Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal

Ötztal

The Ötztal is a 65-kilometer long alpine valley in the Austrian state of Tyrol. The Ötztaler Ache river flows through the valley in a northern direction. The Ötztal separates the Stubai Alps in the east from the Ötztal Alps in the west. The northern end of the valley is at the confluence of the...

 valley of Tyrol

Tyrol (state)

Tyrol is a state or Bundesland, located in the west of Austria. It comprises the Austrian part of the historical region of Tyrol.The state is split into two parts–called North Tyrol and East Tyrol–by a -wide strip of land where the state of Salzburg borders directly on the Italian province of...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

.

Geography

At c. 467 km² (180 sq mi), it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 (as of 2003) is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated. With tourist bed nights running at over two million per year, the municipality is third only to Vienna

Vienna

Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

 and Salzburg

Salzburg

-Population development:In 1935, the population significantly increased when Salzburg absorbed adjacent municipalities. After World War II, numerous refugees found a new home in the city. New residential space was created for American soldiers of the postwar Occupation, and could be used for...

 as an Austrian tourist destination. Sölden has lost some its former small village charm, but other attractions have been enhanced in recent years.

The main village of Sölden is at 1368 metres (4,488.2 ft) elevation and at 2090 m is Hochsoelden, a village with 5 four-star hotels. The highest peak is the Wildspitze

Wildspitze

Wildspitze is the highest mountain in the Ötztal Alps and the second highest mountain in Austria after the Großglockner. The large number of glaciers and relatively easy routes make it popular with ice climbers ....

, at 3768 m (12,362 ft) is the second highest mountain in Austria, after the Großglockner

Großglockner

The Grossglockner is, at 3,798 m above sea level, Austria's highest mountain and the highest mountain in the Alps east of the Brenner Pass...

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The Ötztal Glacier Road

Ötztal Glacier Road

The Ötztal Glacier Road, ' is the second highest paved road in Europe. It is the access road from Sölden to the Rettenbach glacier and Tiefenbachferner glaciers in the Ötztal Alps. It was built in 1972 as a spur from the existing Hochsölden road. The road climbs the Rettenbach Valley from Solden in...

, is the second highest paved road in Europe. It is the access road from Sölden

Sölden

Sölden is a municipality in the Ötztal valley of Tyrol, Austria.-Geography:At c. 467 km² , it is the largest municipality in the country. The population of 3,449 is outnumbered by tourists, of which 15,000 can be accommodated...

 to the Rettenbach glacier

Rettenbach glacier

The Rettenbach glacier is a glacier located near Sölden, in the Ötztaler Alps of Austria.During the winter the glacier is accessible by cable car and from spring time by car, using the Gletscherstraße....

 and Tiefenbachferner glaciers in the Ötztal Alps

Ötztal Alps

The Ötztal Alps are a mountain range in the central Alps of Europe, part of the Central Eastern Alps. They are arrayed at the head of the Ötztal, a side valley of the Inn River southwest of Innsbruck, Austria; the line of summits forms part of Austria's border with Italy.The western border is the...

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Ski-resort Sölden statistics

Sölden is also a popular ski resort

Ski resort

A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...

. The first World Cup

Alpine skiing World Cup

The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup is the top international circuit of alpine skiing competitions, launched in 1966 by a group of ski racing friends and experts which included French journalist Serge Lang and the alpine ski team directors from France and the USA...

 race of the year usually takes place there in late October.

• Elevation: 1350 m (4,429 ft) (Sölden village) - 3250 m (10,662 ft)
• Lifts: 36
• Terrain: 146 km (62 km red, 51 km blue, 27 km black, 6 km Skiroute).

Ski avalanche disaster

On the afternoon of May 3, 2009, an avalanche killed

2009 Schalfkogel avalanche

The 2009 Schalfkogel avalanche was an avalanche which occurred in Sölden, Austria, on 3 May 2009. Six people were killed, five Czechs and one Slovak, when the disaster struck in the Schalfkogel mountain range. The corpses were discovered to have been frozen upon recovery. It was the deadliest...

 six people in the Austrian Alps. Six people were killed, five Czechs and one Slovak, when the disaster struck in the 3,500-metre (11,500 ft) Schalfkogel mountain range. The corpses were discovered to have been frozen upon recovery

Witnesses saw the avalanche in the Schalfkogel mountains and alerted rescuers, but were unable to get to the scene because of the poor weather. A fresh attempt was made by helicopter and six bodies were recovered.

External links

• Soelden.com - official tourist site
• Ski-Austria - Soelden Skiing