The BIG 3 Rally in Sölden

The tour starts with a trip up the brand new Giggijoch mountain gondola, which brings skiers up the mountain in no time. From there the Silberbrünnl lift takes you to the Rotkogl, at an altitude of 2.662 metres. A freshly groomed piste is spread out before you: it’s the blue piste #13, the perfect warm-up run before you make your way to the glaciers.

The first goal is the 3.250m-high Schwarze Schneid; you’ll find the photo machine right at the top of the lift, so you can prove that you’re more than 3.000 metres up! If your legs aren’t jelly yet, you can continue to the viewing platform at 3.340 metres. This requires a bit of a hike, and you’ll have to leave your skis at the top of the lift and trek 20 minutes or so just in your boots. But the photo point is truly special and well worth it, especially for all you selfie lovers out there.

Go through the ski tunnel and you’ll soon see the Tiefenbach Glacier. Possibly the best blue run in Sölden, it’s time to ski #38, a super-wide “autobahn” which lends itself well to full speed carving.

Soar down to the Tiefenbach gondola, then take it up to the next photo point: the BIG 3 Tiefenbach. You might feel the 20 metre long bridge wobble ever so slightly as you make your way across, 60 metres above the glaciers. There are no words to capture how stunning the view is from this one-of-a-kind experience! The highlight is the gorgeous view of the second largest mountain in Tyrol, the 3.776m-high Wildspitze. You’ll share the platform with other enthusiastic skiers, so you can take some group selfies if you like…  A sure path to thousands of likes on social media!

Take the wonderful piste #38 again to reach the chairlift, which will bring you back to the Rettenbach Glacier. The Rettenbach Glacier gets lots of shade and the snow is fantastic. The blue #30 cruiser will take you along to the challenging black #7 and from there to the valley station of the Gaislachkogl cable car, which will take you up to the third BIG 3 target.

At the top of the Gaislachkogl cable car, behold the ultramodern ice Q Restaurant, at an altitude of 3.048 meters. You’ll see the photo point slightly below the mountain station overlooking the restaurant, but the roof of the ice Q is definitely worth a visit as well. Afterwards, enjoy the world’s greatest schnitzel over world-class views.

Miranda Muller is Editor-in-chief at Snowplaza and the alps are her second home.
Skiing, snowboarding, hiking or mountain biking – she loves it all.
For a period of time Miranda lived in Trentino and worked as a ski instructor in the alps.