Saalbach/Hinterglemm 2014/2015 Official Unofficial Thread

A snowHead

Thanks TT, hopefully we'll get the more optimistic forecast.

A snowHead

Rained all day in the valley but snowing from about 1300m. Snow was pretty good all the way down though. Some lifts closed part way through the day as it was too windy. Was 67km/h at the top of the Zwolferkogel when we were up there at about 3pm.

Goastahl shut for the season now apparently, didn't get a chance to go in the yesterday Sad

despite drinking far too much.

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

@hammerite, It looks from the forecasts as though it'll be getting colder and turning to snow at village level. Winter has a habit of returning at around this time. Try the Schwarzacher for apres.

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

We did the Schwarzacher yesterday and then the place out the front of the bikers bar which is pretty lively.

Yes freezing point is getting lower, can see a light dusting starting to cover the fields just above the village.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Does anyone know at what wind speeds the lifts have to shut? It was quite an issue today with the top sections of the Schattberg, Westgipfel, hochalm and Reiterkogel all shut because of the wind... I assume it is different for the type of lift and direction it travels in?

You'll need to Register first of course.

@Saalbachsnowhead, no idea. I'm guessing the main issue is the chairlifts and they closed the gondolas because they gave access to areas that then link to chairs. Our instructor (a born and bred local farmer/hiking guide/ski instructor) today said that the guys in charge are very thorough and they'll shut lifts if the wind speed goes 1km over the allowed limit (how they calculate what this is who knows!?)

We skied up and down the Zwolferkogel all day and it didn't seem to windy, unlike the day before when it was blowing a blizzard up there.

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

Looking at the interactive map anything from mid station up is closed in Hinterglemm then over towards the Schattberg from Saalbach. All open over towards Leogang from Saalbach though.

After all it is free

@hammerite, they have anemometers linked to computers on most of the masts/pylons. Most systems are interlinked with sensors that control speeds and braking as well.

@Samerberg Sue, yes, been stuck on a chair in Cervinia for the best part of 90 mins (last lift before lunch too!) as it crept forwards inch by inch.

Links to Leogang now shut.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Fab conditions in Saalbach! Snowing non-stop, forecast for more snow tomorrow! Whoever is out here next week is in for a treat!!

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Still snowing. Hasn't let up all day. Unfortunately most runs from mid station up have been closed all day due to high winds - saw 87kph at the top of the Schattberg according to the webcams on tv. Hopefully tomorrow winds will be a tad lighter although the forecast isn't looking too positive. Friday is though Very Happy

snow reports

Doesn't the resort close on Easter Monday?

No, closes a week on Sunday.

You know it makes sense.

@PeteMan, ah that's good. We were told it closed on Easter Monday by a ski instructor there last week. But it did seem unnecessarily early

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

@Big Dave, earlier in the week we were told they're keeping Schattberg side open and closing the rest. However, it was pretty bare then, it is now completely covered and even down to the villages must be at least a foot deep. It's been snowing pretty much non stop since Tuesday night - bar a brief turn to rain this afternoon. Guess part of the decision will be down to how busy it is.

Had a great day in the lovely powder - even on piste - was a bit slow going this afternoon though as visibility went from limited to nothing. We went past the Berger Alm at about 3.30pm and there wasn't a ski in sight - but then the pistes were pretty much deserted too. Hinterhag Alm looks like it has shut up too (the OH and I might return sans Jnr Feb next half term to sample their delights as he's away with school!).

There should be a lull in the snow tomorrow where it stays cold but gets sunny, can't wait it should be amazing!

A snowHead

@hammerite, Have to say that on Friday last week it wasn't pleasant skiing completely frozen and pisted slush with a layer of fresh snow on top - it actually felt dangerous!. We finished early and then it just carried on dumping down for the rest of the day and (though we left on Saturday) it sounds like it has been dumping pretty continuously since. Enjoy the rest of the season

A snowHead

@Big Dave, it must've been 20c on Tuesday morning, ridiculously warm, then by the time it got dark it was below freezing and snowing (and it has pretty much non stop) - pretty bizarre!

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

Each time we've stayed until the end of the season, the lift company has seen fit to close the northern side of the valley for the last week, leaving only Schattberg and the Zwoelferkogel open. Normally there is no lack of snow on the northern side, but it's just not worth them keeping on all the staff for the few hangers-on or locals who stay until the end. Having said that, the southern side provides plenty of skiing for the few. We have some guests arriving for their first skiing experience next Monday - I don't think they were expecting much, but it looks as if they've timed it pretty well, as it's forecast to dump another half meter over the weekend and the weather is due to clear on Tuesday with temperatures remaining cold. The prospect seems to be for January-like conditions but with relatively empty pistes. Unfortunately this is not one of those times when we've stayed until the end Crying or Very sad

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

Perfect ski day in Saalbach today, knee deep powder all around in the morning then sunshine skiing in the afternoon - snow stayed firm on the north facing slopes all day but getting slushy after midday on the south facing slopes, the forecast said +3 for today, webcams ended up saying +11.5 by 4pm! Few moguls around late on with the new snow, 2b was pretty terrible as the last run home! Very Happy

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

It was fine at lunch time, but it was most definitely on the turn.

We ended up doing a mini circuit today, spent the first hour or so over in Hochalm where we failed to look good in knee deep powder on unpisted runs. Interesting end to the day, decided to stop off at the Sportalm at about 4.15pm for a drink. When it turned to 4.30pm the guy who had previously been mopping the floor got a trumpet out and started playing, then put that away and got his accordion out. We felt bad leaving but we had to get our skis back to the hire shop!

Our final run home was 32a which despite probably 50cm of snow over the last couple of days was starting to show brown mud patches through. The low temps and snow forecast should save it though if they decide to keep it open.

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

Hi,
Announcement on the Saalbach site re: from Tuesday. How will this impact our week's skiing. Is it worth going to Zell/Kaprun aswell...or instead? We arrive Monday...tomorrow 6th?

On tuesday, 07.04.2015, following cablecars will still be operating:

Hinterglemm

Zwölferkogel I + II

Zehnerbahn 6er (bis auf Weiteres | pending further notice)

Westgipfel I + II

Oberschwarzachlift

Bergfriedlift

Wieshof-Babylift

Zwölfer-Nordbahn (bis auf Weiteres | pending further notice)

Mitteregglift (bis auf Weiteres | pending further notice)

Saalbach

Schattberg X-press I + II

Limberg 4er

Schattberg Sprinter

Schönleitenbahn

Polten 8er

Leogang

Asitzkabinenbahn I + II

Asitzmuldenbahn

Sportbahn 2000

Asitzgipfelbahn 8er

Kinderland (bis auf Weiteres | pending further notice)

Änderungen vorbehalten | Subject to alterations

After all it is free

@pgale2000, The closures mean that the lower slopes in Saalbach and the slopes on the sunny side of Hinterglemm are closed, but unless you are complete beginners, there will be plenty of areas still open for you to ski, including the link over to Leogang. There are remarkably few people here considering the excellent current conditions, so you'll have plenty of room on the pistes. The Zehnerbahn will still be open on Zwolferkogel - the run underneath it is missed by most people as it only goes to the bottom of the lift, but on Friday it was largely unpisted and empty and had knee-deep new snow, so worth seeking out if there is any more snow. It has been snowing most of today (Sunday) - not huge amounts but enough to keep the upper slopes in good condition.

Zell has far less skiing that S-H and if their lower slopes are closed, there will be even less. The S-H lift company have reduced the lift ticket prices by about 30% from Tuesday onwards (be sure to ask if you buy your ticket on Monday).

thanks qunton. that's great to hear.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

That's it then, then season is over it would appear Crying or Very sad

. Tatman and Quinton, how about a review of the season?

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

After a faltering start, it's been a great season, with plenty of snow (from Christmas Day onwards)(waist-deep powder in January) as well as lots of sunny days, regular top-ups, generally cool temps ensuring good piste and off-piste conditions, and an amazing final flourish that took everyone by surprise (our final guests of the ski season arrived on 6th April and couldn't believe how perfect it all was!)

The newly upgraded Polten chair lift was a blessing, and the new Steinbergbahn gondola from Leogang has obviously greatly improved access from that direction (with a new piste to the bottom for those who like cruising along easy, tree-lined runs). On the occasions we did it, usually in the late morning or early afternoon, it was delightfully deserted. In fact, there were many times in the season when we remarked on the quiet pistes, especially after the first week of March. The only real disappointment was that our favourite piste - number 68 to Viehhofen - was again closed for much of the season, though not to the extent of last season. (No doubt that will change when it becomes the main drag to Zell am See, when that resort becomes connected to the Ski Circus in the 2016/17 season, and when piste 68 will presumably acquire extensive snow-making.)

Saalbach-Hinterglemm's bars and restaurants have always enjoyed a reputation for being relatively inexpensive, but the recent strength of the pound against the euro has given us even more bang for our bucks. The friendly atmosphere is something that many people remark on and keeps them returning year after year (and leads some to buy property and join the ever-growing contingent of British ex-pats!); some great apres-ski times have been had by us this season at the Bergeralm, the Hinterhagalm, the Spitzbub, Bauer's Schialm, Bobby's Pub, the Underbar and the Oetzi Bar, to say nothing of many enjoyable and convivial pit-stops and lunches at our regular favourites amongst the other 49 or so mountain restaurants.

With only just over 7 months to go before it all starts again, and a lot of work for the lift company to undertake in the meantime - the long-awaited upgrading on the Bernkogel II T-bar to a 6-seater chair lift, and the installation of the new lifts and pistes that will connect the Ski Circus to Fieberbrunn (thereby increasing the kms of piste from 200 to 240) - it would seem churlish to bemoan the end of the season. In fact there is already a sense of anticipation and excitement over next season's expansion of the area to include Fieberbrunn, which is apparently a "hidden gem", with extensive off-piste, as well as its 40km of piste.

snow reports

Thought I'd better come on and write a short post on our trip from 1-6 March. Tbh it took a while to recover from the week in Saalbach... there was a group of 17 of us mostly intermediates so the large number of unchallenging blues and red suited us well. Found the lift infrastructure mostly excellent (bar the t-bar at bernkogel and the coke can gondola) and the queues are non-existent compared to French resorts I've been to. The standout quality in terms of the skiing was being able to do the circuit of the valley (40+km) without having to repeat a single piste or walk any between lifts - at least when doing it anti-clockwise which we did, only once.

The reason we only we managed to do the circuit a pitiful one time is down to the most memorable feature of Saalbach - the apres ski. Invariably we would be skiing around the magic 6er lift area and creek our necks to look longingly into the Berger Alm as we skied past. A quick glance at the watch would follow to see if it had reached an acceptable time to go for pints... upon seeing it was about 2pm we would look at each other until someone would say "sure we'll do one more run then go in", which always seemed to be enough to appease our guilty consciences. Rocking up at 230 always allowed for a nice warm up before happy hour at 330. From there it was on to the unforgettable Hinterhag and Bauers, then Otzi bar and onto some other place across the road (name escapes me) to take us into the wee small hours.

The above ritual would be repeated daily other than the 2 days we finished up at the Goatstall, which was brilliant the day the weather was decent but not much use outside in the heavy snow the other.

Due to this routine we all too easily slipped into, I didn't get in as much skiing as I had thought I would have, but I suppose you never do. In saying that the more experienced skiier is probably more limited in Saalbach, with there being fewer blacks and less challenging off-piste than some other big resorts.

This was only my second time in Austria but it will now definitely be my no. 1 port of call for trips with a large group looking primarily for good apres ski without sacrificing the quality of pistes. The price of beer is basically half what it is in France with the added benefit of no French around Razz

oj, but the Austrians/Germans/Dutch do seem much more up for the craic than their French counterparts.

Other points include the mountain restaurants were very good quality at a reasonable price, again no comparison to any French place I've been.

Also thanks must go to some of the contributors to this thread from whom I gained a decent sense of the place before going, particularly Tatman who pointed me towards Hansi who was generous in the discount he gave us on our gear and even more generous in his provision of schnapps...

So there you go, suppose I gotta give the place 5 stars despite the damage it did to my liver. Perhaps the highest praise I can give is that a common souvenir which every single one of our group reported leaving with was a serious dose of the post-Saalbach blues which a couple of us are still struggling to shake off!

Would definitely like to revisit Saalbach some year but like trying out new resorts. Thinking maybe Ischgl for next year.

@barrymct, You've made me feel very nostalgic! Thanks for this excellent review. By the time you next visit Saalbach, it will be linked to Zell am See in one direction and Fieberbrunn in the other, and the area's pisted runs will have virtually doubled from 200km to nearly 400km.

You know it makes sense.

And the Bernkogel T Bar will be replaced by a fast chair this summer ...

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

A snowHead

A snowHead

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

Hmmm, by that time all the reasonably priced accommodation in Ischgl next season will be scarce, especially for a large group. If money's not an issue you'll be OK.

I think your group would probably like Mayrhofen or St Anton as well. We did!

Saalbach really does take some beating, very few resorts come close IMHO.

@Tatman's Tours it's not actually been discussed yet, I just got that general vibe. Best get some rest over the summer, just in case wink

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

This should really go in a 2015/16 thread but I'll leave the honour of creating one to Tatman or one of the other regular to create one.

Last year the three of us lads (room sharing) we travelled with Neilson in stayed at The Post. All great but not exact cheap at £800 a head or so (14/3). EJ flights for the same time next year look cheap but booking a hotel direct seems very expensive. Is it really more expensive to DIY over package?

Also does anyone know when Neilson and other TO's start proper discounting for early booking?

Thanks.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@PeteMan, I would say no it is not MORE expensive in general to DIY. Maybe with a caveat or two. Providing flights are booked early and accommodation is sourced early also then DIY is cheaper, you are able to shop around and also get cheaper ski hire/lift passes. TO's charge premiums on lift passes, equipment hire and very often transfers. However, if you are willing to wait till less than two weeks before and can be very flexible and not bothered where you go, last minute TO deals can be a lot cheaper. They may have spaces to fill in hotels/chalets and flights already booked that they just need to recover some money.
Though if the weather is snowy and conditions great then, the TO's will be well booked up and may not offer as great of a deal compared to other years. This year before the snows came in the middle of Jan I saw £249 all in for L2Alpes for a week later (all except lift pass IIRC).

You'll need to Register first of course.

@PeteMan, Much will depend on the size of the group and the preferred resort. Also whether you want to be in a good location, e.g. ski-in ski-out. There's a reason why there are always last-minute offers for some resorts, whilst others get booked out. Our experience has been that demand for well-located accommodation exceeds supply in Saalbach, and that's likely to continue, as the Ski Circus is due to massively expand over the next two years with the new links to Fieberbrunn and Zell am See.
The availability of reasonably-priced bars and restaurants is also a factor (we once stayed in Arcs 2000 and were very glad of the in-house meals and wine, whereas you're lost for choice in Saalbach, where a beer is 4 euros or less, and you can get a decent meal for around 8 euros).
The ideal size of group is 4-6, since the costs of the transfers and accommodation will be lower than for a couple or a group of 3. Split between a group of 4, the cost per person of a good, well-located apartment, flights and transfers could be no more than £375 in total - obviously less if the costs are split between 5 or 6. Without splashing out or starving yourself, you could eat for a week for around £20 per day, so say £140 each for 7 days. The saving over the cost of a luxurious hotel can therefore pay for a lot of splashing out on apres-ski.
Some people will be willing to pay extra for the "Wellness" facilities and service that a 4 star hotel will offer, whereas other prefer the flexibility and 'home from home' feel, as well as the cost saving, of an apartment. Others may regard a B&B as a good compromise, although being stuck in a small bedroom with no luxurious facilities and in a so-so location is not to be recommended.
Two other things to throw into the balance: in most resorts, and Saalbach is no exception, the location of the accommodation should be high on the list of priorities; it can make a big difference to the level of enjoyment and the feeling you get about the place. The other factor is that those who may yearn for the pampering offered by a luxurious hotel can usually avail themselves of the Wellness facilities by paying a small fee at the reception desk (or by sneaking in wink

).

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

After all it is free

@PeteMan, as others have said, it really depends. We usually go catered to save on the hassle of cooking/wondering where to eat out. However, Saalbach or Hinterglemm are places where I'd definitely consider a SC apartment - for the reasons TT suggests. The other reason being that staying in a catered hotel can effect après time if you have to be back in time for your evening meal. Where we stayed this year had a not too reasonable dinner window of 6.30-7.30pm - which had it been a busier time of the season would have ruined some frivolity!

We booked about 12 weeks in advance and got a pretty good deal. £1,300 for 3 of us in a shared room during a school holiday, flights, transfer, hotel and HB in Hinterglemm. The accommodation was basic but fine, food was also very basic but fine - but you get what you pay for and we couldn't really complain. We booked our ski hire ourselves and didn't buy lift passes in advance, although did get them from the TO on the coach as they cost no more and offered the free kids lift pass that the lift co. offered.

Have a look on the apartment websites and see if you can find anything you might not have previous looked at.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Even though the Goasstall was shut we still rolled in for dinner at 7ish some nights with kit still on.

Help!!

Saalbach/Hinterglemm 2014/2015 Official Unofficial Thread

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Resort Reviews and Trip Reports