Austria Ski Guide in the Otztal Valley

Since childhood, I have been fascinated by skiing, especially jumping and giant slalom. However, I learned to ski late. This winter's skiing destination was the Otztal Valley in the province of Tyrol, 80 km from Innsbruck. Although I was here a few years ago, I knew that I had not explored the potential of this region enough.

Before talking about the leisure possibilities in the area, I will tell you a story: in 1991 two tourists discovered a body in the Otztal Alps, at over 3000 meters. At first, they thought it was an unlucky climber, but it turned out to be one of the oldest and best-preserved mummies in the world.

Otzi – The Snowman, a creature who lived 5000 years ago, who was about 45 years old when he died, 1.60 meters tall and 50 kg. His death seems to have been violent.

His body had 50 tattoos that correspond to acupuncture lines, from which it was concluded that they were made to treat some pain. Even what he ate last time was discovered in his stomach... But enough with Otzi, I will remember this name in another, much happier context.

The most famous resort is Solden, located at an altitude of 1300 m, in the center of the area which has 250 peaks over 3000 m high. In the entire Otztal Valley, there are over 300 km of slopes that climb up to 3300 m and are open from November to May.

The Solden ski area is 150 km of immaculate parts, half of the entire valley, and access to them is made with 34 cable transport facilities. Solden is also home to the season opener of the Ski World Cup in October.

As I was told when I went skiing for the first time: In Austria, snow is guaranteed! And not anyway: this year it was 2 meters high, so perfect skiing conditions. Besides these advantages, Soldenul also has a small disadvantage: the higher prices for accommodation compared to other resorts.

The group I'm going with prefers the option of renting a cabin for 20 people, which is why we chose a cabin located 7 km from Solden and 3 km from Langenfeld surrounded by the Otztal and Stubai Alps, the only village with thermal waters in Tyrol.

Apparently a disadvantage, but as you will see a perfect location. Because the Otztal Valley does not only mean Solden. At the entrance to the valley is Oetz, the village that gave the valley its name, and from where you climb to Hochoetz, where there are 34 km of slopes with varying degrees of difficulty, a resort surrounded by snowy forests.

Little skiing, according to my criteria, but luckily the Austrians have united it with Kuhtai, superbly located at 1950 m altitude and equipped with 40 km of slopes, the vast majority red, and black. And obviously, only one ski pass and the areas are connected by ski buses that travel on an impeccable road. So I dedicated one of the days to this field, which I recommend.

The ski pass for one day was 39 euros. I will brag and tell you that I did 90% of the parts and many with encores! In the Otztal Valley, you can travel by bus between the resorts, and if you are in ski equipment, the transport is free.

Our accommodation at the cottage was in Runhof, a small village between Solden and Langenfeld as I mentioned before. 50 meters from the cottage was the bus station, which in the morning ran every 10 minutes to Solden, from where 2 gondolas went up to the 150 km of piers.

The ski pass for 4 days costs 184 euros (252 euros for 6 days). In the ski area of Solden, there are two glaciers at 3250 meters, there is also a tunnel at this height that connects two mountains. Another mountain in the ski area is reached by the James Bond installation, so named because "Spectre", one of the films in the series, was filmed here.

There is no point in telling you about the beauty and quality of the parts, the photos will tell everything. At the end of the day, the ski pass shows you, if you are curious, the number of kilometers you have traveled and the route map for the day in question.

But we didn't tell you about the most important aspect when you're in the mountains: the weather. I had the chance for 5 days to be perfect for skiing this year. In the middle, there was a day with wind and snow. Because I don't like to ski when it snows, I didn't buy a ski pass for that day.

The question was what to do on a day like this. The solution was trekking through the area, on one of the organized and very well-marked trails in the mountains. We arrived in two isolated villages, located at 1500 m altitude somewhere on a hill.

In one of them, Brant, there was only one house that was also arranged as a boarding house. And, of course, the village church!

After four hours of hiking, what could be better than a treat at the famous Aquadome with thermal water in Langenfeld!? Since the 16th century, thermal baths and their hot springs were widely known. Unfortunately, in the 70s they dried up, but after deep drilling, the thermal springs were found at 1865 m. What did we find here?

A paradise of spas: saunas, indoor pools with hot water at 36 degrees, and an outdoor area with a jacuzzi and saltwater pools. Nothing can be more pleasant than relaxing in a pool with warm water and looking at the mountain peaks of the Alps. For three hours of pampering - 25 euros! Does that seem like a lot? Good things cost... but they're worth it!

I told you that we had arrears in the area. On the previous tour, I wanted to ski 10 km higher than Solden, in the Obergugl-Hochgurgl area. But bad luck, on the last day it snowed and it was not possible to ski.

Obergurgl is a small village located at 1950 meters altitude. Since this year, the Austrians have made a common ski pass for Solden and Hochgurgl-Obergugl, the minimum condition being the duration of at least 3 days. So after two full days in Solden, where I skied again on all the slopes, I went up to the other ski area, which has 110 km of slopes.

The parts are located on three mountains and have connections both by land with buses and on the mountain through the parts, plus a gondola and a chairlift between the three mountains. I recommend 2 days for this area. The parts are easier, so it's perfect for the last days, when the muscles are more tired, or for beginners.