One of the highest mountain roads in the Alps, a mountain lift station that looks like curved ribs of steel and a design restaurant in the shape of a giant ice cube: the ski resort of Solden in the Otztal valley of Tirol, Austria, provided a complete mix of everything they needed for one of the main action scenes in the new James Bond film.
Speaking on set in Solden, Associate producer, Gregg Wilson, explained how he wanted to deliver ‚an amazing sequence‘, which will be one of the major action sequences in the movie. He promises it will be spectacular and added that Austria seemed to have everything we needed to pull it off‘. For Dennis Gassner, Production Designer, it had been a long journey through many countries, seeking a location to fit with what they were looking for and as he puts it, ‚what could be more exciting than to be up there, on top of the world?‘. The ICE Q restaurant, located at 3048m at the top of the Gaislachkogl, ticked all the boxes for that‚ unique, modern facility‘ that they were after.
Solden is renowned for its excellent snow reliability with access to two high glaciers, impressive lift system and lively apres ski. Its consistently good snow conditions, along with over 140km of slopes, makes it one of the Europe’s top ski and snowboard destinations. Find out what people have to say about Solden in the new Chairlift Chat video here.
Where to stay : Solden offers a range of accommodation options from five-star hotels to affordable guest-houses and apartments. Search them all using the tourist boards online booking service. It’s fast, reliable, and allows you to search by a range of accommodation categories.
Travel: The closest airport is Innsbruck which is about an hour away. It’s easy to organise a hire car or pre-bookable resort transfers are available through www.transfer.tirol.at.
007 in Obertilliach,
The village resort of Obertilliach, located in East Tirol, also plays a leading action role in ‚SPECTRE‘. Filmed over several days in January 2015, the scenes feature a traditional mountain hut, which becomes the focus of a spectacular explosion. The so-called ‚Bond House‘, as named by the locals, had originally come from the neighbouring region, Styria, having been dismantled and re-assembled on the slopes of the Golzentipp ski area, specifically for the film.
Four locations in and around Obertilliach will feature in the film, including scenes from the Grade II listed historic village centre of Obertilliach. Mayor Matthias Scherer, „I knew in March 2014 that the production company had chosen Obertilliach, and for a tourist destination, like us, it was like winning the lottery. It’s not every day that a small community of 687 has a British secret agent coming to visit“.
Geographically not part of northern Tirol, the village of Obertilliach is located in the Lesachtal of East Tirol and remains largely undiscovered to the Indian market. Located at 1450m, the village has a small skiing area, which is popular for beginner skiers and families as well as a centre for Nordic sports.
Where to stay : The East Tirol tourist board website has an online booking service, which searches everything from hotels and apartments to B&B’s and farmhouses. In December 2015, the new 4* Almfamilyhotel Scherer will open in Obertilliach, enjoying a quiet location close to the Golzentipp Obertilliach ski area.
Travel: The closest airport is Innsbruck. The easiest way is to organise a hire car, as Obertilliach is a 3 hour drive from Innsbruck airport. Another alternative is Salzburg or even Munich airport.
