Winter in the Alps – Sulden/Solda

The Alps provide lots of stunning places to discover during winter and summer. One of those beautiful places is Sulden/Solda in South Tyrol, Italy. Here you’ll find amazing mountain views and in winter a peaceful and beautiful ski area. You should go to Sulden if you are looking for breathtaking views and a small and quiet skiing area.

Reschensee – Lago di Resia

Before driving to Sulden we stopped at the Reschensee. This is an artificial lake in South Tyrol in Italy. It is 2km south of the Reschen Pass that is the border with Austria. It also is 3km east of the mountains that form the border with Switzerland. The funny and beautiful thing about the Reschensee is that you’ll find the tower of an old 14th century church in the lake. Two natural lakes were unified in 1950 and flooded the old center of Resia. The bell tower of the church is still visible! We were there in winter and were able to walk to the tower over the ice. It is quite mysterious that there is a part of an old town hidden in this lake.

Sulden am Ortler – Solda

Sulden is a mountain village in South Tyrol. Before the first world war South Tyrol was part of Austria, but nowadays the village is part of Italy. Sulden lies at the foot of the Ortler. This used to be the highest mountain in Austria. It now is the highest mountain in South Tyrol. The main language in South Tyrol is still German. Most of the information is presented in both German and Italian.

Sulden is quite a small mountain village as the population is around 400. The village is situated 1900m above sea level. The people are very warm and friendly in this area. You’ll find great Italian food combined with heavy food of the Alpine kitchen. The prices in the valley and on top of the mountain are relatively low. There are a few shops and supermarkets in the village where you can find almost everything what you normally need. In the winter Sulden offers a great and tranquil place to ski. Most important of all are the breathtaking views of the Ortlergruppe, the mountain chain that you can admire from the valley or from a terras up on the mountain.

Ski area

The ski area is divided in three little areas next to each other. The two biggest areas are connected with lifts. The smaller area is connected only via ski path. There is a gondola bringing you to the upper part of the ski area. A Ski bus drives regularly from hotels to this gondola. The gondola brings you to 2610m. Here you can enjoy the view from the terras or start your ski adventure. The food in the restaurants have a good price and you’ll get big portions. After the first day we decided to order one meal and share it. This was more than enough! The highest point where you can ski is around 3250m. Because of the high position of the slopes there is a good chance of finding good snow conditions. The ski area is relatively small compared to popular ski areas. It has around 44km of slopes and is good accessible for beginners, but also has enough variety for the more advanced skiers.  The beauty of the surroundings makes every descent worth it. You can find a map of the slopes here

Mountains

The first view when you arrive in Sulden are three mountain tops. The highest peak of the mountain range is the Ortler, which is 3,905 m high. There is a glacier on top of the Ortler showing some amazing blue ice. The other two mountain tops are the Gran Zebru Königspitze (3859m) and Zebru (3740m). For one week we had the privilege to wake up each morning and enjoy the view of these beautiful mountains. During sunset we could see the summits turning red. We had an amazing week in the Alps! You’ll get a lot of beauty for a good price. It is great to be surrounded by mountains and it sure provides lots of opportunities to take lots of photos. Let us know if you have been here too and share your photos with us!

If you want to see more of the winter in the Alps check our blogpost here: Winter in the Alps – Laax