Solda - Sulden Ski Resort Italy
Solda (a.k.a. Sulden) ski resort includes high-alpine glacier terrain amongst its lengthy & wide-ranging terrain offerings. Located in a remote valley off the beautiful Val Venosta in northeast Italy, Solda sits below the 3,905m Ortler peak which dominates the region, & with Monte Zebru, provides a spectacular backdrop to the entire resort. On a sunny day, enjoying the views of jagged peaks & crumbling glaciers from the decks of the many mountain restaurants is sheer pleasure.
The Val Venosta & broader Ortler ski region have a feast of villages, ski resorts & attractions to provide visitors with an unforgettable European snow holiday experience. Solda is just one worthy part of a many-faceted destination.
Pros & Cons for Solda-Sulden Ski Resort
Pros
- High elevation base area (1,990m) with guaranteed upper-mountain snow cover for a season over 6 months long.
- Uncrowded.
- Perfect spread of piste trails for all abilities.
- Skiable vertical of 1,350m & longest run of 11km.
- Terrain above & below the tree line, providing skiing even in the worst weather.
- Incredible off-piste freeride terrain, particularly when it snows to low levels.
- Spectacular mountain scenery.
- Numerous ski-in ski-out accommodations.
- An ever-improving range of mountain restaurants & bars.
- Very good value lift pass price if all lifts running.
- Free car parking for day trippers right near the lifts & free ski bus links all parts of the village to the resort.
- A horse drawn sleigh is used for a connecting ski lift - a beautiful & fun experience.
Cons
- Despite its high altitude, the region gets far less snowfall than nearby Austria.
- In contrast to the magnificent surrounds, the main village feels soulless & uninspired.
- Incredibly convoluted to get to by public transport.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Three different sectors are awkwardly lift & piste connected.
- A quiet village after-hours, with little to do!
- A smallish ski area which may only keep one's interest for a few days if there is no fresh snow.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lifts & Terrain
A ski area of 3 sectors, Solda has done its best to lift & piste connect the resort, with the wide basin of the valley makes interconnections a little awkward. The disconnected main village doesn’t help it either. Things are improving with the installation of a new 10-seater gondola in season 21/22, but the main village is still all out on it lonesome.
Check out the ski trail map for Solda - Sulden below.
However, unlike many glacier-based ski resorts, Solda’s piste trails have a nice even spread for all abilities plus a handy mix of above & below treeline terrain. The feral weather during our first visit emphasised the benefit of below tree-line lifts & terrain. It is possible to ski the full 1,350m vertical from the Schöntaufspitze sector to the bottom via 11km of trials, but only when the weather is good. The Rosimbahn piste terrain is pleasant & better than that on the other side accessed by the Langenstein chair. The off-piste freeride descents from the Schoentaufspitze sector into the Rosimtal are epic but are best done with a guide in the first instance due to several technical sections. The descents can however be well scoped out from the Pulpito & Langenstein zones. Valley piste trail descents from all three sectors are fantastic and a highlight of ski area. We are not sure why the lower part of trail 1C (lower cable car) is designated 'black' as it is simply a groomed road, well within the capability of even lower intermediate ability snow-sliders.
Several of the lifts in the Solda valley during our visit were ancient clunkers in need of replacement. Thankfully, the old Kanzel double chair has been replaced with a 10-seat gondola for season 21/22 making links to this area far more pleasant. The new gondola and Langenstein chair are separated by several hundred metres and are linked either by skating, or with the use of a delightful horse drawn sleigh (a great feature of the resort). A developing project for above the top of the old Langenstein chair involves a new cable car (called the Hintergratbahn) to link up with a high ridge at 2,800m & provide runs back down to the main lift base below the glacier. It is a potential game changer for the resort.
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Where is Solda - Sulden Italy?
The Solda ski resort is deep in the Nemosta valley below the looming peak of Ortler in north-eastern Italy. The closest major town is Merano (Meran), 67km to the east, but the Val Venosta is replete with minor towns including Malles (Mals) & Silandro (Schlanders). The town of Prato Allo Stelvio (Prad am Stilfserjoch) is the closest village of note with useful services, 18km (25min drive) north of Solda. Note most towns, villages & locations in the region have both Italian & German language names.
Gateway airports for Solda are a lottery. Nothing is quite convenient, but Innsbruck (INN) is the closest at 168km or 2½hr drive via Reschen Pass. Munich (MUC) airport is the best option for international visitors. Train connections from Munich to Innsbruck are excellent.
Public transport to the general region is ok via trains from Innsbruck or Verona to Bolzano, Merano & finally, Malles/Mals or Sponding. Trains from Merano to Malles take 1⅓hr (less to Sponding) with services every hour throughout the day & into the night. From either station the route 271 bus travels to Sulden/Solda, taking between 35 & 50min for the journey, depending on point of origin. The convoluted journey of at least 3 trains & a bus may prove too much for most.
We recommend renting a car (from Austria, preferably Innsbruck) to explore Solda & the broader Val Venosta/Ortler region. Avoid renting cars in Italy as they are rarely winterised.
For hints, tips & warnings about driving to Italian ski resorts in winter, see our Travel in Italy page.
Solda - Sulden Accommodation
The village Sulden (Solda) is spread across a high elevation valley hemmed in by impressive mountain peaks & glaciers. The compact town centre has numerous hotels, guesthouses, shops & services but is not directly connected to the ski lifts. A smaller group of accommodation providers is located near the gondola & cable car base, 2km away. Several other exceptional lodgings are spread along the road between the main lifts & town centre, some of which are ski-in, ski-out. One hotel, the Laerchenhof, has prime position adjacent to the main ski lift base. All accommodation is linked by regular free ski buses.
Search & book here for all Solda - Sulden ski accommodation.
Ski Rentals
Ski equipment rentals are available near the ski lifts from our local partners. Receive a discount when you search & book via our Solda-Sulden Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
Nearby Ski Resorts & Attractions
The Val Venosta (or Vinschgau) is a South Tyrolean, predominantly German speaking part of Italy which rises west of (Meran) & Bolzano (Bozen). Val Venosta’s stunning combination of stunning glacier draped mountains, ice bound lakes, drowned bell towers, gorgeous ancient walled villages, castles, monasteries & ski resorts make it an all -round European ski safari location to be reckoned with.
Nearby ski resorts are all part of the Ortler Ski Arena & include the family-friendly Belpiano - Malga S.Valentino (Schoeneben-Haideralm), smaller local ski hills like Watles & Trafoi plus the glaciers of Val Senales (Schnalstal Glacier) to name a few.
See here for the Ortler Ski Arena resorts map.
Once in the upper valley, Austrian ski resorts are a short drive away via the easy Passo di Resia (Reschen Pass). The fabulous Nauders & Serfaus Fiss Ladis lead to the Inn valley via Landeck Zams & the best resorts in Austria. It is not hard to drive to Samnaun or other locations in Switzerland too.
The gorgeous town of Glorenza (a.k.a. Glurns) in the centre of the valley is like a window into the past. A walk down its perfectly preserved 16th century cobbled streets revealing fortifications, tower gates & porticoed arcades. A stay here is why we ski Europe. No cookie cutter ski village - but an authentic, perfectly preserved walled town, only 35min drive from Solda-Sulden (& 15min or less to Belpiano or Watles). Throw in the amazing 12th century Marienburg Kloster in Burgusio (on the way to the nearby Watles ski area), the 1,200 years of human history at the St John’s Abbey in Müstair (10km/12min drive west just over the border in Switzerland) and Glurns; the region starts to seem like a European ski & culture holiday hotspot.
A symbol of the upper Val Venosta is the 14th century bell tower of Curon that juts remarkably from the waters of Lago di Resia. In winter it is possible to walk (or skate) across the ice to see it firsthand. The lakes in the upper valley are well set up for ice skating, kite skating & ice hockey, particularly the Lago della Muta (Haidersee) just south of San Valentino.
Review
The Powderhounds visited Solda - Sulden in 2020, but high winds & poor visibility at elevation severely limited skiing the resort. We returned in February 2022 when powder was deep just over the border at Nauders in Austria. Sadly w we let down by the wind-impacted snow quality at Solda but were able to scope out all the fabulous terrain, trails & restaurants on a delightful blue sky day. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read about our last visit.
See how Solda-Sulden compares to the rest of the Italian ski resorts on the Italy ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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