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Söll and Ellmau sit around 11 km apart beneath the Wilder Kaiser in Tyrol, and one lift pass covers both: the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental, one of Austria's largest linked ski areas, with around 280 km of pistes spread across nine villages. They ski the same circuit, but they come at it from different corners and give you different weeks. Söll is the livelier of the two, with a pedestrianised centre, a long-standing après reputation and lifts straight up to the Hohe Salve, the highest point in the area. Ellmau is larger but quieter, set directly below the limestone walls of the Kaiser, with nursery slopes at the edge of the village and a gentle side sector shared with Going. This guide compares the link between them, terrain, snow, villages, après, families, experts and getting there, so you can choose the base that suits your week.
Choose Söll for: the liveliest après in the SkiWelt and floodlit night skiing on several evenings a week, the Hohe Salve and the area's steepest runs directly above the village, a pretty pedestrianised centre, and a wide spread of family-run hotels and apartments that makes it easy to house groups.
Choose Ellmau for: nursery slopes beside the village and a quiet side sector for first-timers, the widest choice of shops and restaurants among the Kaiser villages, the Wilder Kaiser rising straight above your hotel, and calm evenings that suit families and couples.
| Feature | Söll | Ellmau |
|---|---|---|
| Country | Austria (Tyrol) | Austria (Tyrol) |
| Shared ski area | SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental - around 280 km of pistes | SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental - around 280 km of pistes |
| Village altitude | Around 700 m | Around 820 m |
| Highest lift | 1,829 m (Hohe Salve) | Around 1,550 m locally (Hartkaiser); Hohe Salve on the same pass |
| Season | Roughly early December to early April | Roughly early December to early April |
| Best for | Après, night skiing, the Hohe Salve | Beginners, families, quieter evenings |
| Village character | Compact, lively village with a car-free centre | Larger, calmer village below the Kaiser peaks |
| Nearest airport | Innsbruck (~1 hr); Munich (~1 hr 30 min); Salzburg (~1 hr 30 min) | Innsbruck (~1 hr 15 min); Salzburg (~1 hr 15 min); Munich (~1 hr 30 min) |
A SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental pass covers every lift in the area, whichever village you buy it in. Söll and Ellmau both sit on the Kaiser side of the circuit, the northern half facing the Wilder Kaiser, while the rest spreads south to Brixen im Thale, Hopfgarten and Westendorf in the Brixental, plus smaller villages such as Itter, Kelchsau and Going, all on the same ticket.
What most guides skip is that Söll and Ellmau are not neighbours on the mountain. Scheffau sits between them, and the ski route from one to the other runs through it. From Ellmau, you ride up to the Hartkaiser, take a long red down to Blaiken - Scheffau's lift base in the valley - and ride back up to the Brandstadl, where a string of short runs and lifts carries you across towards Hochsöll and the Hohe Salve. Söll to Ellmau is the same in reverse. At an easy pace it takes the best part of an hour each way, so most people treat the other village's slopes as part of a longer day rather than a quick hop. The ski bus along the valley road is the shortcut, linking the Kaiser villages through the day in around 15 minutes.
Who it suits: based in Söll, the Hohe Salve and the Brixental side are closest; based in Ellmau, the Hartkaiser, Scheffau and the quiet Astberg are on your doorstep - and either way the whole circuit is on the pass.
The SkiWelt is built for intermediates - long, wide blues and reds through forest and open pasture, with relatively few blacks - and both villages share that character. The difference is which part of it you start on. Söll's lifts rise from a base station just outside the village to Hochsöll and on to the Hohe Salve at 1,829 m. That puts the area's highest summit and its longest, steepest descents directly above the village, from the north face back towards Hochsöll to the long runs down the far side to Itter and Hopfgarten. Ellmau's main lift starts at the edge of the village and climbs to the Hartkaiser, at around 1,550 m, with long reds home through the trees and the Brandstadl's cluster of easy runs one valley over. Next door, Ellmau shares the small Astberg sector with Going - gentle, uncrowded and a little apart from the main circuit. Söll's home mountain is bigger and higher; Ellmau's is mellower, with more easy terrain within reach of the village.
Who it suits: for bigger days from the door and the area's highest skiing, Söll; for relaxed cruising and gentle slopes close to the village, Ellmau.
Neither is a high-altitude resort. The villages sit at around 700 m and 820 m, and the SkiWelt tops out below 1,900 m, so natural snow can run thin in a lean winter and the runs home soften quickly in spring. Two things keep the area dependable. Snowmaking covers the large majority of the pistes, including the valley runs to both villages, and the slopes above each village face north, holding cold snow longer than the sunnier Brixental side of the circuit. Söll has a small edge because its lifts reach the Hohe Salve directly, the highest skiing in the area. Ellmau's home peaks are lower, though the Hartkaiser's shaded runs hold their snow well. The season in both runs roughly from early December to early April, and January to mid-March is when both are at their best. For a late-March or Easter trip, ski high in the morning and come down before the lower slopes turn heavy.
Who it suits: in midwinter there is little between them; for a late-season trip, Söll's direct access to the Hohe Salve is the safer bet.
Söll is compact and pretty, with a pedestrianised centre around a baroque church and painted houses, and it has long been one of the best-known SkiWelt villages among British skiers. The one practical catch is that the main lift station sits on the far side of the main road, a walk or a short bus ride from the centre, so staying near the lift base trades village life for an easier morning. Most of the stock is family-run hotels, guesthouses and self-catered apartments, which works well for groups. Ellmau is larger and more spread out along the valley road, with the widest choice of shops, cafés and restaurants among the Kaiser villages and the Wilder Kaiser's north walls rising straight above it. Its main lift leaves from the edge of the village, within walking distance of much of the centre, and the range of hotels reaches further upmarket, from guesthouses to spa hotels.
Who it suits: for a pretty, lively village and a mix of hotels and apartments, Söll; for more shops and restaurants and the bigger mountain view, Ellmau.
This is where the two divide most clearly. Söll has long had the liveliest après in the SkiWelt. Bars around the lift base fill as the last runs come down, the centre carries on into the evening, and the Whisky Mühle nightclub keeps going late. On several evenings a week, around 10 km of floodlit runs above the village - one of the largest night-skiing areas in Austria - open on a separate ticket, and the floodlit toboggan runs from Hochsöll make an alternative for non-skiers. Ellmau's evenings are quieter. Expect pubs and hotel bars rather than clubs, long traditional dinners, and the floodlit toboggan run on the Astberg, shared with Going, as the liveliest outing after dark. Both have plenty of good mountain huts at lunchtime; the difference is what happens after five.
Who it suits: for a big night out and night skiing on the doorstep, Söll; for a drink after the last run and a relaxed dinner, Ellmau.
Ellmau makes a strong case here. Its nursery slopes sit beside the village and are covered by snowmaking, so first days need no bus and no ride up the mountain, and the ski schools meet close by. When beginners are ready to move on, the Astberg's gentle blues are a quiet step up before the main circuit, and the village leisure centre with its pool covers a day off skis. Söll welcomes families too, with a free nursery area by the main lift station and a separate children's ski area, but because the lift base sits outside the village, the morning routine with small children usually means the ski bus or a walk in ski boots. The upside comes later: once children are confident, Söll's lifts take them straight into the heart of the circuit.
Who it suits: for first-timers and young children, Ellmau; for families with confident skiers who want the full circuit from day one, Söll.
Neither village is an expert destination - the SkiWelt has only a modest number of black runs - but Söll is where the steepest skiing sits. The blacks off the Hohe Salve are the toughest pistes in the area, and the Black Pipe, an ungroomed ski route from the summit towards Hochsöll, is its best-known steep line. Ellmau's home slopes are mostly blue and red, and the more demanding terrain on that side is the off-piste and ski routes around the Brandstadl when snow allows, best taken with a guide. Both villages have a snow park on their side of the area, with a third further round the circuit in Westendorf. Strong skiers based in either village tend to spend their best days on the Hohe Salve and the long runs down to the Brixental.
Who it suits: for the steepest skiing on the doorstep, Söll; for experts happy to travel across the circuit, either works.
Both are among the quicker transfers in the Alps. Innsbruck is around 1 hour from Söll by road and a little longer to Ellmau. Munich is around 1 hour 30 minutes, with the motorway via Kufstein reaching Söll first. Salzburg works best for Ellmau, at around 1 hour 15 minutes, since the village sits further east along the valley. Neither has a railway station. For Söll, the nearest mainline stops are Kufstein and Wörgl, on the line from Munich and Innsbruck; for Ellmau, it is St Johann in Tirol. Each is followed by a short bus or taxi ride. The two villages are around 15 minutes apart by road, so transfers rarely decide it on their own.
Who it suits: for flights into Innsbruck or Munich, or rail via Kufstein, Söll is marginally closer; from Salzburg, Ellmau is.
WeSki insider tip: staying in Ellmau and heading for the Hohe Salve? Take the ski bus a few minutes west to Blaiken and start on the Brandstadl lifts instead of the Hartkaiser. It cuts a lift and a run from the journey and gives you more of the morning on the high slopes above Söll, when the snow there is at its best.
Same pass, same circuit and almost the same transfer - so the tie-breakers are about the people in your group rather than the mountain.
Is anyone skiing for the first time? Ellmau's nursery slopes sit at the edge of the village, with the gentle Astberg as the next step, so a beginner's first days involve no buses and no busy upper slopes. Söll's learning areas are good, but they start at a lift base outside the village.
What do you want the evenings to look like? Söll has the après, the late bars and night skiing several evenings a week. Ellmau suits a long dinner and an early start. For most groups, this is the question that settles it.
How strong is your strongest skier? The Hohe Salve's blacks and steep ski routes are directly above Söll. From Ellmau they are a long morning's ski away, which matters more on a short break than over a full week.
If all three come out level, choose by the view from the village - the Hohe Salve above Söll's church, or the Kaiser walls above Ellmau.
Yes - both are part of the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental and one pass covers both, but they are not next door on the mountain. The route runs through Scheffau: from Ellmau up to the Hartkaiser, down to Scheffau's Blaiken lift base, up to the Brandstadl and across towards Hochsöll, and the same in reverse. Allow the best part of an hour each way. The ski bus along the valley road is quicker, at around 15 minutes.
Ellmau usually has the edge for a first week. Its nursery slopes are right beside the village, the ski schools meet close by, and the quiet Astberg sector gives new skiers a gentle step up before the main circuit. Söll has good beginner areas too, including a free nursery slope by the main lift station, but because that lift base is outside the village, mornings start with a bus or a walk.
Söll, if you want a lively one. It has the busiest après in the SkiWelt, bars that run late, a well-known nightclub and floodlit night skiing on several evenings a week. Ellmau's evenings are calmer, with pubs, hotel bars and traditional restaurants, and the floodlit toboggan run on the Astberg is its liveliest outing. The two are around 15 minutes apart by road, so a night out in Söll is easy to reach from Ellmau.
There is little between them. Both villages are low, at around 700 m and 820 m, so both rely on extensive snowmaking, which covers most of the area's pistes, including the runs home. Söll has a slight edge late in the season because its lifts reach the Hohe Salve at 1,829 m, the highest point in the SkiWelt. In midwinter, either is a sound choice.
For families with young children, Ellmau tends to be easier day to day: the nursery slopes are at the edge of the village, the evenings are quiet, and there is a leisure centre with a pool for a day off. Söll suits families with older or confident children who want the whole circuit and some life in the evenings, though its lift base is outside the village, so mornings usually begin with the ski bus.
Not in any simple way. Ellmau's accommodation reaches further upmarket, with more spa hotels in the mix, while Söll leans towards family-run hotels, guesthouses and apartments that suit groups. The lift pass is the same for both, since it covers the whole SkiWelt, so the difference comes down to the style of stay you choose rather than the village itself.
