fabulous Ski Welt ski network
• Beginner slopes situated right beside the village, and ski schools with plenty of English-speaking instructors
• Great mountain restaurants
• Lively nightlife, lots of bars and restaurants
• Kufstein and Worgl train stations both very close to the village.

Lowlights

• The village – and the Ski Welt area – is not high, and early or late in the season snow may be patchy or heavy lowdown.
• The gondola is not in the village centre, but a short ski-bus ride away.
• The Ski Welt has a huge amount of intermediate skiing, and experts may sometimes itch for some tougher challenges.
• The piste map could be clearer.