Saalbach - Hinterglemm - Leogang - Fieberbrunn 2018/19 Official Unofficial Thread

A snowHead

68 is lovely, especially if it’s sunny (so you can sit outside and enjoy the terrace at the Hecher Hütte).

You’ll be able to see the new lift station at the bottom, as well as the clearing they’ve made in the trees up the hill on the other side.

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

@Jenniper, ok I’ve been down 68 before but that was before the lift station was built
Will check it out

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Managed to ski the legend that is 68 today and can see why folks on here rave about it. Really is an amazing run, and that was in pretty poor light too. Would love to fly down that on a sunny day.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@boabski, I also did it today- had lunch at the Hecherhuette. (Then over to Leogang and did the Steinberg and Asitz runs). Enjoyed the conditions generally - the fresh snow and not too bad visibility made for a cracking day.

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Yup, 11200 vertical metres today over 30 miles of runs, in 7.5 hours of skiing. It may be better tomorrow, with the forecast of sun

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@ousekjarr, Very respectable! I’m doing (with Snowhead joelhopwood) the anti-clockwise circuit of the valley tomorrow, incorporating Fieberbrunn, so should take about 6 hours including a lunch break. Will finish on the Kohlmais so a visit to both the Bergeralm and the Hinterhag Alm, and then Spitzbub with Spacey may well be in order.

After all it is free

@tatmanstours, of course we managed the Gulaschsuppe at Hecherhutte so thanks for the heads up. Getting the bus or taxi shortly over to Saalbach for some Hinterhag Alm action
Also planning for some dinner. Any recommendations for 8 of us (guessing we might struggle if not booked anything?)

I skied Saalbach week of 19th Jan - 26th Jan. was awesome. Having skied all over the world was pleasantly surprised by the skiing terrain. I was with the family (parents 70+ and bro 29) so skiing blues, reds and blacks.

We were consistently clocking up 70-85km per day and 15,000-18,000m of vertical which is better than most resorts we have done including well known resorts like Val D.

Awesome runs that I would recommend for bombing down 1, 2b, 15, 33, 33a, bottom half of 46, 61, 61a, 89, 89a, 90, F10a, F12, F14 some amazing pitches and fall lines for going really fast and surprising quiet especially pre-10am and around lunchtime

What surprised me was the epic amount of easy to access freeride and offpiste terrain. I was told that Saalbach suited intermediates who liked to cruise but I would say that if the snow is on there is a phenomenal amount of lift accessed BC and was very little competition for lines. As I was cruising with family I stuck mainly the open resort offpiste area near pistes as I didn’t have usual BC partner but I’d love to come back at do a lot more of the offpiste.

Mountain restaurants, vibe, people were awesome. Lovely small compact and pretty town. Apres looked great but didn’t do much as was there with 70 yrs+ parents who like an open fire and wine. Easy access to lifts and good accom.

Lifts are super fast and actually well linked once you get your head around what goes where and which runs you need. Saalbach real-time app is great to help with this. You can get stuck quite easily and it’s not easy to cross the valley until you know what you are doing. Lots of gondolas which is good and bad. Too much taking skis off for a hardcore skier like me but the heated and covered chairs were great and my mum loved the comfort of the gondolas. In bars weather they would be good. No queues for lifts and not busy on piste.

Overall super impressed and would happily return. We got lucky with snow but returning people we met said they never had any issues despite the perceived low altitude of resort

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I was there the same week with family on a trip from Nz. Really enjoyed it. Couldn’t really criticise anything about the place. Would love to get some fresh snow there - options look plentiful for good times.

Will probably do a few weeks next time though. The journey for us is a killer. Just about to get on my third flight after already doing 27 hours on planes in the last two days.

Might do a Japan trip next just because it’s cheaper and nearer but do love Europe and Austria in particular

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Interesting day today, with 60kph wind gusts closing some of the upper lifts, including the links to Fieberbrunn and Leogang, plus the link from Schattberg to Westgipfel and the top half of Zwolferkogel.

Higher temperatures in the afternoon gave us some soft conditions late on, but still plenty of good skiing to be had.

So farewell then to the Glemmtal. See you in 2 weeks with the family wink

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@ousekjarr, went over to Leogang today, had lunch at the Chicken Man, skied down the Asitz to the bottom, and returned early pm as Joelhopwood had a taxi to catch at 3.00pm. Possibly just as well if they were closing lifts.

Any reason the Seekar T-bar seems to have remained closed all season? Not that it's really affecting me - at best I'll manage a day in S-H this year while staying in Zell am See, but I will probably return to Hinterglemm next season, and would be disappointed if they were planning to drop the lift permanently. It really does serve its own hidden valley, and can have some decent off-piste opportunities.

You know it makes sense.

@tatmanstours, Polten 8er was closed at 10 this morning, so presumably opened again before you got there.

@Colinthc, one of my favourite runs - but I think it is closed because of the avalanche risk from the area above the run. Could be wrong - they didn’t post an explanation.

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

I did wonder if that was a possibility, but the avalanche risk has receded recently, so I was just wondering. I hope that is the reason.

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A snowHead

Thanks for that. It really is a lift that is fantastically out of character with the rest of the circus. I mean, I love the efficiency of the whole place, but it's lovely to have this throwback of a lift that is never busy, because so many people don't like T-bars, but serves such a great little area. I worried for it, seeing as they closed the Spieleck a couple of years back. I know the area it, (the Spieleck T-bar), served could mainly be served by the chairlift, but it did allow you to just reach a little further to the head of the valley, and on powder days could give you fresh lift served lines for a good bit longer than the busier chairlifts. Hopefully the Seeker will return to action next year.

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

@Colinthc, The Spieleck T-bar was arguably superfluous. Piste 19 at the far end of the valley is still accessible from the Spieleck chair lift, although it seems to have been remodelled to make it wider and of more of an even gradient (unless it’s just the snow depths giving that impression). To my mind nothing has really been lost by the removal of the T-Bar (which, like the Seekar lift, was out of keeping with the rest of the super-modern system).

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@tatmanstours, I don't agree with that at all. I find the run by the Seekar very attractive and, like Colinthc, appreciated an area that was usually less busy than the rest of the Ski Circus. I have nothing against T-bars and even used a photo of the Seekar one on Christmas card Very Happy

. I call the Seekar area my hidden valley.

PS What you say about the Spieleck T-bar is probably true enough but it did provide a useful way of having repeat runs in the area.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I agree, (and I wrote), that the Spieleck T-bar essentially served an area that the chairlift could cover, but it did take you a little higher onto the ridge than you could easily get to from the chair, allowing you to access the area nearer the valley end just a little bit better, which on powder days meant you could find stashes that the hordes from the chair couldn't quite access. I totally understand why it was removed, I just hope they don't take the attitude that no-one would miss the Seeker if it was felt the repair job wasn't worth it on a lift that doesn't tie-in to the hyper-modern lift system elsewhere.
When I discovered the Spieleck was removed my feeling was it was a shame, but it didn't really affect what I felt of the whole Circus. If the Seeker was removed I would still love the Circus, but definitely a little bit less...

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I didn’t ski today but I noticed it seemed much warmer than it has been.

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@espri, not sure what you’re not agreeing with me about. I too like the “hidden valley” served by the Seekar lift, and I too have nothing against T-bars (although some people hate them).

@Colinthc, I doubt very much whether they will sacrifice the Seekar lift, as (unlike the Spieleck T-Bar), it serves an area that isn’t otherwise accessible, and I can’t see them wanting to reduce the size of the pisted area.
I don’t quite follow what you’re saying about the T-Bar enabling you to get to a higher point on the ridge. When I go that way I always follow the same line that I used to in order to access piste 19.
Whereas it was previously necessary to ski down from the top of the Spieleck chair, staying as high as possible, and going across the top of the T-Bar, and then down a short, narrowish section, you can now follow the same line, but it’s all been opened up. However you can still start off from the same height. What I will say, having thought about it, is that, whereas piste 19 was previously hidden from view, so that most people would get off the chair and head down piste 20, it’s now more obvious to anyone wondering which way to go. The removal of the T-Bar may well therefore have resulted in the loss of that feeling that you know about a nice, quiet, piste that gets overlooked by most people. To that extent I regret its removal (but I never ever used it).

After all it is free

@VolklAttivaS5, there was a serious thaw as we left this morning, with what sounded like a small stream coming off the roof, but there is enough of a base that it won’t be overly affected for now.

The temperature has now dropped, and the forecast is for snow overnight and into tomorrow so I suspect the net effect has simply been to consolidate the pistes and turn the offpiste to wet cement.

@ousekjarr, yes I was glad I didn’t go out today when I saw it as I thought it would all be heavy going with sticky wet snow.
I’m back skiing tomorrow though and I’d noticed the temperature was forecast to drop and more snow was on its way Very Happy

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Just on my way over to Saalbach from Fieberbrunn. Snowing quite well with maybe 10cm of new snow overnight. Could be more. Think it’s going to snow all day by the look of it.

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feb at last, although its the 28th before we arrive having had a warm up in the dolomites last month ,will be a shame if josef doesnt turn up as weve had a lot of fun this last few years in his company at the hinterhag, still its sounds like the traditions are still alive and well.

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It was a warm day today compared to last time we had snow, hovering around the 0 degrees C mark, apart from over in Leogang where it was a bit colder, the coldest I’d seen it today all over the Ski Circus was -6C at the top of the Schonleiten 6er.
It snowed all day but the snow seemed quite wet so the off piste was quite a lot heavier than it has been. Got plenty of fresh tracks in just had to work a bit harder.
Tomorrow is forecast to be colder and I can believe it as the wind was picking up as I skied down to Leogang to get the bus back to Fieberbrunn earlier on.

Just guided five snowboarders (first time in Saalbach) to piste 68 and Hecherhuette for lunch, then Bergeralm for happy hour, then Hinterhag for full-on apres-ski. Just come down from there in the dark, and they’re off to the Soul House for ribs, then Otzi Bar for Spacey. Quite a first day in Saalbach!
The snow as we came down was superb, by the way - light powder

You know it makes sense.

TT that is quite the introduction to Saalbach for them.

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

How are conditions usually after a dry week? Looks to be little snow on the forecast, although should be nice besides that. Will the likes of 68 remain open?

A snowHead

After some local knowledge.
Our original plan was back to Saalbach, which i know very well. with just one mate, who is experienced.
Now, my cousin is coming along so we have had to decamp to Hinterglemm. To my shame i now realise i havent spent anything like the time i should have up the top end of the valley. Favouring the lower end and over to Leogang.

My cousin is a fit younger lad but has only two weeks. One last year in Meribel and is this week in St Anton.
So to be comfortable and to find his level before venturing further afield any suggestions on suitable runs to assess him in Hinterglemm?
We are staying alongside the Unterschwarzachbarn. In Saalbach i know exactly where i would take him.

I recall the area around the Sonnhof was really flattering.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

A snowHead

The nursery slope drag lifts are near the u-bahn for assessment purposes - best before ski schools start at 10!. That side of the valley is generally steeper than the other but there are some flatter bits at the top of the Zwolferkogel of you stick to the blues. Probably better to walk across to the Reiterkogelbahn and ski that side, as the pitches are more even and the slopes wider. You are right that the saalbach/Leogang end is better suited to beginners but it would be a good aim to ski over there late in the week. You can always bail out and get the bus back from saalbach if you need to in the afternoon.

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

@ianbradders, yes, the Hochalm area is your best bet - piste 19 is a good one.
Of course you can take him on a “blue” loop of the valley, safe in the knowledge that he can bail out and catch a ski bus if he needs or wants to.
The ski bus also gets you from Hochalm to the Schönleitenbahn in about 20 minutes (15 minutes from the Hinterglemm Ost and West stops), so you can access the slopes at that end of the valley easily. But of course you already know all that.

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Richard....why does 54 always seem to be closed? (I think it was closed 4 years ago when last out there when everything else was open)?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Yes piste 19 was a lovely gentle quiet piste.
I am probably being over cautious but I know my Auntie would hang me if he hurts himself.
We have a car so maybe park down at the bottom of the Schonlitenbahn and have a good play around there.
Two full weeks he will probably be better than me.

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@buchanan101, A very good question - probably the only piste in the Ski Circus that I haven't done, and it leads virtually to my front door!

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I'm thinking of driving over to Fieberbrunn for the day, on the week after next.
One idea is to ski all the way round to Leogang and get a taxi back to Fieberbrunn.
Skiing at a moderate pace, I'll have my 12yr old daughter with me, how long would you estimate it would take to get round?

After all it is free

@Drammeister, I’ve never measured it but you could probably ski from the bottom station in Fieberbrunn to the bottom station in Leogang in 2.5-3 hours or less? See what @tatmanstours thinks as an estimate.
No need to pay for a taxi, I always get the free ski bus back to Fieberbrunn from Leogang and I’d have thought you’d be parking your car at the gondola station in Fieberbrunn which is where the bus stop is anyhow.

https://www.kitzbueheler-alpen.com/media/2018-19-Skibus-Fieberbrunn-Leogang-ab-21.12.2018.pdf

@Drammeister, I would say about 3 hours from Fieberbrunn to the bottom in Leogang, skiing at a moderate pace. Allow a bit longer in case of hold-ups.

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Saalbach - Hinterglemm - Leogang - Fieberbrunn 2018/19 Official Unofficial Thread

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