 Poster: A snowHead
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As you'll be driving from 'the middle of nowhere', it matters little which lift you aim for, except that the Schoenleitenbahn and the Zwoelfernordbahn offer the best chance of parking for free. The Westgipfelbahn and Zwoelferkogelbahn have limited free parking, and the parking garages at the Schattberg Xpress and the Kohlmaisgipfelbahn allow you to park free (with a lift pass) until 6pm (after that time you pay for the day, which is 12.50 euros). For a good late afternoon session for intermediate skiers, you could park for free at the Zwoelfernordbahn and go up the Hochalmbahn on the sunny side of the valley. There's plenty of intermediate skiing at Hochalm, but, if the weather's hot and sunny, the snow will be better on the Zwoelferkogel, in which case you could try parking at the Zwoelferkogelbahn and go up there instead.
If it were me however, and many people may disagree here, I'd go up the Schoenleitenbahn and do a bit of skiing on the Kohlmais, before heading to the Bergeralm (alias Bergerhochalm) for happy hour (3.30-4.30pm), then wait for the piste bashers to come up around 5.20pm, then ski down pistes 66 and 52 to the Hinterhag Alm, go in there for the apres-ski party till whenever (it finishes around 7.30pm), then ski down the nursery slopes to Bauers Schialm and get a taxi back to the Schoenleitenbahn.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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How are things holding in Saalbach? Anyone fancy crystal ball gazing to forecast the conditions w/c 14/3?
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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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Snowing  It was cold over the weekend and snowed Sunday and Monday. Yesterday was very good - woken by the snowplough at 7, but a bluebird day by 10 and bright sunshine all day. 10 cm of new snow in the village and over 20 cm at the top of Hochalm, yet warm enough to lunch in the sun outside on the terrace at Hochalm Berggasthof. Conditions on-piste were great and plenty of off-piste still untracked, as there are actually relatively few people here.
This morning - Tues - it is currently snowing heavily in the village and the webcams are just a whiteout. Forecast for the rest of the week is more snow, then sunny from the weekend.
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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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We returned from SH on 7/3. In the first week of March conditions were fantastic. It snowed nearly every day. Friday was particularly awesome. Seems to be warming up this week though.
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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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The snow on the pistes is holding up really well, despite a sunny afternoon today, only the lower runs ( below 1200m) were spring like. The south facing valley sides are starting to look a little bare, but it's looking like it will get colder next week and there us even a chance of snow on Wednesday above mid stations.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I have good news for the snow-worriers! Yesterday we did the clockwise circuit of the valley (covering 42km), starting and finishing at the Bergeralm on the Kohlmais (early bacon and eggs, and late happy hour drinks). Today we went over to Leogang. Not only was there ample snow everywhere we skied, but the pistes were in surprisingly good condition, considering the time of the season and the fact that it's warm and sunny.
Yesterday (a beautiful, sunny day) we found the runs on Schattberg and the World Cup run (15/15a) on the Zwoelferkogel to be in sublime condition - couldn't resist doing it twice. The runs that were in the shade, such as parts of black 14, were a little icy, but the revelation for me was that, when we crossed the valley to the sunny side, in order to start the homeward journey via Hochalm and Reiterkogel, the pistes were in great condition, and not all slushy, chopped up and mogully, as I'd feared. I put this down to the air temperatures being cool enough to protect the snow, and also the relative lack of people around. The only porridgy run that we did was the Bernkogel at about 3.30pm, but I did it in one go, without stopping for a rest and a contemplate, so it couldn't have been that bad.
It was a similar story today. We got a late start and were traversing the Kohlmais on the way to Leogang in the early afternoon. I was amazed to find that the pistes - even those facing the sun - were in perfect, powdery condition - also that there were few people on them, compared with say a week ago. Similarly, on the way back after lunch (at the Asitzbraeu), the pistes were in great condition - no slush, no moguls - I honestly can't remember them being better. I would love to have done the upper section of piste 61, which looked fantastic, as well as completely empty, but it was 3.30pm and happy hour had started at the Bergeralm (and Mrs TT is almost religious about getting there punctually). The run to the bottom down pistes 66 and 51 at around 5.20pm was superb. I haven't heard a single moan from the somewhat pernickety Mrs TT all day, and that's saying something!
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