SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental, surrounding the Hohe Salve, is Austria’s largest interconnected ski area.

Not only is the region the largest interconnected group of lifts in the country, it’s also one of the most affordable. The wide expanse of slopes with the backdrop of the rocky Wilder Kaiser boasts 90 lifts, 250 km. of trails, and 180 km. of snowmaking spread above nine villages. Guests come from across Europe, but English-speakers tend to cluster in a few of the villages.

Here is the Söll village map in pdf format.

The entire ski area is perhaps the most accessible in Austria to skiers coming in from Germany. It’s only 20 min-utes from the Kufstein border crossing, which is about an hour from Munich.

The main villages are Going, Ellmau, Scheffau, Söll, Hopfgarten, Westendorf and Brixen im Thale. We will focus on Ellmau, Söll and Westendorf since these have the preponderance of English-speaking skiers.

Ellmau and Söll have a large group of British skiers, but Ellmau has more families and less party animals than Söll just down the road. In Ellmau you can find some of Austria’s best dining and beautiful chalets. The small town has very convenient access to the lifts and is easy to reach from Germany or Innsbruck.

Söll has much more of the party animals with British and Swedes mixing for a great fun-time atmosphere. Westendorf also has a core of British skiers who make this their resort of choice. All these towns share the same massive interconnected series of trails.

Söll carefully cultivates its small-town image with lit-tle shops whose operators are overwhelmingly friendly and strike up a conversation in English at the first opportunity. The main street is full of visitors at almost any hour of the day or night. While traffic is heavy, pedestrians have taken priority, causing motorists to wait, sometimes impatiently, as the shoppers stroll across the roadway to browse.

It’s quite clear from the heavy traffic in the local grocery stores that not everyone takes full pension. Full shopping bags mean a lot of picnic lunches and breakfasts prepared back in the room. Everywhere you encounter young couples strolling hand in hand, a change from the more elegant and expensive European resorts where the crowd is older and not always so affectionate.

Söll becomes little U.K. during the winter with a predominant number of the guests coming from the British Islands. Some vacationers who want to soak up the Austrian culture will be disappointed, however those who want to have an easy time with the language will find this village perfect.

On the other side of the Hohe Salve, in the Brixental, is the village of Westendorf. It is a small place, conveniently just up out of the reach of the main road. The town church presides over a series of chalets that provide the picture-perfect Alpine scene. The British and Australians return to this perfect setting year after year. They are joined by a strong Dutch contingent. The mix is most pleasant and the partying is not overbearing. The only major drawback is that the connection to the lifts of SkiWelt is by bus. There is no skiing into town at the end of the day.

There are plans in the works to link Brixen to Westendorf and to link Westendorf with Kirchberg on the other side of the Gampen. When that happens and these trails are linked with those of Kitzbühel and Kirchberg, this interconnected system will be even more amazing.

SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser-Brixental Marketing GmbH, Stockach 38 . A-6306 Söll, Austria
Country code: 0043
Telephone prefix: 05333
Telephone: 400
Fax: 400.9100
Email: office@skiwelt.at
Internet: www.skiwelt.at

Tourism Söll, Postfach 21, A-6306 Söll am Wilder Kaiser, Austria
Country code: 0043
Telephone prefix: 05333
Telephone: 05333-5216
Fax: 05333-6180
Email: Info@soell.at
Internet: www.soell.at

Tourism Westendorf, Schulgasse 2, A-6363 Westendorf, Austria
Country code: 0043
Telephone prefix: 05334
Telephone: 05334-6230
Email: westendorf@skiwelt.at or info@westendorf.com
Internet: www.westendorf.net

Note: All prices are in Euros unless otherwise noted.

For more information on skiing and staying in the country of Austria, click the map.