Saalbach - Hinterglemm - Leogang - Fieberbrunn 2016/17 Official Unofficial Thread

A snowHead

@Red Slope, Welcome to SnowHeads. I'm replying whilst sitting in the Bergeralm at Saalbach 🙂. No, the only ways of skiing to Saalbach from the top of the U-Bahn are by going up the Westgipfelbahn and making your way over to Schattberg Ost and then down piste number 1, or by walking through Hinterglemm to the Reiterkogelbahn and then making your way via the network of lifts to the Bernkogel above Saalbach.
If you want to get to Saalbach after night skiing your best bet is a taxi, or the Nightliner bus service.

A snowHead

hi all, we have a party going out to hinterglemm 4th march until the 11th march, unfortunately for me i didn't book on in time and the hotel is booked up, i've sorted flights and transfers but need somewhere to stay, anyone any experiences or know any pensions that are available in hinterglemm that wont cost the earth to stay in? its for 2 adults at least and maybe if there are rooms available then maybe more people will join from our friends and come aswell
cheers

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@calders89, search on https://www.saalbach.com/en/accommodation/online-booking and you'll get a list of those available for booking online (use the advanced search to limit it to Hinterglemm or to specify accommodation types) or contact the tourist office with your requirements and they'll forward it to everyone on their list and you'll get offers by email.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Current piste conditions are quite possibly as good as I've ever known. Today I skied with a couple of guests, and we completed a 42 km circuit of the valley, taking in the newly-opened piste 68 to Viehhofen. Although the sky was cloudless all day, the sub-zero air temperature resulted in perfect, powdery snow. The pistes are also blissfully quiet, so we encountered no queues, no congestion and no moguls - even piste 2b was for once a pleasure to ski in the afternoon. That's not say that the 60cm of snow that is forecast to fall in the next few days will not be welcome - piste 68 would not otherwise be open for long, as it has no snow-making and is looking thin towards the bottom.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hi Red Slope and Welcome to the forum, I hope someone answers your dilemma soon.

I'l afraid I am not familiar enough with the area to answer your question, but someone will soon.
If not send a Private Message to Tatman's Tours it sounds like he lives there.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Ooops! I didn't realise he already had.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@DrLawn,

After all it is free

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

@Col the Yeti, Sunday morning you can buy bread/milk/cheese etc at the bakery next to Bobby's and Hansi's ski hire at the bottom of the main street. Or just buy a breakfast roll and coffee there and you're ready to go. The Spar and Billa supermarkets open on Sunday afternoon

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Or the Aral petrol station?

snow reports

@quinton,

Thanks! I can't see us needing much more than bread and coffee when there is a whole mountain of new Alms to try out.

@Col the Yeti, The bakery also cook ham and eggs and will fill the rolls with whatever you like. Then there are the breakfast pastries before you hit the slopes. Once in an Alm a bowl of goulash soup or a tyrolergröstel will keep you going.

You know it makes sense.

Or "Speck mit Ei" (bacon and eggs) at the Bergeralm - in our opinion the best "up the mountain" breakfast available.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Have a few hours in the morning so going to do a looped run through Saalbach tomorrow, can't wait!

Setting off from Vorderglemm, up Schonleitenbahn down Blue 66-52 to Bernkogelbahn, up Bernkogel 6er, down red 48 and blue 37-28, up Zwolferkogel, down 11 blue, up Westgipfelbahn, down blue 7-4-2b back to Vorderglemm.

Any recommendations or anything to watch out for along the route?? Not sure if it's all connected, but looks to be from the piste map.

A snowHead

@shredder, Blue 37 means a u-turn and skiing back to the bottom of the Reiter Ost chair, which you've just come up wink

Instead, from the top of the Reiter Ost, take red 35 to the Hasenauer 8 lift, then blue 28 to Hochalm. If time allows, do at least one run from the top of Hochalm or Spieleck before taking the blue 22a to the Zwölfer Nordbahn. From there, you've got the correct route over Westgipfel across to Schattberg and down 2b to Vorderglemm/Schönleiten. It's all linked - you'll only take your skis off to ride up the gondolas and to cross the main street in Saalbach to get to the Bernkogel lift.

A snowHead

@shredder, Yes it's all fully connected and what you're planning is the classic anti-clockwise circuit of the Glemm valley, which takes about 3 hours at a moderate pace. The only observations that spring to mind are that you won't be doing piste 37, but you will need to do either piste 35 or 32 to Reiterkogel Mitte, from where you take the Hasenauerbahn chair lift in order to then take piste 28 across to Hochalm, before skiing down piste 22a to the Zwoelfer-Nordbahn.
Also when you get to the bottom of piste 4, you will find that you either have to walk slightly uphill across piste 3 to get on to piste 2b, or go up the Limberg chair, before skiing down 2a or 3 and then 2b.
One way of avoiding this (if you're in a hurry and there's enough snow) is to take a diagonal short cut off-piste from the top of piste 4 to a gap in the fence alongside piste 2a, which then brings you out high enough on piste 2a to access 2b without doing any walking or having to take the Limberg chair (which is an old, slow one due for replacement).
Have fun!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@quinton, Sorry, didn't mean to duplicate any of your comments - submitted my response to find that you'd already responded whilst I was typing.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Thanks a mill guys, lifesavers!! I would have ended up stuck on a loop of lifts and head scratching Laughing

Giving ourselves 4 hours to do the loop, should be enough and probably will be a mistake or two. Will add in a run from Hochalm or Spieleck. Good conditions at the moment and lot more snow due tonight so hopefully find that shortcut from 4 to 2a/b

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Arriving in Saalbach on Saturday, can't wait. Conditions look amazing!

Annoyingly the apartment we have booked isn't free for check in until 3:30 and despite asking won't let us drop our bags off early even though we'll be arriving around 1. Any advice on where to go in the village that we can dump bags and have a bit of lunch or a beer. There is a group of 11 of us so difficult to fit in most places with bags etc.

You'll need to Register first of course.

@shredder,

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Anyone in Saalbach at the moment, don't miss Cuckoo in Bobby's tonight. A world-class Irish band!

After all it is free

I've seen Cuckoo before somewhere ...

Was in in Soll last year?

@DrLawn, They are based in Soell but drive over to Saalbach to perform in Bobby's when they can be persuaded to make that journey - this season every alternate Wednesday (which is more than last season), and we're hoping also for Paddy's night. The singer, Eamonn, is taking time off during February and will be replaced for a few weeks by another singer. Well worth seeing and their CD is also excellent.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Hi all, a group of us will be heading out to Saalbach in February and we cannot wait! I've been looking through this and other threads but hoping for a few extra pointers.

We will have a couple of 1 or 2 week skiers with us, and while they will be in ski lessons for much of the time, they don't have any lessons on the first day (long story). Where would you recommend is the best area for them to find their ski legs on some friendly blues? Ideally looking for quieter slopes and no edges/drops at the side of the piste. They can both ski plough-parallel with varying amounts of confidence and style. We are staying in the centre of town.

Secondly, we have another skier with us at the opposite end of the scale and I don't want them to be bored by the rest of us intermediates. I've read that Leogang area often has good snow so good for off piste, as it the area linking to Fieberbrunn? Seems to be a few off piste ski routes there? I'm guessing the most challenging areas on piste are around Zwolferkogel/Schattberg? Any other areas of note? Also, is there anywhere that has ski kiting?

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@carettam, Easiest piste in Saalbach is the blue at the top of Bernkogel. Take the gondola up, ski 100m down to the chairlift, ride up and then play around on the piste back down to the gondola. Beware of skiing all the way down to the bottom of Bernkogel - it starts off fairly innocuous but can get icy and lumpy towards the lower half where it is also steeper. The less confident should consider taking the gondola down at least on the first day.

If the snow is good there is plenty of good off-piste throughout the Ski Circus, particularly towards Fieberbrunn. The steep pisted stuff is on Zwölfer and Schattberg.

snow reports

[quote="quinton"]@carettam, Easiest piste in Saalbach is the blue at the top of Bernkogel. Take the gondola up, ski 100m down to the chairlift, ride up and then play around on the piste back down to the gondola.[/ quote]
You mean the middle station of the gondola? Just to be clear.

Thanks again for the tips on the circuit, really came in handy today. One extra tip is that I would recommend staying high on 66, we missed the turn off for it and did an extra run in that area. Spieleck area is lovely, and no matter what direction you go you end up there which is great for going different routes than your partner. 2b was very cut up on the way down but that's the only bad thing I'd have to say about the route, will do it again in a couple of weeks!

You know it makes sense.

@shredder, strange what a difference one day can make. I found 2b in great condition yesterday. But maybe the change in temperature has made the difference.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@espri Yeah temperature and maybe the fresh snow on top of the groomed track overnight? Some of the side piste was really good, particularly around Vorderglemm all unridden this morning

A snowHead

@espri, The Bernkogel gondola does not have a middle station - to go higher, you ski 100m down to the Bernkogel chairlift and then ride up. [Although I suppose the area at the top of the gondola / Luis Alm / Bärneralm is the mid point up the mountain]. For clarity, I'm suggesting that carettam's less confident friends limit themselves to the blue run between the top of the Bernkogel chair and the top of the Bernkogel gondola / bottom of the Bernkogel chairlift - and that they beware about skiing down the Bernkogel to the bottom of the gondola.

A snowHead

@quinton, sorry, I wasn't thinking straight Embarassed

I had the Kohlmais in mind, silly me! And you're right that the top of the Bernkogel is great.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@carettam, As quinton says, the top of the Bernkogel is ideal for your inexperienced skiers to get their ski legs. There is also of course the Turmwiese nursery slopes, which you will find just past the church on the left-hand side of Schiliftstrasse - a good,wide area with no drops. They will then soon progress on to blue run 52, which ends on the Turmwiese (initially they can go up to the mid-station of the Kohlmaisgipfelbahn cable car and get on to it from there). It might be worth mentioning that, on the other side of Schiliftrasse (opposite the Turmwiese) is the smaller Kreuzkappelle nursery slope, which has a rope tow and can be used without a lift pass - possibly useful if time allows on the day of arrival (although a lift pass starting the following day can be used on all lifts from 3pm).

You need to Login to know who's really who.

@Ben1reilly, you can use your pass from 3pm free of charge so you can get some late afternoon skiing in or even the night time skiing in Hinterglemm 😀

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Thanks @boabski planning on getting a few runs in but will have to drop off the bags first. Any suggestion on wheres best to go in the village with a big group for lunch to wait to check in?

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Ben1reilly, if you want somewhere to accommodate 11 and bags, I would suggest the Eva Alm in the main street. IMO the nicest bar in Saalbach , not the cheapest, but good basic food (burger/wings/salads) and very pleasant surroundings and shouldn't be full early afternoon whilst folks are still up the hill.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

A lot of lifts closed today in Saalbach and Zell areas due to wind. Any recommendations where to go? We're based in Niedernsill, thinking Kitzbuhel?

After all it is free

Remarkably little snow (and wind) here in Fieberbrunn at 860m, only 4cm new snow overnight. The lower Fieberbrunn lifts are running, which might be enough for an afternoon but a long way from Niedernsill. I would look at the (lower) Aberg at Maria Alm, if your pass covers that (and you have transport). Or maybe Leogang (below the treeline); I haven't checked the lifts.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Help!!

Saalbach - Hinterglemm - Leogang - Fieberbrunn 2016/17 Official Unofficial Thread

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Resort Reviews and Trip Reports