Friday, January 3, 2025
At around 07:45, I stopped by the
Aqua Dome reception to purchase a
daily pass for Solden. It
was 79 euros plus a 3-euro deposit, for a total of 82 euros. The daily pass
was much less expensive than a daily pass at U.S. Ski resorts! (The 3-euro
deposit was refunded to me after I returned the ski card.)
I had a small, quick breakfast, eating a bowl of yogurt with jam and some
scrambled eggs. I returned to room #169 to dress for skiing.
I also put spare gloves, water, and my GoPro Hero11 in the backpack.
(Spare gloves came in handy after my main gloves froze over.)
Here is a GoPro Hero11
video of skiing in Solden:
The snow was hard-packed with small areas of light powder.
At 08:15, I walked downstairs to Sunup Sports to rent a snowboard and
snowboarding boots. After trying a couple of snowboarding boots, I found none
that fit me well. Either they were too small or too loose.
Next time, I need to bring my snowboarding boots (as it's difficult to
rent the correct size).
I decided to switch to Alpine Skiing (as comfortable ski boots were
available in my size) and rented the following:
I found a pair of Fischer XTR RC4 90 HV ski boots that were reasonably
comfortable, with good support and minimal pain. I attached my GoPro sticker
to the helmet to record the skiing.
After paying for the gear rental, I walked to the bus stop in my ski boots
(not too comfortable) and waited for Bus #44, headed for
Solden.
Bus #44 runs every 10 minutes and takes about 25 minutes to reach Solden Ski
Resort from Aqua Dome (Langenfeld). The last Solden stop is called Gaislachkogl
(the main gondola stop), where I planned to get off.
When I boarded the bus at 08:50, it was jam-packed with skiers and
snowboarders, and I had to stand the entire ride to Solden.
Here is a map of
Solden (it's
quite a large resort):
After arriving in Solden, I boarded the main gondola and headed out to ski. It
took me a few runs to re-acquaint myself with proper downhill skiing technique
(after a decade of exclusively snowboarding).
The weather was cold (-12 Celsius at the top), with gusty winds. It was pretty
sunny most of the time and only a light snowfall (I was hoping for more
powder).
I stuck to the red slopes (blue slopes in the U.S. ski-rating system),
particularly trail #11, as it was a nice, long, and steep run with an easy
chairlift back to C31. When I got cold at 10:20, I stopped by the Rotkogolhuetta (Huetta)
- a small self-serve restaurant near the chairlift C31. I ordered the following items:
- Hot Chocolate with Whipped Cream
-
Frittatensuppe (beef bouillon soup with pancake slices)
- Pretzel
I found an unoccupied table (quite difficult usually) and swallowed large
spoonfuls of soup. Hot chocolate also helped to warm me up, and the
pretzel was delicious.
While resting, I also installed my GoPro Hero11 on my helmet to record some
skiing videos. I usually prefer to record videos with a selfie stick, but I
don't know how to use it while skiing.
After this quick snack stop, I decided to ski to other parts of the mountain
(to explore other runs) and started skiing trail #12, using chairlift C35.
There were some remnants of powder on the trail, and it was more fun than
scraping on ice. I also noticed a ski park nearby, with multiple jumps and
obstacles, with many small kids taking full advantage.
I continued skiing, stopping a few times to use the restroom and warm up. At
around 14:15, I started to get cold and tired (my toes were beginning to go
numb), so I decided to ski down. I used trail #11, followed by 7a, 7b, and 9
to get to the bottom.
Once at the bottom, I boarded bus #44 back to Aqua Dome. The ride back was
about 25 minutes, and the bus was full of skiers. Luckily, I found a seat, and
the ride back was uneventful.
Links
Comments