PlanetSKI is Back On Snow!
29th November 2022 | James Cove, Otztal Valley, Tirol, Austria
Last modified on December 7th, 2022
PlanetSKI is in the Tirol to start our season. Five resorts in a week. Or maybe more, & longer. UPDATED
We’re seeing what’s on offer now and for the season ahead – first up it was Soelden.
Then Obergurgl & Hochgurgl.
Khutai and Stubai are to follow.
Day One: Soelden
It hasn’t been the best start to winter in this part of the Alps.
World Cup ski racing was disrupted back in October, and then the full opening on November 24th was postponed as there wasn’t enough snow.
However, this was the view as I flung open my curtains on Tuesday morning.
Snow at resort level – 1,377m.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
The skiing goes up to 3,300m so there should be some decent turns to be made, and so it turned out to be.
It looked wintery on the way up with low cloud and light snow falling.
It remained that way for the rest of the day.
There was nowhere near enough snow for any off piste skiing as this area is pretty rocky and needs plenty of snow to cover the high-altitude terrain.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
No matter, the on piste conditions on the glacier were more than acceptable for a first day back on snow at the end of November.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
It was hard to contain my enthusiasm.
My ski guide for the day was Hubert Walther (he’s the guy holding the camera in the video above).
Hubert has seen a few winters.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
“It makes no difference what happens in November. Sometimes it snows and sometimes it doesn’t,” he observed sagely.
“There have been some great Novembers for snow that have not fulfilled their promise and other ones where snow has not fallen much, yet the winter turned out to be a bumper one.
“It is what it is, and we shall just have to see what happens.”
Wise words given all the excitement on social media – whether about a lack of snow or when snow falls.
Soelden is towards the end of the Otztal Valley in the Tirol.
Its main foreign market is Germany, but the British are in joint second place with the Dutch.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
The resort has a Ski Test Centre up on the slopes at the base of the Rettenbach glacier that is open for a couple of pre-season months from the beginning of October to the end of November.
For €40 a day you can test out all the latest skis – there are 500 pairs available from all the major manufacturers, so you should be able to find a pair you like if you want to try some out before buying.
It is a neat early season attraction.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
I have actually rented mine from an Intersport shop in town.
It is part of the Test Centre but also offers the option for people to change their skis during the course of a week’s rental across the whole season.
Whether due to the snow conditions changing, or you just fancy trying a few out.
It’s a great idea from Intersport and one I have taken advantage of over the years.
Is it me or are ski technicians getting younger?
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
So, what is new in Soelden for this coming season?
Perhaps one of the the best self-service restaurants in the Alps for a start.
The Wirtshaus Giggijoch seats 1,000 people and is run by Robert Hanser.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Much of the interior is made from reclaimed wood from 300-year old derelict farm buildings.
Who says a self-service mountain restaurant can’t be stylish?
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
“Over recent years the resort has improved its lift infrastructure and mountain safety, and now it is turning its attention to restaurants,” said Hubert.
Lunch was not here, but Hubert led me to the Ice Cube restaurant.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
I always have the same lunch on my first day skiing in Austria.
This Wiener Schnitzel was one of the best.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Now you may recognise the Ice Cube building.
It is from the James Bond film, Spectre.
And for the first time I decided to visit the 007 Elements exhibition that is housed within in it.
After all the visibility outside after lunch wasn’t so good.
It opened in July 2018.
If you have seen Spectre you may remember this plane crashing through a farm building.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
And here are the plans for the film segment.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Just in case you are wondering there were months of preparation, 15-days of actual filming and in the end it made up just 8-minutes of the final film.
The 007 franchise is 60-years old this year – the first film, Dr No with Sean Connery, was released in October 1962.
23 other films have followed so far.
A special commemorative film has been made looking back at the Bond heritage and it can only be seen at 007 Elements.
I’m afraid I can’t show you an image from it as there are certain copyright rules to be followed.
It isn’t even on You Tube.
But I suggest you pop into 007 Elements to watch it if you are a Bond Fan and you are coming to Soelden this winter.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
There are many artefacts too – guns, watches and a variety of exploding devices.
On the right is the ski pole used by Roger Moore – not just for skiing, but also for shooting the bad guys chasing him in The Spy Who Loved Me.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
It remains the best ski sequence in any 007 film in my opinion, even though it may look rather dated:
Back out on the slopes of Soelden there is a new black piste, No 41, for this coming season.
We decided not to tackle it in inclement weather, and on my first day back on skis.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
But I made a note to tackle it once the sun comes out.
It is set cheer up a bit on Wednesday.
And then we saw the sun – if only briefly.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Sadly one run has gone as the melting glacier has made it untenable – the traverse at the base of the Rettenbach glacier.
A new route has been put in.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
And with that my first day back on skis drew to a close.
I am back in my natural habitat.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Day Two: Soelden
Well, that’s more like it and how a view should look when the hotel curtains are flung open in the morning.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
The weather wasn’t quite the same yesterday as you can read about lower down this article in Part One of the rolling blog.
Today’s update is going to be more about the pictures than the words.
After all each is supposedly worth a thousand.
Things looked even better heading up the mountain.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
And then approaching the top.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
With the pistes beckoning at the very top of the resort on the Tieffenbach glacier at 3,300m.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
But first feast your eyes on the video view from the top.
And here is the view from the end of the viewing platform.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
I had a quick score to settle as the new black piste, No 41, looked inhospitable yesterday in zero visibility.
It looked somewhat more inviting today.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
And it was.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Some light cloud came in as the afternoon progressed, but it just made for some spectacular scenery.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
Soelden had more than delivered on my swift, early-season visit.
Tomorrow I’m heading further up the Otztal valley to the resorts of Hochgurgl and Obergurgl, or Gurgle as we are now supposed to call the area after a re-branding exercise.
The forecast is predicting weather more like today, than yesterday.
Fingers crossed.
Day Three: Gurgl
Another day, another ski resort.
Well, two to be precise – Obergurgl and Hochgurgl, though nowdays they seem to go by the joint name of Gurgl.
The area is one of my favourites in the Tirol and is very different from Soelden even though it is just a 20-minute bus ride away.
Some people prefer Gurgl over Soelden, and others vice versa.
I see them as complimentary, with attractions of their own.
So, what’s the snow like?
Here’s my video snow report on Gurgl, that takes in elsewhere in the Alps.
Make no mistake snowmaking is going on at an industrial level here in the Tirol and across the Alps as the main winter season approaches.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
The resort is able to produce 5,000 cubic metres of snow per hour and 1 cubic metre of snow costs €3 to produce.
On average the resort produces 1,000,000 cubic metres of snow across the season – that’s at a cost of €3m.
90% of Gurgl’s slopes have snow making facilities.
The resorts sit at the end of the Ötztal valley and are encircled by the snow-covered 3,000 meter high peaks.
There are 112 kilometers of pistes, served by 25 lifts.
The two ski areas of Obergurgl and Hochgurgl are connected by a long and rather slow lift.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
It takes 14-minutes, but you get some great views and gives one a chance to rest the legs.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
When in Gurgl lunch for me is often in this place, the Top Mountain Crosspoint.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
And if you like motorcycles (I do) then you are in for a treat.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
The museum burnt down in January 2021, but last season it re-opened after a full restoration and re-furbishment.
I was lucky enough to have a private tour from the co-owner himself, Attila Schieber, at the end of last winter.
Today I had a basic skiers lunch – one of the best.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
Then back to ski business.
The slopes were pretty much deserted and in good shape, though the off piste could wait as I had no idea if rocks lurked just below the surface.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
All too soon my day in Gurgl was over and it was time to head down into that cloud, and onto the next stage of this early season trip in the Tirol.
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
A city and ski break – based in Innsbruck and skiing in Khutai and Stubai.
Did someone say “Christmas markets”?
Bring it on…
Gurgl, Tirol. Image © PlanetSKI
And we have a cheeky plan to pop in to Schlick 2000 on its opening day
It is, as they say, a hard life – but someone has to do it.
Cock a doodle doo.
Soelden, Austria. Image © PlanetSKI
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