Saalbach Hinterglemm - so many questions?

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@radar, I know I’m probably a cheapskate compared with your good self, but I don’t know how you get to €100, even in Del Rossi, which is not the cheapest restaurant in Saalbach. I don’t think that Mrs TT and I have ever spent that much, even when lashing out on king prawns or pepper steaks.
I can’t remember generally spending more than €20 on a main and would regard €25 as pushing the boat out. €16-€18 would buy a typical, mid-priced main course for us.
Something like an ice cream, or a pancake, or an apfelstrudel would be in single figures. Drinks would typically cost around 4 euros each. You obviously must have a refined taste in wine!

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@tatmanstours, Laughing

must be the wine!! We do have two small beers to start that probably pushes it over the edge

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@radar, it’s rare for us to spend more than €15 euros on drinks with a restaurant meal for two. That will buy four drinks, say three spritzers and a beer. We invariably split a dessert between us and usually end up with a bill for the whole meal around €50.

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@tatmanstours, they do a very nice Zweigelt!

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@radar, which vintage? Very Happy

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@tatmanstours, https://shop.mpreis.at/Getraenke/Alkoholische-Getraenke/Weine/Rotwein/Reeh-Zweigelt-Unplugged-KHT.html
Cool

After all it is free

@tatmanstours, thanks, as always very useful information; reminds me it’s time to turn und oven on too.

Fresh salmon and tuna pasta bake, since you ask, followed by pancakes with home grown raspberries and blueberries, topped with a choice of 3 flavours of ice cream. But I digress.

Yes, gulasch soup is my go to lunch, unless the weather’s closing in, when I might have something more substantial.

Those prices sound reasonable for what I imagine is consistently good quality food.

@radar, €16.90 a bottle Shocked

I rest my case! We rarely go above €4 for a very acceptable bottle - invariably less than €3 from Lidl, Hofer or Billa - or even sometimes MPreis. One of the benefits of living in Austria.

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@radar,

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@PeakyB, the meal is very definitely for two.

The Hungry Deer does a fabulous pulled pork burger

Thanks for enlightening me, never knew.

@radar,

You know it makes sense.

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@tatmanstours, @PeakyB, plus they have proper Dutch chip mayonnaise !!

A snowHead

A plate of chips on the menu of the Breiteckalm in Zell is listed as "Dutch Pasta".

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@PeakyB, in a typical week of self-catering, you could obviously mix things up, with for example a couple of evenings of cheap and cheerful (but good) pub grub in Bobby’s, two or three banquets in one of the more upmarket restaurants, a pizza or two in one of the excellent pizzerias, a takeaway from the Fast Furst (or Bobby’s), and maybe a night of knocking something together in your apartment - hang on, how many nights will you be staying?

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@tatmanstours,

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Sounds like a great area to visit, does anyone know if there is any cross country skiing and winter walking trails in the area?

After all it is free

@nahdendee, There is some cross country skiing at the end of the valley, haven't met anyone who's used it https://www.saalbach.com/en/service/infrastructure/cross-country-skiing_a_1654

There is organised snowshoeing https://www.saalbach.com/en/service/infrastructure/snowshoeing_a_2586 as well as 140KM of trails https://www.saalbach.com/en/service/infrastructure/winter-hiking_a_1634

I think that Hochfilzen (between Leogang and Fieberbrunn) is a hotspot for x-country skiing. I drove through there a couple of years ago and it seemed rammed with people following some event..... could have been World Championships! Not really my area of expertise, although I can see the appeal. Try the following links:

https://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/en/pital/wi/crosscountry/trails.html
https://www.biathlon-hochfilzen.at/en/

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There is also another Saalbach thread which might be useful for information https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=153382&start=80

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@nahdendee, @Klamm Franzer, got me thinking there is also some in Zell am See and Kaprun , would involve a couple of buses to get there from Saalbach

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Thanks all, will check them out

@nahdendee, there is also cross country skiing in Saalfelden which is part of the Leogang area
https://www.saalfelden-leogang.com/en/region-experience/off-piste/cross-country-skiing/cross-country-skiing-map

From Saalbach it would be a bus to Maishofen then change on to another to Saalfelden

You know it makes sense.

Sorry to gatecrash the thread, but my question relates to the same area. I'm thinking of Leogang for a family holiday next Feb. Have started looking for accommodation, but I'm surprised that so much is already fully booked! Does anyone who know the area have any recommendations? And is Leogang a good base for a mixed ability family group?

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@schifoan, I'm biased as we have a place in Saalbach , Leogang is quite a small place I've only been once, so don't have the best option , the skiing is quite good there are some nice blues and some nice runs off the Asitz , there is a challenging black as well, there are some very nice mountain restaurants at the top where the two cable cars come in.

There is a seasonal thread for Saalbach, Leogang and Fieberbrunn, that you might want to visit and post your question there https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=153382&start=120, lots of people on there with better knowledge than me .

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Thanks @radar, I'll take a look.

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So many questions - actually only one observation - every time I have looked to go there - as a single traveller in the budget/medium price range there has never been any accomodation available. My fault as I always book late but it seems to have become a large resort without sufficient range of accommodation facilities

Sadly, as I have probably given up skiing after missing this season and approaching my middle 60s, and deciding that winter warmth is preferable, I will probably never get there now in winter. There are so many other wonderful places within and outside Austria to visit in the summer, including the UK.

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@schifoan, Although I (and all my friends who have apartments available to rent) live in Saalbach, I am very familiar with Leogang. In fact it was in Leogang that I originally stayed and organised group chalet holidays for a few years - but a long time ago.
It used to be a relatively cheap, quiet, undeveloped back door into the wonderful Ski Circus, accessed by a slow, two-stage chair lift. However it has now been developed by the construction of hotels, apartment blocks, and two gondolas: the Asitzbahn and the Steinbergbahn. It really has been totally transformed over the past thirty years.
For beginners it has two respectable nursery slopes, one next to the base stations of each of the said gondolas. I have no doubt that the ski schools, rental shops, etc. are also more than adequate.
Improvers will find the bowl beneath Grosse Asitz (served by three fast, modern chair lifts), and the highly acclaimed Asitz and Steinberg top to bottom runs, to offer plenty of scope. Better skiers (good intermediates and advanced) will find it possible to explore the whole 270km of the Ski Circus, and also Zell am See (which is also now linked via the village of Viehhofen).
Saalbach is easily reached from Leogang, and, although the far reaches of the Glemm Valley - Hinterglemm and beyond - are quite a trek from Leogang on skis, it’s possible to considerably shorten the journey by using the ski buses which run up and down the main Glemm valley at 20 minute intervals.
The journey from Leogang to the Schönleitenbahn gondola station can be done on skis in under an hour, and then the ski bus can get you to Hinterglemm in a further 20 minutes. Having said that, it’s possible for a reasonable skier to ski from Leogang and then round the whole Glemm valley, including Hinterglemm, and back again in five hours, and for an even fuller day (6/7 hours) a tangent to Fieberbrunn can be included.
By researching the ski bus times it’s also possible to do a “mini-circuit” from Leogang to Saalbach, then Fieberbrunn, and back by bus to Leogang (or possibly the other way round).
The Steinberg run at Leogang is a beautiful, 5km blue run down through the forest - probably one of the most scenic runs in the whole area.
The Asitz run was once described by a ski journalist as one of the best easy/intermediate pistes in Europe. The top half is easy and wide, and it then splits into blue, red and black options to the bottom.
Some of the best mountain restaurants in the whole Ski Circus are at Leogang: the Alte Schmiede, the Asitzbräu, Mama Thresl’s Hendl Fischerei, the Stöcklalm, the Forsthofalm, and the Kralleralm - all well worth a visit.
There is a good toboggan run (from the Forsthofalm), weekly hut-jumping at the Kralleralm, musical events at the Hendl Fischerei, and even an impressive zip wire right across a valley (the “Flying Fox”).
The only negatives are that the Leogang slopes are predominantly north-facing, which is great in late season, but it can be cold and a bit gloomy in early season, when the sun is low. Also the après-ski is much more limited than Saalbach and Hinterglemm (which may not bother you). Also it’s obviously out on a limb, rather than centrally located in the ski area.
Those latter two points are my primary reasons for preferring nowadays to be at the “front door” of the Ski Circus, but it’s nonetheless an excellent choice for a family ski holiday if you can find conveniently located accommodation at a reasonable price. Location is as ever important, as Leogang is a spread out village. You really need to be near one of the two gondolas, as the village centre is actually a few minutes drive away.

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@tatmanstours Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a comprehensive report! I'm increasingly thinking Leogang sounds perfect for us. We don't need much après-ski - just somewhere to have a beer or Glühwein at the end of the day. With children I've realised that although a resort might have loads of great runs, the most important ones end up being the 'local' ones, as we don't always get the time to go too far afield. We just put them in ski school for the mornings, so we always have to be back by lunchtime. However, it sounds like the Leogang runs sound good, and hopefully we'll do some exploring in the afternoons all together too. My mum usually comes with us, and she's an extremely cautious skiier, so although she's not a beginner, she is happy to find just a couple of nice runs she feels safe on and will stick to them for the whole week. My husband is a very good snowboarder, but is actually pretty happy just to be on the mountain, so luckily isn't fussy! The children have now had 4 years of lessons and are already amazingly confident to ski anywhere! So, I feel I always have such a wide range of needs to cater for when choosing a resort! For us, the fact that Leogang is a little bit out on a limb is probably a plus, as I'm guessing it will be a bit quieter. As we're forced to always go in Feb half-term, I definitely prefer to be somewhere not too rammed. The hut-jumping sounds brilliant! And from looking at the map, I can see you're right about being near one of the gondolas.

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@schifoan, @tatmanstours, is the Saalbach guru Very Happy

the three restaurants at the top the Alte Schmiede, the Asitzbräu, Mama Thresl’s Hendl Fischerei, are amongst our favourites, at Mama Thresl’s the rotisserie chicken is fabulous and not to be missed!

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@schifoan, I wouldn’t say it will necessarily be quieter than the rest of the Ski Circus. Unlike Saalbach and Hinterglemm, there is a railway station at Leogang. Also, as you drive up the Glemm valley towards Saalbach, the first Ski Circus gondola station that people reach (with big, free car parks) is the Schönleitenbahn, which whisks you up to a peak midway between Saalbach and Leogang. So there is probably at least a 50% chance that day trippers will head towards Leogang, especially in view of its undoubted attractions - good runs, good snow, and great restaurants.
However there is no reason why you should not find it a good base for a family group, especially if the U.K. half term doesn’t clash with the holiday weeks of Salzburgerland, Bavaria, and the Netherlands (I haven’t checked, but there are websites that give the dates of all the school/national holidays.)
One way to appreciate very quiet slopes is to delay your final descent until the lifts have stopped and the slopes have cleared. We used to stop for an extended hot choc/schnapps session at the top, before setting off down the empty slopes of the Asitz.
From what you say, your children will probably want to explore in the direction of Saalbach and Hinterglemm. The Austrian ski schools tend to be all day, I.e. 10.00-12.00 and 13.00-15.00, and they look after your children during the lunch hour. So it’s worth checking this up with the Leogang ski schools. You might consider enrolling them for three days (although you may find that there is not as much difference in price between three days and six days as you might think).
Looking back on the holidays I spent based in Leogang, I think that the one thing that I now appreciate the most (about living in Saalbach) is that I don’t have to contend with the mad dash for the last lift (the Poltenlift), which always closed at 4.15pm, and probably still does. In those days there was always at least one early intermediate in our group with tired legs, who kept falling over, and I remember having to ski ahead and plead with the lift attendant to keep the lift open. If you miss that last lift back to Leogang, you’re stuck in the wrong valley, and it’s an expensive taxi ride round the mountains (probably around €100). Anyone with accommodation in the main valley (Saalbach or Hinterglemm) is okay to stay at Leogang until around 3.30pm (later if living in the lower part of the valley around Vorderglemm or Viehhofen), and will then have a leisurely 5km final run from the Wildenkarkogel with no more lifts to catch.
One plus point of staying in Leogang, mentioned to me by a ski instructor over there today, is that all the (excellent) play areas for young children are completely free of charge, which makes it ideal for families with nursery age kids.
I agree with @radar, about the grilled chicken at the Hendl Fischerei. It’s actually pretty famous and is one of the reasons that we call that restaurant “the Chicken Man”. It’s been called, possibly with some justification, “the coolest restaurant in the Alps”.

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@radar, @tatmanstours (sorry, I don't seem to be able to tag properly!) thanks again for your help. The food options sound amazing! Good to have my incorrect assumptions put right too. I hadn't thought about it being the first place people reach, even though the train station is one of the reasons I picked it! It still sounds a great option for us, I just can't find the right accommodation. Viehhofen seems to have more available - I'm guessing that's not such a great base though maybe?

After all it is free

@schifoan, The way to tag is to if tap on the name it will put the tag into the message Very Happy

Viehhofen has the new link over to Zell and a small learning area, it’s at the end of one of the most scenic runs in the area, which unfortunately isn’t always open. To get on to the Ski Circus you would need to take the ski bus up to the Schonleiten lift or you can change onto the main ski bus and head up the valley. It is a bit out of the way but still a popular place to stay.

There is a good restaurant there Die Schmiede which we have been meaning to try, there is also another hotel restaurant that is highly rated and the name escapes me at the moment, @tatmanstours, Will know there and give you a more detailed info.

@schifoan, and @radar, we stayed for a week in Viehhofen and liked it. It’s a “sleepy hollow”, compared with Saalbach, but had a nice, peaceful, villagey, traditional atmosphere and a couple of good restaurants where we felt more like special guests than in the more cosmopolitan and touristy areas up the valley.

Whilst historically it was regarded as a place to stay if you had a car and didn’t mind driving for five minutes up to the Schönleitenbahn, or for slightly longer up to Saalbach or Hinterglemm, its attraction as a base is now in the ascendancy. Since the construction of the Zell am See Xpress, providing direct access to the Zell ski area from Viehhofen, the regularity of the ski buses between Viehhofen and the Schönleitenbahn has been doubled from every 20 minutes to every 10 minutes, at least during the height of the season.

It had been announced that a new gondola was to be constructed this coming summer, in the other direction from the Zell am See Xpress bottom station, linking Viehhofen to the Schönleiten area of Saalbach’s ski area. That project has of course probably been set back by the pandemic, but when it happens, it will completely transform Viehhofen, which will then be fully integrated into the Ski Circus.

In its favour, Viehhofen is at least in the Glemm valley, so easily accessible from anywhere in the main ski area by ski bus, regular post bus, or taxi. On the other hand, as radar says, the only ski run leading back to it (piste 168 - 7km of scenic bliss, and many people’s favourite run in the whole area) is too often closed. That is set to change, as the projected new gondola will bring with it a new reservoir and the installation of snow cannons, but for the time being the ski bus from the Schönleitenbahn is still the most practical way of getting back to Viehhofen.

Having said that, a British friend of ours has an apartment in Viehhofen (did have two but sold one) and is well used to using her car to drive between Viehhofen and Saalbach and Hinterglemm. It’s only 10 minutes or so to Saalbach and parking is free with a lift pass.

I would still maintain that Saalbach is the optimum base in the Ski Circus, followed by Hinterglemm, Leogang, Hochalm, Vorderglemm and Viehhofen, in that order.

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@schifoan, although Austrian food sometimes gets a bad press, we love it. There are at least 60 excellent mountain restaurants dotted around the mountains of the Ski Circus. One of the best (probably our favourite) is the Hecherhuette, which is halfway down piste 168, the long run down to Viehhofen. Their steaks, beef medallions, king prawns in chilli and garlic, gulasch soup, and apfelstrudel are highly recommended, as is the extremely potent jagatee.

My comprehensive guide to Saalbach includes recommendations of the best mountain (and village) restaurants. The one that radar is probably thinking of is the Tiroler Buam at Vorderglemm; they have a very highly-rated chef. I noticed recently that they were advertising cookery courses.

Help!!

Saalbach Hinterglemm - so many questions?

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