Soelden (Sölden) - a large resort with even larger crowds.

There is a significant overcrowding problem in Soelden, at least in late February / early March, which is aggravated by the layout of the slopes. It takes at least four lifts / one hour to reach the glacier, where the skiing conditions are the best. If the weather is poor and skiing at high altitude is not possible, there are very few lower slopes, which become massively overcrowded.

On the plus side, the lift network is mostly new and very fast. There is a great 7+km red slope from Gaislachkogel (3000m) to Solden (1400m), and the ride back up takes only about 20 minutes. The glacier skiing is fantastic: don't miss the World Cup slope at Rettenbach, or the chillout slopes at Tiefenbach where you can also find a great restaurant and sun deck. The views are also great, and on a sunny day the 20 minutes walk to the top of Innere Schwarze Schneid is well worth it. In the morning it's better to use the Gaislachkogl gondola instead of Gigggijoch, as it is significantly less crowded.

The standard ski pass (230 euros this season) only covers the Soelden ski domain (~140km), which is poor value considering that in other resorts you can choose from up to 800km of slopes at the same price.

All in all, it was a positive experience, but next time will choose a less "maintream" resort to avoid overcrowding.