Soelden

Just back this afternoon - brilliant ski area. I stayed in Inerwald just above the Glaischkoglbahn which was never busy in town, but the mid station did have short queues at peak times, maybe 5-10 mins at worst.
I had ski in ski out B&B which was superb.
Solden is not at all what WTSS make it out to be i.e. a sleazy strip joint full of idiots. Its a posh town with some swanky hotels and restaurants. I only heard 3 people speaking English all week: one was American, the other a German guide with some Brits from Obergurgl.

I will do a full review later this week when I get time, but avoid going up fro Giggijoch at all costs, its carnage down that end of town.
Runs off do get sugary and icy if there isn't fresh snow, but they were making snow for 3 days last week after temps in town dropped well below freezing. Glaciers were always cold with superb snow, and we had 20cm at Glacier level Weds overnight so Thursday there was good off piste to be found high up.

Intricate lift system, with the odd 2 man or T bar here and there, but avoidable.

Good prices up the mountain and in town as well. 4-4.60EU for a large beer, pizza 7-10EU, I paid 9.50 for one Wiener Schnitzel and 17,50 for the other, and I was happier with the more expensive one, it was superb in the Hotel Gruner up at Innerwald.

Hotel Hubertus is nice for an evening drink, food there was also very good. 2.50 for a very decent Zweigelt (red wine)

Several Italians in town, good food and reasonable prices as well.

Typical Austria - you could stay up as high as you could until gone 5pm, have a drink or two and then ski off providing you didn't need a lift, and stop off en route if you needed.

Philipp in Innerwald is VERY lively and we avoided it as it was literally banging until 11pm but soundproofed so it didn't affect us over the blue piste.
Lots of bouncing bars in town if you want that, personally I like a warm friendly chatty bar between 4.30 and 6.30 and then go out to dinner somewhere nice.

Drove down from Munich airport, 3.5 hours on a Saturday afternoon, busiest part was around Munich. Motorway all way past Innsbruck and then head up the Otz valley, nice drive but don't do it on a Saturday before lunchtime, its at a standstill!!

Going back we headed across the FernPass and had lunch in Garmisch, and then the afternoon/evening in Munich before flying back Sunday morning into LHR.
Avis gave me a decent Ford Focus Estate with winter tyres, although we never really needed them as roads were all dry.

FernPass is a lovely drive, not one to be rushed.

I was mightily impressed with Solden and will definitely recommend it and return again with friends.
But don't expect to get many people speaking English as they don't get many visitors.
Well worth the extra 10EU to have Obergurgl on the lift pass and spend a day there -another place I was hugely impressed with. Lovely snow over there, lots of sunny runs and high trees too!!! Beautiful.

Austria wins every time for me, but the secret is finding somewhere with altitude this time of year. The runs down below 1800m at the end of the day were testing to say the least, not for the timid or faint hearted, but its definitely a place for confident intermediates who like their pistes steep and travelling long distances to see other areas.

The long run from the glacier back is best done before lunch as it can either get very cold or badly carved up, or ridiculously busy after 3pm as its the only way off pretty much, a bit like the run back into St Anton.

Giggijoch mid station has about 6 pistes that all merge into one! Very impressive area.

Good range of blacks, steep reds but very wide, and some blues that would really be reds in most other resorts I have been to.

Very very enjoyable place.

More to come.....

Glad you liked it; I certainly did. Agree with your piste ranking assessment. The start of the red from the top of the Gaislachkoglbahn would be graded black in many other resorts (a similar pitch and orientation to the start of the famous Schilthorn black in Murren!)

Sitting in Chris & Co with local music, a mixed crowd and having spent the day out and about. Hoping for the glacier tomorrow or Wednesday, visibility permitting. Already planning our Christmas/New Year trip.