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Ski like Bond, James Bond
British skiers have always been in the minority in the Austrian resort of Soelden, but the resort is suddenly on our radar following the filming of the latest Bond movie in the resort.
To be fair, it should have been a favourite long ago because it has everything that British skiers love in spades – wide open slopes served by a fast, modern lift system, good snow making facilities, lively apres ski and oodles of mountain restaurants.
It’s a good choice too for a late season holiday as the height of the resort, which boasts two glaciers, means it will keep its snow for longer.
When I was there last week, the snow was generally pretty good – although the lower slopes were heavily dependent on the snow cannons.
Higher up on the glacier, thanks to an overnight sprinkling of fresh powder, conditions were still excellent.
Altogether the resort offers 145 kms of pisted runs, which isn’t huge but it also offers some easily accessible off-piste and some of the runs are quite challenging.
One of its biggest draws, for the time being at least, is the uber modern glass IceQ restaurant on the slopes, which provided the backdrop to the latest Bond movie, Spectre.
Guests planning to eat in the restaurant, which has a fantastic roof terrace, should book ahead as it’s pretty busy much of the time. A set three-course lunch, including caviar to start, costs €66.
One of the downsides of Soelden is that it has no real low season so the slopes are always busy, particularly those around the top of the gondola.
It has a maximum capacity of 18,000 people a day and even in midweek in March it can attract as many as 13,000, however, it’s definitely one to consider, especially for an early or late holiday.
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Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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