"Hard" days in Sölden

German dares wild party experiment in Tyrol

Freddy Speck spends his time in Sölden skiing and après-skiing. He wants to get by on 1000 euros.(Bild: Freddy Speck)

19-year-old Freddy Speck - or Captain Shark, as he calls himself on social media - wants to spend two weeks skiing and partying in the Tyrolean Ötztal without a fixed place to sleep. In an interview with the "Krone" newspaper, the German takes stock after the halfway point - including a stolen jacket and a jump from the chairlift.

"I can't ski, but I can drink." A young man in ski boots laughs into a camera and explains his plan: "Two weeks of après-ski without accommodation!" The "Krone" reached Freddy Speck on Monday, day eight of his experiment, in Sölden in Tyrol. On the phone, he explains: "I'm feeling fantastic." Except for dry lips and little sleep. This is because the 19-year-old influencer from Germany has to look for a place to sleep every night.

According to his videos, he has spent the night in a car, in an igloo and in the sauna area of a hotel. If he can't find anything, he pulls an all-nighter. The next day, his 102,000 followers on TikTok and 55,000 followers on Instagram receive the update: scenes of the wild party night and a few from the ski slopes - mainly falls.

With mostly tired eyes, Captain Shark then says sentences like: "My head is banging so hard right now", "I lost my jacket, my wallet was in there" or "I have no idea where I slept, I woke up in some hotel lobby".

"I'm just having fun"
Why the whole thing? Speck has already carried out similar events in Mallorca, Lloret de Mar and at the Munich Oktoberfest. A promotion with a restaurant was originally planned in Sölden, but nothing came of it. Speck came here anyway. "I just really enjoy it because you get to meet lots of nice, cool people." As he travels alone, partying is an important point of contact.

Many people recognize Captain Shark and take photos with him.(Bild: Freddy Speck)

One lesson that the 19-year-old learns from his previous activities and again in Sölden: "That people are so nice." He gets tips for places to sleep, and here and there he is given a meal or a drink. "When I lost my jacket, a couple of guys gave me one."

In Sölden in particular, he has never been in a situation where he felt unsafe. "Even if you sleep in a hut during the day or something, people are friendly."

People are much nicer in person than on the internet.

Freddy Speck alias Captain Shark

Opinions on content differ
Much friendlier than on the internet. Among his videos, in which he plays rock-paper-scissors for a beer while visibly drunk, looks for his skis that he lost in the night or watches a friend jump off a chairlift, there are also comments such as "Pretty stupid", "Complete fake" and "Unpleasant". He's never heard anything like that in real life, Speck concludes. "People are much nicer in person." 

The influencer assures that he has no accommodation and that his content is not fake. But: he could book a hotel with his nest egg in an emergency.(Bild: Freddy Speck)

Many of his followers also celebrate his videos. He is aware that he has a responsibility towards them, says the content creator. "Drugs, cigarettes and the like are completely taboo for me," he says. And: "I also post the consequences if I feel bad the next morning."

To those who want to imitate his "projects" or accompany him, "I just say that I've been doing it for a long time and have a certain amount of experience. I wouldn't recommend anyone to copy that."

Will follow through: "Tough, but have fun"
Captain Shark himself is confident that he will see the two weeks in Sölden through, possibly even making a detour to Ischgl. "I'm motivated. It's tough, but I'm still having fun."

And it won't be the last challenge of this kind: in 2026, he would like to go to Carnival and Mallorca again. He has already released a Ballermann song. "Après-ski would also be a topic you could do a song about."