Sölden opens its glacier slopes on October 9, launching an early start to winter

Sölden’s 2026/27 ski season begins Friday, October 9, with the opening of its first glacier slopes. The resort is offering an early-season adult day ticket for €36.50 as skiers return to the Rettenbach Glacier for the first turns of winter.

The opening is a glacier start, not the full resort coming online. Sölden’s live resort information lists three lifts, one slope and the Rettenbach restaurant for the initial operation; facilities and piste access can change with conditions. The broader winter ski area is scheduled to open on November 12.

That distinction matters for visitors planning an October trip. The early skiing is concentrated high above the valley, on glacier terrain, rather than across the destination’s full network of runs. Sölden’s advertised domain stretches from 1,350 to 3,340 metres and encompasses 147 kilometres of pistes, but those headline figures describe the wider ski area, not the limited opening-day offer.

The glacier opening is the first milestone in a season that quickly builds toward the Audi FIS Alpine Ski World Cup. The women’s and men’s giant slaloms are scheduled for October 24 and 25 on the Rettenbach Glacier, where the annual opener draws international attention to the resort. A separate season preview reports the event is expected to attract 30,000 fans.

Sölden is also using the new season to reinforce its appeal beyond skiing. The resort’s identity combines high-altitude sport with architecture, dining and attractions such as 007 ELEMENTS and the ice Q restaurant at 3,048 metres. A new addition, Infinity Studio, is due to open in December at 2,600 metres, positioning the mountain as a setting for recording, creative retreats and selected events as well as winter recreation.

On the mountain, the most prominent infrastructure project is the new six-seat Gratl chairlift on Gaislachkogl. The replacement for a lift dating to 1985 is designed to cut the ride from about eight minutes to roughly 4.2, with weather shields, updated safety features and a repositioned upper station. Sölden is also expanding snowmaking on several slopes and has rebuilt the Mutkogl lift on the Tiefenbach Glacier with a shorter route.

The investments reflect a resort trying to improve comfort and snow reliability while extending the season at altitude. At Tiefenbach Glacier, a photovoltaic installation is planned with a peak capacity of 6.5 megawatts, which the resort says could eventually cover about 35 percent of Bergbahnen Sölden’s electricity needs.

Beyond the World Cup, the calendar includes the inaugural Sölden Ski Rally on December 5, a series of weekly Sölden Parties from November 21, and the Electric Mountain Festival in April 2027. The season’s opening, however, is deliberately modest: a first glacier slope, a lower-priced ticket and a signal that the resort’s winter has begun—while most of the mountain is still waiting for November.

What's new on the mountain

• Bergbahnen Sölden is spending on comfort and snow reliability. The headline project is the new six-seater chairlift Gratl on the Gaislachkogl. It cuts the ride from eight minutes to about 4.2, and adds weather bubbles, heated-style comfort seating and a repositioned top station.

• Snowmaking: The Gaislachkogl pistes get a new snowmaking system with a pipe network of nearly four kilometres. It lets about ten hectares of piste be snowed reliably.

• Pistes and lifts: Snow systems at Schwarzkogl and Wasserkar have been expanded, and the piste at the Wasserkar base has been widened and flattened for less confident skiers. On the Tiefenbach Glacier, the Mutkogl drag lift is more than halved in length and adapted to glacier ground.

• Solar: The photovoltaic array on the Tiefenbach Glacier reaches 6.5 megawatt-peak. Sölden says it should supply about 35 per cent of the lift company's electricity.

The winter ski area proper starts in mid-November. Season-wide, the resort offers 147 km of piste across 31 lifts, between 1,350 and 3,340 metres.

Beyond the pistes

This winter, Sölden is also leaning into its lifestyle side. In December, the Infinity Studio opens at 2,600 metres: a high-end recording studio, creative retreat and event venue aimed at international artists, producers and DJs. It will host a limited-access premium party during the Electric Mountain Festival, which runs 12 to 17 April 2027, with main days at Giggijoch on 15 and 16 April.

The calendar fills out quickly:

• 21 November: weekly Sölden Partys begin at the Giggijoch restaurant forecourt, running 13:45 to 16:30.

• 23 December to 17 March: Wednesday Night Fever brings night sledging and night skiing on the Gaislachkogl.

• 5 December: the first Sölden Ski Rallye. It is a non-competitive, challenge-based event open to ages six to 99 who can ski blue, red and black runs.

On the food side, the ice Q at 3,048 metres, which Sölden bills as Austria's highest Haubenrestaurant, launches a redesigned Summit Dinner staged as a first-class flight. The FALCON restaurants add a fire-kitchen sharing concept. Away from the snow, the 007 ELEMENTS Bond installation at the Gaislachkogl summit and a 7.3 km toboggan run remain open.

Getting there

Direct ICE trains run from Hamburg and Hannover to Ötztal station, with a Railjet from Munich. A flight to Innsbruck plus the roughly one-hour Ötztal Shuttle is the alternative. Skipasses can be bought online and collected by QR code.