 Poster: A snowHead
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@tatmanstours, We’ll probably give tomorrow a swerve and be out first thing on Wednesday. Next week is certainly looking promising.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Austrian Seagull, I wouldn’t give tomorrow a swerve. It might be very good - fresh snow, some sunshine, and relatively cold temperatures. And there doesn’t seem to be many people around to plough up the pistes!
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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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Just got down skiing everything at Leogang….what a day.
I’ve never really skied in powder or deep snow before, with that being said I’m not sure what my expectations were, but they were blown away. Off basically every run in Leogang was powder at some points reaching my waste. I had no remote idea what I was doing the entire time, but after about my 5th run in it and falling 10 times or so, I finally got the hang of it and started jumping a little more on my turns. I had some nasty wipeouts as it was fairly foggy and I couldn’t see the terrain that well and it would level out at areas off piste and I wouldn’t notice until I’ve already done a full summersault into 3 feet of pow and buried myself.
There really weren’t maybe people there today and I skied until 2pm and there were still fresh lines to be had everywhere off piste.
On piste by 1pm was getting super choppy and for me rather hard to navigate, off piste was still great.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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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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Can Anyone explain why after the Piste closes for the season they come in with the Pisten Bulley's and start pushing the snow around on the slope? are they trying to accelerate the melt? A lot of work going on on the slopes over Hinterglemm today.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Griff(0.02), there is a snow store up at Hochalm/ Nordbhan, it could be they are getting it ready to move it there
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@Griff(0.02), I assume they are breaking up the hard, compacted base, in order (as you say) to accelerate the melt. They want to use the pistes for grazing animals and harvesting winter fodder (silage and hay).
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@Tubby1147, Jealous 
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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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It’s striking how changeable the conditions have been in the last week. We’ve had fresh powder, sticky snow, hard ice, slush… you name it. In the last few days, we’ve been feeling the benefit of a cold front to the east, so the pistes have been freezing hard overnight, and there has been a noticeable wind chill factor. The temperature at the top of the Schönleitenbahn was minus 3 in the mid-afternoon yesterday. I’ve had to change to warmer clothing. Lots of ice around even late in the day.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I ought to post an update, based on today’s skiing (over to Leogang and back, via the Schönleitenbahn and Polten 8er, which are still running until the end of this week).
Some of the pistes are excellent, e.g. 163 and 215. Others are slushy, and some are mixed, e.g. the Steinberg run - piste 211/212. I didn’t encounter any ice today.
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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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Despite the dearth of snowfall since the new year I reckon the piste skiers have had as good a year as they could have had in saalbach this year other than the run to the hechterhutte being shut cos the piste preperation and maintenance team have done a brilliant job, our trip was in the first 10 days of march and we had as usual a good time both on and off piste and no ice no grass or puddles anywhere with skis on , plus no rain and mostly blue skies or closed lifts so dont reckon we will be looking elswhere next year again.
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Today (13/04/25) was the last day this season that it was possible to ski in the Glemm valley. As usual, the last corner of the Ski Circus to close is Leogang, and until and including today it has been possible to ski over there via the Schönleitenbahn gondola and the Polten 8er chairlift.
I have been over there every day, since the links to most of the rest of the area were closed a week ago (06/04/25). There have been days of good skiing, especially on Thursday (11/04/25), when for some reason (freezing temperatures overnight certainly helped) the pistes were in superb condition - a joy to ski on. On other days large groups of British school kids were ploughing them up (although I should add that I’ve been extremely bad at getting out before midday, so I tend to miss the best skiing in the mornings). Even so, I’ve somehow managed to clock up my biggest season in the 14 years that the Skiline app has been monitoring and recording my progress - which I’m pleased about. Makes me feel that there’s still a bit of life in the old dog.
Until yesterday (Saturday 12th) the 5 km Steinberg piste was providing most of the enjoyment (the Asitzbahn being closed). But this weekend the Asitzbahn, down to mid-station, was reopened and the Steinbergbahn was closed.
Skiing at Leogang continues until 21/04/25, but I won’t be driving round there, or over to the Kitzsteinhorn glacier at Kaprun, even though my season lift pass is valid until the end of April. TBH I’ve had an exhausting couple of weeks and am quite ready for a rest, and am looking forward to summer.
Looking back on the season, the conditions in December and January were excellent (early snow and much colder than the previous season), February was mixed, March was generally warm, with a cold snap around the middle of the month, and early April gave us the usual dump of fresh snow and some great skiing. The weather has been generally clear and sunny, with few dumps of snow, but the temperatures have been cold enough, and the snowmaking and piste maintenance good enough, to enable reasonable on-piste skiing conditions throughout the Ski Circus. A few lower pistes, notably 7 km number 168 (many people’s favourite run - which I nevertheless went down a couple of times in December, when it was fully groomed but technically closed) remained closed for all or most of the season. But our glass was more than half full, so to speak. Plenty of good on-piste skiing was available, and even some good off-piste at times. Every season is different, and we may allow ourselves some optimism that next season will be snowier. And it’s worth pointing out that all the pistes leading down to the village were open until 6th April (the closing date for most of the Glemm valley skiing areas).
Most of the après-ski bars and venues seemed to enjoy a successful season, the notable exception being the Hinterhag Alm, which continues to limp along, a shadow of its former glorious self. (I could say more, but perhaps I’d better not.)
We had the sad news that the Ötzi Bar, the setting for many good times and happy memories, is to be closed, refurbished and turned into a “Prosecco Bar”. But there appears to be a silver lining: it sounds as if the Ötzi Bar’s loss will be the Post Bar’s gain. Watch this space! We will see what evolves next season.
As for our friend, Spacey, Geordie entertainer and après-ski icon of Saalbach, he’s lost his two (Sunday and Wednesday) gigs at Ötzi Bar, but has been going down so well at the Spitzbub, that the latter has promised him gigs on Monday and Thursday next season.
Otherwise it’s been business as usual on the après-ski scene, the Soul House, the Underbar, and the Off-Piste Bar having been especially popular.
No real news on the restaurant front, but for me the jewel in the crown is the excellent Bar/Pizzeria Napoli. Some guests of mine liked it so much that they ate there every evening except one. I was also pleasantly surprised by the Kristall (on Schulstrasse, formerly the Hungry Deer, opposite the Del Rossi).
I should say a few words about Hansi’s Best-Price Ski Rental shop. As some of you will know, Hansi (friend to me and many others) died suddenly, unexpectedly and tragically on 18th December. He was a great and very popular character, and his death seemed to leave a big hole in Saalbach. However his business has been taken over by his longterm partner, Elena Dante, who has stepped into his shoes and continued to run it very capably with the help of some very experienced and competent staff. It’s really been business as usual (but without Hansi). Elena has been very appreciative of the support of loyal regular customers, and I have assured her that I will continue to recommend her shop. In return she will continue to offer good quality equipment, knowledgeable advice, friendly service, and competitive pricing - with the extra “Tatman discount” for anyone who goes to the shop on my recommendation. It’s worth bearing in mind that, as a small business owner independent of the big chains, Elena has the interest, ability and incentive to offer a superior service and unbeatable prices. (For anyone who doesn’t know, the shop is next door but one to Bobby’s Pub at the bottom of Saalbach’s main village street, and there is a website that can be googled.)
Finally a reminder that we have a Messenger group of British apartment owners, who let their properties to holidaymakers, and I am always willing to ask about availability on behalf of any Snowheads who may be looking for accommodation. (This also applies to Saalbach’s thriving summer holiday season - about which there may be a few discussions in due course.)
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You know it makes sense.
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Nice Round up to the year Tatman. The Kitzenhorn lift queues look pretty busy this morning and even a few skiers visbible in Leogang. I will have to stop my obsessive checking of the webcams now till next year.
Any idea of any upgrades planned for the facilites this year across the Ski Circus, Zell or Kisthenhorn? Is the long talked of lift from the bottom of ZellamSee express up to the top of the Sonnkogel ever likley to happen along with snowmaking on the 168?
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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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@Griff(0.02), thanks. Your last question is a good one. I haven’t heard anything, since I read news reports that the planning had been approved, and that tests were being carried out to ascertain the best location for a new reservoir (to feed snow cannons on 168). But that was before the pandemic.
I did hear a rumour this season that the lift company might be more interested in the possibility of a new lift from Jausern to the summit of Schattberg.
And of course the proposed new Saalbach Xpress gondola from Viehhofen to Schönleiten would primarily benefit people coming from Zell am See. (I don’t know how much money Zell am See spends on its lift system, but there are quite a few lifts over there that seem antiquated and in need of updating).
As for developments for next season, I haven’t heard of any. I imagine that it’s been an expensive year, with preparations for the World Cup, and also the new Zwölfer Nordbahn and Streubödenbahn, so perhaps (unusually) the lift company is going to take time out to replenish its funds?
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Poster: A snowHead
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There are some rumors that they intend to replace Reiterkogelbahn in Hinterglemm with a new 10-seater gondola that will go up to the summit.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@tatmanstours,
Another season over and we as usual had a grand time both skiing and apres to dinner time, the days of us going out later in the evening have long gone though we did venture one night into the off piste and had a return to our youth night. Just a thought, im not so sure that the world cup did a lot to benefit the villages even though it didnt impact the skiing. We found that our usual hotels had upped their prices considerably and it took us a fair amount of time to find a hotel with more realistic pricing for our trip in early march which on talking to folk who ive met or have pushed for them to go to saalbach has not helped in attracting folk .Looking forward to next year a couple of early bird offers have come through with tempting rates .Ive never booked so early but its an option to consider though at my age would need good cancellation terms, all the best
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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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@matejp, that would be good. I'm not a massive fan of gondolas but that one is getting on a bit and would save a second queue to get to top
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@boabski, and @matejp, yes, agreed, that one is due for an upgrade, and I also heard a rumour that it’s likely to happen - if not for next season, maybe the season after. And it would certainly be a big improvement.
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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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Do you think they'll keep the existing chair in addition to new gondola? I suspect not but it's always been a nice chair up
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@boabski, I would surmise that they will. The Hasenauer 8er is a useful chairlift. If it were to be removed, that would force people onto the new gondola (if and when constructed) at its mid-station, and of course there are times when there could be quite a wait for an empty cabin.
I see it as a similar situation to the Schönleitenbahn, with the Schönleiten 6er chairlift running alongside it and providing an alternative lift from mid-station to the top.
But I could be wrong - obviously there are maintenance and staffing costs associated with retaining lifts that might be considered unnecessary.
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@tatmanstours, fingers crossed you're right, ie they keep. Would be ashame to loose it for the reasons you've mentioned.
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