Going to Saalbach in Febraury- Have some questions

A snowHead

Hi everyone,

My husband and I will arrive in Saalbach on February 7th.
We'll be staying near Schönleiten Bahn (Michaela Eder hotel- ski in/out).

What do you guys think of this location? I can still cancel.

I searched on google and found this school- Sport Heugenhauser.
They do instructions and equipment hire, and it's very close to our hotel.

This is the price they offered-
3 days skischool and 6/7 days comfort ski + boots + poles + helmet = EUR 229,00+ for helmet EUR 14.4o

What do you think?

Also, my husband is a beginner and I am intermediate. We thought abot taking private lessons instead of group-
Would one private teacher for the two of us, for two hours a day(We are tight on budget), would be a good idea?
I checked- it would cost us 60 euros an hour.

Any advice would be very much apreciated!

Michal[/u]

A snowHead

@michald, The Schönleitenbahn is in an area known as Jausern, which is part of the hamlet of Vorderglemm, a couple of miles down the valley before you reach the village of Saalbach. The long, unseated gondola lift takes you up the northern side of the valley to the summit of the Wildenkarkogel mountain at nearly 2,000m, a high point in the valley, from where competent intermediate skiers can head either in the direction of Leogang (piste 62) or in the opposite direction towards Saalbach (piste 65). It is not possible to ascend the Schattberg mountain on the southern side of the valley without taking a ski bus to Saalbach. A glance at the piste map (see www.saalbach.com) will show this clearly. However your husband will no doubt start on a very small nursery slope in the valley bottom; there is also a very small nursery slope and drag lift at the half-way stage of the Schönleitenbahn.

As a location, it's a little distant from the centre of the action - i.e. the village centres of Saalbach and Hinterglemm (or Leogang), with their multiple options for skiing, apres-ski, restaurants, bars, shops, etc, and, frankly, if it were me, I'd prefer to be more central. However, I hasten to add that it's a very personal choice, and you may prefer to be in a quieter, more limited location. However, I have a slight concern that, once your husband progresses from the tiny nursery slope at Jausern/Vorderglemm, you will be taking ski buses up the valley to the more extensive and beginner-friendly ski areas of Saalbach and/or Hinterglemm. Inevitably this will result in some walking, as well as bussing (the buses don't take you directly to the particular lifts that you would probably want to use). At the end of the afternoon, you would have to take a ski bus or taxi back to Jausern, as the run down from the mid-station of the Schönleitenbahn is a red run, and it's not always open, and, although you could take the gondola down, it might be a bit of a challenging hack for your husband to get over to the mid-station of the Schönleitenbahn from wherever he is skiing during the afternoon.

As you say that you are an intermediate, I assume that you would ideally like to be somewhere where you could each do your own thing (with or without a teacher) and easily meet up from time to time during the day. This is most easily done on the Kohlmais ski area in Saalbach, where there is a large, sunny, beginners' area (the Turmwiese), as well as a smaller nursery slope (the Kreuzkappelle nursery slope) with a couple of blue runs (51 and 52) and a couple of red runs (53 and 54), which come down from the Kohlmais mountain (a broad mountain-side comprising a network of mostly blue runs, ideal for progressing intermediates), and end up on the Turmwiese nursery area. As your husband progresses, there is a wide variety of options for arranging rendezvous in slope-side restaurants with sun terraces - Bauer's Schi-Alm, the Hinterhagalm, the Kohlmaisstub'n, the Maisalm, the Asteralm, the Bergeralm, the Turneralm, the Ederalm, the Panoramaalm.

Then there is the Bernkogel, which you and your husband will probably be able to do together later in the week - basically one long, wide blue run that sweeps down into Saalbach, and which again has a couple of very nice, sun-trap mountain restaurants - the Baernalm and the Westernstadl.

Rather than bang on about how much more convenient it would be to be located actually in Saalbach, rather than a couple of miles outside the village, I suggest that you take a long, hard look at the piste map, which will bear out all that I've said.

I'll leave it to others better qualified (e.g. Quinton, clarky999) to comment on the ski-school and package that you've been offered. However similar deals are no doubt available from all the various ski-schools and rental shops. The one that I use provides a similar package in conjunction with Furstauer ski-school (the biggest in Saalbach) and I'm sure would price-match.

The choice between ski-school classes and private lessons is a personal one, and it depends to some extent on how much time you and your husband want to spend together, as well as how far ahead of your husband you are in ability. (Some beginners learn very quickly and soon catch up their intermediate spouses!)

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

@michald, Welcome to snowheads.

As TT says, the hotel you've booked is a good way out of town, actually in a separate hamlet; personally I would want to be more central for a better choice of beginner runs as well as being closer to the action. There is little, if anything, to do in Jausern after 4 pm. As snow conditions are rarely good at that end of the valley, I would take the 'ski in-ski out' claim with a big pinch of salt.

The ski school package looks about right, and Heugenhauser have a good reputation. Snowacademy, Furstauer, Easyski or Zink/SkiPro will have similar packages.

Re sharing a private instructor - this rarely works when there is a disparity between standards. Your partner should have a couple of individual lessons, then ask the instructor if he has progressed sufficiently for you to be able to have a lesson together. Alternatively, do separate group lessons in the morning and ski some of the easier blues together in the afternoon.

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

Thank you so much guys for your detailed replies!

So here's what i'm thinking now-
I'm really happy with this specific hotel and can't seem to find anything in my budget in the center of Saalbach.
I mind beeing far from the ski slopes, (as you mentioned) but dont really mind about being out of the bars etc.
Is where we're staying really apart from Saalbach slopes?
Can't be connected by skiing?
In the reviews of thne hotel, people said the location was very good (skiwise), so i'm wondering how it worked for them.

If this is the case, maybe we should drive (we have a car) each morning to the city and go to one of the schools there, this way we won't be far away from the good skiing, right?

Last year we were in les-arc and all the slopes were practically connected by cable cars, so it didn't really matter in which part of the vally you were staying...

Thank you so much again.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@michald, The location is very good for an intermediate skier like you but less so for your beginner partner. For intermediates, Jausern gives direct access to the ski circus and you can ski from the top of the Schonleiten gondola all the way into Saalbach without using another lift. Alternatively, turn right at the top and you are into the excellent Leogang area. From Saalbach, you can ski back to Jausern either by taking the sunny, Kohlmais side of the valley or by using the 7km run from the top of Schattberg on the opposite side of the valley.

The free ski bus runs every 20 mins between the Schonleiten lift and Saalbach, so your husband can take that while you ski across. Snowacademy have a shop in Jausern too and have a free shuttle to their ski school in Saalbach if you book their package. For a beginner, I would recommend taking the 10 minute trip to Saalbach to get to the better beginner terrain.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Thanks Quinton,
This will be my husband's second week skiing,
still counts as 'beginner'right ?

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

@michald, If your husband has already had a successful week on skis he is definitely not a beginner (as in 'never seen snow, a mountain or skis before') but he is still a relative novice. If he is confident on blue runs there are plenty for him to ski on around the Kohlmais side of the valley above Jausern and on to Saalbach and eventually Hinterglemm. Get down to Haugenhauser, who are located next to the Schonleiten lift opposite your hotel, have the 3 lesson sessions and then enjoy the rest of your week together. If he progresses well you'll be able to go to Leogang as well (there is one short red to negotiate in each direction) and if sufficient snow comes, you might even get to do the brilliant long blue down to Viehhofen, from where you get the ski bus back to Schonleiten.

After all it is free

The other thing is there is no lift to the other side of the valley. Have you thought about staying in hinterglemn? It's cheaper than Saalbach.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

As long as @michald,'s husband is not a complete beginner, which is how I had interpreted the original post, then Jausern is not a bad location at all. It is possible to ski on blues all the way from the top of Schonleiten to Saalbach and back again. Likewise, it is possible to ski the rest of the Ski Circus from Saalbach anticlockwise past Hinterglemm to Hochalm and back again on the Schattberg side using only blues. Only the final black from the top of Schattberg breaks the link, but by the middle of the afternoon it is more sensible to download on the gondola anyway. Due to the good ski bus service, it is possible to stop at any point in the valley and ride free of charge back to either village, or for the OP back to Jausern.

The lack of a lift from Jausern on the Schattberg side of the valley is no great issue. From the top of Schonleiten, OP turns left for Saalbach or right for Leogang.

FWIW Haugenhauser were teaching on Kohlmais and the main Saalbach beginner areas today, so presumably they bring their classes over by bus or have a minibus shuttle. There is also a beginner lift at the mid-station of the Schonleiten.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Thank you guys so much for taking the time, i really apreciate it!
I looked at the piste map and understand the situation.
I feel that I now have enough infofmation to decide, therefore
@Quinton, i'm gonna go with your advice.

Thanks again, this forum is just great,
and i promise to write a trip report upon return.

Help!!

Going to Saalbach in Febraury- Have some questions

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