 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi fellow SHs..
We are returning to Saalbach for the second time in January 2018 (13-20) after a one year hiatus. We cannot wait. Last time we stayed at the Alpin Resort Sport and Spa which was incredible. This time however we have opted for half board with the intention to free up lunch on the mountain as we know Saalabch is well known for the mountain huts. We are staying in the Unterschwarzacherhof this time.
While I know the chicken man and it is one of the main reasons for us returning to Saalbach, do anyone Saalbach regualars have suggestions for lunch time mountain huts that are a must try?
Looking forward to responses and happy for this thread to be a source of excitement for all of us lucky enough to be looking forward to a Saalbach ski holiday!
R
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@rrd3718, I've yet to find many huts in the valley which I wouldn't return to with the notable exception of the Wallegalm where overly loud music events put me off some time ago, but there are a few which I seem drawn back to each time. The Wildenkarhütte at the top of the Schonleitenbahn is one of my favourites, mainly because of the excellent panorama from the western end, but the food has always been good as well, and after the long stand in the old gondola it was always a welcome rest. The Rosswaldhütte is table service only inside, with self-service on the terrace, but both are excellent and it's in a good location. On Zwölferkogel, Breitfußalm is very good, but often busy as a result.
On the Leogang side, I like Alte Schmiede, especially when the chicken man has sold out.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Alte Schmiede and the the very nice AsitzBräu opposite.
TBH they are almost all lovely.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Copied from my "Rough Guide":
"...there are dozens to choose from, and we don’t know of a bad one. Amongst our favourites for lunch are the cosy, friendly Thurneralm (Kohlmaisgipfel), the popular Bergeralm (Kohlmaisgipfel), the Kohlmaisstübn (Kohlmaisgipfel - see preceding paragraph), the amazing Alte Schmiede, the equally impressive Asitzbräu, and the “super cool” Mama Thresl’s Hendl Fischerei (all three by the top stations of the Asitzbahn and Steinbergbahn gondolas at Leogang), the friendly Westernstadl (Bernkogel), the cosy, candlelit Pfefferalm (oldest restaurant in the valley) (Reiterkogel), the Hochwartalm and Rachkuchl (next to each other on the Wildenkarkogel), the Rosswaldhütte (Reiterkogel), the Goassstall (Reiterkogel), the Simalalm (Schattberg Ost), the Breitfussalm (Zwölferkogel), the Ellmaualm (Zwölferkogel), the scenic Hintermaisalm (Zwölferkogel), the Westgipfelhütte, the Bergstadl and the sunny, off the beaten track Gerstreitalm (Schattberg West), and the Ferchlstadl, the Wildalpgatterl, and the tiny, rustic Teehuette (Fieberbrunn). All of these can of course be found and marked on your piste map.
Deserving of a special mention is the rustic, characterful old Hecherhütte, which serves the best steaks and gulasch soup in the area. It is located on a sunny mountain terrace with a beautiful view, about ¾ of the way down the long blue run (piste 68 – probably our favourite run, but first check it’s open from the notice at the Polten chair lift) from Grosse Asitz to Viehhofen. Both the run and the restaurant are very highly recommended. Tell the hard-working, welcoming Jarmila (from the Czech republic), who runs it, and her Welsh right-hand man, “Lucky” Luke, that we sent you. The free ski bus from Viehhofen runs every 20 minutes and will quickly take you back to the bottom of the Schönleitenbahn (or, if you’ve finished skiing, all the way back to Saalbach).
The Wildenkarhütte (Wildenkarkogel) is a good sun-bathing spot, and the Walleggalm (Hochalm) often has live music in the afternoon.
Our Slovenian friend, Adriano, enthuses about the homemade germknödels served at the Gerstreitalm (Schattberg West) – and he should know, being something of a connoisseur of those fine dumplings!
Gulaschsuppe comes highly recommended as a simple, tasty, filling and cheap (4 – 6 euros) lunchtime snack (best gulasch soups – the Hecherhütte, the Westernstadl, the Alte Schmiede, the Asitz Braeu, the Breitfussalm, the Bergeralm, the Hochwartalm and the Rachkuchl). If you missed breakfast, you may have room for a Tirolergröstl (fried potato with bacon, onion and fried egg), or a Pinzgauerkasknock'n (cheesy noodles - Speckknock'n being the bacon alternative) (all three normally served in a frying pan), Kaiserschmarren (strips of pancake with apple sauce), or even a Germknödel (a large suet dumpling filled with plum jam - the black run of lunchtime snacks!). Generous helpings of delicious, home-made Apfelstrűdel, Marillenstrudel and Topfenstrűdel with custard are served in most places for about 3 or 4 euros.
We particularly recommend the Hecherhütte for its fantastic gulasch soup, Mama Thresl’s Hendl Fischerei for its incomparable roast chicken, and the Bergeralm for its bacon and eggs and delicious, home-made apfelstrűdel and marillenstrűdel."
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I know the chicken man and it is one of the main reasons for us returning to Saalbach
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Praise indeed!
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with the notable exception of the Wallegalm where overly loud music events put me off some time ago
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Agreed for the most part, although it depends on who's on. As a result of Wolfie, the Irish/German barman from Bobby's having moved there, the world-class Irish band, "Cuckoo", were booked to play there last season, and we made a special excursion to see them.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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wow thanks guys, plenty going onto the list. I'm already feeling hungry!
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Wieseralm not yet mentioned. Tucked away above Hinterglemm not far from the Rosswaldhutte. Great views, classy service.
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@honved, well spotted - I don't know how it got left out - it's one of our favourites. Also the Winkler Alm should be included, since it's been rebuilt and taken under new ownership - the same people who own the Hintermaisalm, with the same excellent menu, good service and attractive surroundings. Actually the standard is so uniformly high that I always thought it would be easier to specify the very few that we don't recommend; however even those have now been revamped, so I would be hard put to name any that should be avoided - which is saying something as there about 60 across the whole area.
Thinking about it, the fairly new Luisalm on the Bernkogel is one that we don't use, as it seems a little charmless, compared with its neighbours, the Baernalm and the Westernstadl. Probably unfair though, as we haven't used it.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I now have another problem, how do i choose between all the amazing suggestions. Thinking of doing the loop most days so will be all over the place. I guess we will tailor our skiing to our lunch choices. I've looked at the menus and websites and can say a huge thank you.
If you had a week there, what would you suggest in terms of ski and lunch itinerary? We are always up at first lift so we don't miss out on the best conditions.
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For a Fieberbrunn outing, up the Berkogelbahn early and the down over the Tirol side before the timid hordes descend on the reddish-black run down. You can the take the gondola all the way to the top on the other side then get the four man to the very top. You then have a red run all the way down to Fieberbrunn where you can pick up the Larchfilz gondola to the top and then ski down another bit of red to the Larchfilzhochalm for lunch.
The way back to Saalbach is then back up to the top via the gondola below the restaurant and down to the lower station of the Tirol S, but bear in mind that it's sometimes hard to find an empty gondola at the mid point because of folk going down then up to get back to the ridge between Tirol and Land Salzburg. You can then wind your way back to Saalbach via the short sharp shock down to connect with the Bernkogel followed by a cruise down into town. Last year we had a Schnappspause at the Westernstadl which helped when we got to the bumpy narrower bit at the bottom just above the gondola bottom station. You then have a choice of the Eva Alm for a small beer or the Saalbacherhof terrace.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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the Larchfilzhochalm for lunch
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FWIW we thought that the best restaurant in that area was the Wildalpgatterl.
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the short sharp shock
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You then have a choice of the Eva Alm for a small beer or the Saalbacherhof terrace.
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Or Peter's Jagertee Bar (or...or..or...that's the problem with this thread; there are so many options that it's difficult to make specific recommendations; and of course everyone will have their own favourites.
@rrd3718, As mentioned above, it's difficult to be specific when there are so many good places to eat. You've certainly done the right thing by "freeing up lunch on the mountain"! If it helps, we usually decide which direction we fancy heading in, and then the choice of lunchtime restaurant is generally fairly easy, as there is always a good one nearby.
On the assumption that your travels will take you over to Leogang on two or three days, I would recommend tearing yourself away from the Chicken Man (Mama Thresl's Hendl Fischerei) on at least one or two occasions - difficult I know (although sometimes made easier by difficulty finding a table) - to sample the Alte Schmiede and the Asitz Braeu. Before the Chicken Man's dramatic rise to supremacy a few years ago, these two restaurants, owned by the same family, who also own the 5 star Hotel Krallerhof in Leogang, were reckoned by many people to be the swishest and most interesting mountain restaurants in the area. The interiors of both resemble museums (waterwheel, flour mill, blacksmith's forge, brewery...) and the toilets are renowned, especially the famous "loo with a view" in the Asitzbraeu.
If piste 68 is open at the time of your visit (check on the notice board at the bottom station of the Polten Lift), it's not to be missed, and the Hecherhuette restaurant, which is just over half-way down is equally unmissable - best gulasch soup and steaks in the valley, beautiful location and also very friendly staff. From the bottom you take the ski bus, which runs every 20 minutes (the restaurant staff will advise you when to get going in order to arrive in time for the next bus) to the Schoenleitenbahn, which takes you back up to continue your itinerary to Leogang. This detour is well worth it and needn't delay your arrival in Leogang unduly. The run is 7 km long and is somewhat off the beaten track. It was recently featured in an article about "best unknown Austrian ski runs", and its gloriously quiet and "relatively undiscovered" status has so far been preserved, despite publicity like the aforesaid article and enthusiatic reports on this forum, by virtue of the necessity to take the ski bus to get back into the system. (It's all set to change however, with the construction next year of the new gondola from Viehhofen up to the Schmittenhoehe at Zell am See, the linking of the two areas, and the inevitable installation of snow cannons on piste 68, which will presumably become the main thoroughfare for skiers heading from Saalbach and Leogang over to Zell.
Whilst on the subject of Leogang, the afore-mentioned restaurants make an ideal stopping-off place for skiers who are happy to sit and have a break, whilst their more energetic companions enjoy the delights of the Asitz (various options from the middle station down to Leogang - blue, red and black), and the Steinberg (one fabulous, long, blue run all the way down).
Other lunchtime recommendations, if I had to narrow it down and imagine that I only had 6 days, might be the Bergeralm (Kohlmais) (but only because I love their bacon and eggs), the Westernstadl (Bernkogel), the Wieseralm (Reiterkogel), the Pfefferalm (Reiterkogel), the Sonnhof (Hochalm), the Hintermaisalm (Zwoelferkogel), and the Westgipfelhuette (because of the view). Others may come up with a different selection, and I wouldn't necessarily disagree, because the general standard is so high, and inevitably I have developed my favourites and no doubt overlook others that are just as good.
Do they have threads like this about restaurants in French resorts? 
R.I.P. Grabenhuette - one of our favourites until it closed last year. Too off the beaten track for its own good apparently. 
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Thu 28-09-17 0:53; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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i think I've found a solution, I will have to come back again and again. I am really excited and heart felt thank you to all the detailed comments. I must say we scoured the Alps when planning for this trip, the friendly explanations on this thread have made me confident in my choice. Now bring on winter!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| rrd3718 wrote: |
| i think I've found a solution, I will have to come back again and again. I am really excited and heart felt thank you to all the detailed comments. I must say we scoured the Alps when planning for this trip, the friendly explanations on this thread have made me confident in my choice. Now bring on winter! |
We are mid-fifties well-travelled skiers who are relaxing into eventual retirement, and have skied all over the Alps from the 3 Valleys to Cortina D'Ampezzo and points in between. We've rarely returned to one ski area, simply because we've always liked to mix things up and see other places. This season we will be returning to Saalbach for the fourth year in succession, and will be making two visits. Perhaps that will eventually take the shine off, as familiarity breeds boredom, but at present we don't see the need to go anywhere else.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@honved, For me and Mrs TT, we also used to ring the changes, and it was a similar conversion. We used to ski for three weeks a season, a week in each of three different resorts - sometimes in three different countries. Gradually we settled into a routine of visiting Saalbach for the first of our annual ski holidays. Then we realised that this was the holiday we looked forward to and enjoyed the most, and that the two subsequent weeks, though offering good skiing, didn't quite match up in some of the other aspects that we looked for in a good skiing holiday. After 10 years of skiing nowhere else, my conclusion is that there is a lot to be said for marriage and commitment over serial monogamy! (And I know that Mrs TT will agree with that sentiment! ) 
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