Live TR: Saalbach Hinterglemm 23rd-30th March

A snowHead

Hi all,

So thought I’d try a live TR for our stay in Austria. It’s our first time in Austria after several trips to France. Will be interesting to see/feel the differences.

Resort - Saalbach
TO - Ski Miquel
Accom - Chalet Hotel Christina
Flights - TUI

23rd March

Arrived at Gatwick to be met by Ski Miquel airport rep. Checked in with no issues at through security within 20 mins from entering airport. Benefits of an early morning flight in not a peak week.

Flight with TUI (thankfully changed from 737-8 Max). Probably one third full. Me and the OH ended up with a row each allowing us to stretch out and enjoy the 1 hr 40 flight to Salzburg.
Hand luggage wasn’t weighed for those who may be interested.

Approach into Salzburg was lovely with a view of the snow covered Alps. Landed, through passport control and bags collected within 30 mins. Had to wait for Manchester flight for about 30 mins and then was off. Wait wasn’t so bad as it was almost 20 degrees in Salzburg so was nice to sit and eat in the sun!
Transfer was smooth, picturesque and comfy. Took 1 hr 35 mins in total.

Arrived in Saalbach to bluebird day and about 13 degrees. Dropped off outside chalet and met by the team. Ended up with a family room which means a bit more space for just 2. I’d describe the room as basic but in a good way. Plenty of space, hanging room, warm and out onto a shared balcony.
Unpacked and down to the bar for refreshments before heading off to pick up skis at Hansi’s. A quick schnapps and two skis later which we have stored with our boots at the Schattberg. More of a luxury than a convenience as it’s only a 5 minute walk to the lift anyway. 15 euros for the week. Bargain for not having to carry skis.
We had a few drinks in the sun at the bar/restaurant right behind the lift. Can’t remeber the name! 1 drink turned into 4....well the sun was shining. Back to chalet for a freshen up and then a 4 course meal. Food plentiful and tasty, wine flowing and good company.

Looking good so far and a settled week of weather. Can’t wait to get the planks on tomorrow for a slide.

A snowHead

Fab..keep it coming

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

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Look forward to reading and what you make of Saalbach.

Was there myself for the first time week of the 9th. Had a great week and will certainly return.

The name of where you had your drinks I think you'll find is Schattberg Stube.

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Yes. Keep the information coming. Already booked for Pension Enzian next winter, never been to S/H and don't really need anything to lift my excitement levels even this far in advance, but still love reading every bit of every report!

After all it is free

An interesting day today!

Firstly, great nights sleep. One thing Ski Miquel has certainly is comfy beds! And very well sound proofed rooms. People we drinking down in the bar till about 1am and couldn’t hear a peep.

Decent breakfast at 8. Mixture of the usual helpings.
The great conundrum began after, about what to wear and what we would need on the hill. Having never skied in late March before the conditions were new to us (we usually go end of Jan time). Walked down in just a T-shirt to the ski locker at the Schattburg, geared up with the rest of the group and up we went.

We went with Ski Miquels guiding and it was really useful to get about the moutain with people who know the area really well. I know this won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but we enjoyed it. We split from them at lunch and just went off (me and the OH) so got the best of both worlds.

As for the conditions...well I’ve got a very burnt neck! Didn’t think to sunscreen it as I’d normally have my jacket zipped up with the collar protected my neck but it was so warm it was half unzipped all day. Meaning burnt neck! I love skiing in the sun but it was jolly warm.
This has definitely effected the pistes with even the higher up runs turning very slushy by even as early as 1:30 - 2PM. That being said, it was still good fun. The ski area is awesome. Wide pistes, stunning views and friendly people. We mostly kicked around the Zwolferkogel area above Hinterglemm.

We cut out planned end to the day short as we headed down the 2b towards Vorderglemm with the intention of going up the other side and down back into Saalbach. But to be honest the 2b was awful. Mega slush, moguls everywhere. Wasn’t enjoyable. So we cheated and caught the very convenient bus back up to the Schattberg were we called it a day. Ended up being about 4pm anyway. Had another drink at the Schattberg Stube and heading back to the chalet.

Tomorrow’s weather is looking colder with the apparent promise of snow from 3am but still not a cloud in the ski....yet. At least it’s looking about 10 degrees cooler so the pistes should hold up much better.

^ I've had the end-of-day 2b experience, and it was as horrible as yours.

Don't miss out on Saalbach's rocking apres!!

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Calling MrTatman!

You must visit Bergerbar for happy hour, 15.30 til 16.30 then ski on down to the Hinterhag for some serious partying! We are popping over on Thursday or Friday, it is supposed to get a lot colder this week, worry not! Great TR btw, keep it up!

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@Kooky, Looking forward to seeing you!
Unless I decide to go up to happy hour at the Berger Alm, it looks as if I'm having a day off today - snowing hard outside and very murky up the mountain.
It's been a great couple of weeks. Early last week we got a worthwhile dump, and the temps stayed cool for a few days, resulting in the best ski days I've had since January. Later in the week it warmed up considerably, and until yesterday we had typical spring skiing - obviously it pays to give some thought to the orientation of slopes later in the day. However, as a result of perseverance, I seem to have developed a fairly positive, "it's all good practice" attitude - even to piste 2b in the afternoon. I can see why some people call soft, slushy snow "poor man's powder". Even the moguls that inevitably develop are soft and forgiving, rather than those hard, unyielding lumps that can catch out even experienced skiers.

Late March in Saalbach is one of my favourite times, and the only thing that has marred my enjoyment is that I have a heavily sunburnt bottom lip, which has swollen into a semi-trout-pout. Won't make that mistake again when plastering on the factor 40. White Pearl Mountain Days is currently hosting very extravagant parties in the snow - many sights designed to make your eyes pop out, and some very cool live, musical performers. This happens at a different mountain restaurant every day (@Kooky, on Thursday it will be at the Streuboden restaurant at Fieberbrunn, but on Friday it will be at our very own local Montana Royal Alpin Club at the top of the Kohlmaisbahn gondola). I attended last Wednesday's WPMD party, when it was at Mama Thresl's Hendlfischerei (Chicken Man) at Leogang; yesterday it was at the Rosswaldhuette above Hinterglemm. Lots of beautiful people (me excepted) dancing in the sun to cool vibes that even an old curmudgeon like me had to admit were pretty good.

The apres-ski scene feels as if it's reaching a climactic finale. Friday night's closing party at the Underbar kept us out until 03.00am (but still enjoyed the next day's skiing to the bottom of the Steinberg run at Leogang, accompanied by this week's guests). Last night might have been Spacey's final gig in the Oetzi Bar, and it was certainly the most riotous that I have been to, thanks to a party of a dozen young, British, twenty-something party animals (part of a larger party of 36, staying at Pension Enzian), who were hell-bent on having a good time - and that apparently included taking their tops off (girls included). At times it resembled a sauna! It is also likely that tomorrow evening's 5.00-8.00pm Spacey show at the Spitzbub will be the last of the season. (Fingers crossed that one or more of these bar owners decide that it's worth keeping the apres-ski going until the end of the week).

On the skiing front, it obviously changes all the time, and the heavy snow currently falling should bode well for the rest of this week. Yesterday, despite the warm, sunny weather, I found some extremely good skiing on the Schattberg Westgipfel run down to Hinterglemm, and on the Zwoelfer Nordabfahrt (piste 14) - both north/west facing. On crossing to the other side of the valley, we had some enjoyable slush skiing (thankfully, none of that sticky, stop/start stuff), and the WPMD party at the Rosswaldhuette was a blast when we got there at about 1.30pm. Photos and videos to be posted on Facebook for those of you who are FB friends.

Looking forward to the Crazy Deer this evening (which is open until the end of April incidentally), and the Spitzbub apres-ski show tomorrow.

snow reports

So a bit of a mixed bag weather wise yesterday.

In the town, we woke up to a fine drizzle and much colder temperatures than Sunday. Half way up the Schattberg that turned to snow. At the top of the Schattberg that turned to less than 50m visablitly. Our group headed down towards Vorderglemm via 2a and 2b. Once dropped out of the cloud and strong wind it was actually really nice and what a difference 12 hours makes! The 2b was a pleasure at that time!
We spent most of the morning skiing around Wildenkarkogel and Prundlkpof areas. Really lovely. Sheltered and the pistes skied really well, especially with the increasing fresh stuff on them!

At lunch time we split off from the group and headed down the 66 and 52 back into Saalbach. The bottom of 52, even in the cooler temps was a bit of a slush fest. The OH and I promptly headed up the Bernkogelbahn and had a bite at Luis Alm. Really nice in there and very reasonably priced. We then headed up the 2 chairs to get over and above Hinterglemm. By this point it was really snowing. What a lovely couple of hours we had. The pistes were deserted and on the 35 and 32 we had shin high untracked fresh powder, even at about 3PM.
We then then headed back to Saalbach down the 46 which was also very enjoyable and actually wasn’t too slushy down the bottom apart from the last couple of hundred yards.

Whilst we were having a drink in the evening, it really stared coming down at resort level and we have woken up to about 10-20cms of snow on the roof opposite us. So it should be a splendid day of skiing on the hill!

The winds are lighter today so the link to Fieberbrunn should be open or we may head over towards Leogang.

I think tomorrow we will attempt the Ski Circus Challenge.

Have a good day all.

You know it makes sense.

@tatmanstours, see you on Friday then!
@Fridge03, maybe see you too if you are about! Have a great day, it looks incredible out there at the moment

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

@Fridge03, has Harvey told you the frog joke yet?

A snowHead

A snowHead

@Fridge03, It sounds as if we were covering the same ground (at least until the apres - we were at a similarly wild party at Spitzbub). A perfect skiing day!

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@Fridge03, not sure when it finishes during season but from memory it is on every night apart from a Sunday???? Sounds like it might have ended though. If you are doing it make sure you have some apres at the Schwarzacher - just at the foot of the night skiing.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Fridge03, I noticed a few days ago that the night slope wasn’t illuminated and was puzzled. I think you’ve just solved the puzzle. We’re generally too nackered from daytime skiing and/or apres-skiing to go night skiing. Another factor is that, when it freezes hard at night the snow becomes rock hard - like skiing over rocks - and this happens particularly in late season, when the weather is fine and sunny and freeze/thaw conditions prevail.

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True enough about the conditions. We were actually thinking that today. Had it been lovely fresh powder then a different story. Maybe next time!

Great day skiing today. 4 of us from the chalet were up early and caught the first lift up the Schattberg. Visablity was poor but the pistes were lovely. There had been a dusting of fresh snow overnight. We proceeded to head over towards Hinterglemm and then up the Zwolferkogel. Again poor vis at the top but after a few hundred meters it cleared up. We headed down the 14 and up the Hochalmbahn. A quick pit stop for a coffee in the Sonnhof before heading up the Hochalm. I have to say. The pistes in this area were beautiful. Great conditions.
We progressed over the hill and over the top down the F14 towards Fieberbrunn. Another lovely run. We headed up to the very top and came down the F11, F12 and F13 which were stunning especially up top (with a bit of hit and miss vis).

We had a late lunch at the Pulvermacherschlem. Had the biggest turkey burger I had ever seen. Was literally a whole turkey with some bread either end. But it was an enjoyable spot for a well earned rest. We then headed back towards Saalbach and had a couple of blasts down the 46 before one last beer at the Barnalm before the final ski back down.

Great day in great conditions. Some tired legs now though.

Just deciding on where to go for dinner now. But will probably have a more restrained evening than the apres yesterday!

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absolutely loving this TR! If anyone is about tomorrow, lunch at the chicken man about 12.30, we will be wearing SH buffs

After all it is free

@Fridge03, have you managed to make it to the Hinterhag or spitzbub yet? You cant go home without seeing those!

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@Kooky, and @Fridge03, the Hinterhag is now closed, and the final party at the Spitzbub (featuring immensely popular Geordie entertainer, Spacey) took place this evening.
The place to be tomorrow, without a doubt, is the Montana Royal Alpin Club - the brand new restaurant, in a fantastic location next to the top station of the Kohlmaisbahn gondola. White Pearl Mountain Days are hosting a party there from 12.00, and it should be a great atmosphere.
In the last few days I have attended several of the WPMD mountain top parties (twice at the Hendl Fischerei or “Chicken Man”, at the Rosswaldhutte, at the Hinterhag Alm, at the Streuboden, and at the Soul House. I’ve also missed a few others that I intended to get to.
They certainly draw a crowd of party-lovers.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

So this is a day late but you know....lassig....

So yesterday we attempted the Ski Circus challenge. Realistically we set off 45 mins too late and there were really too many of us with uncoordinated toilet stops!

The morning skiing was superb. The runs at the top of the Leogang side were lovely.
As the day went on, it got warm and slushy. Anywhere below 1500m was not overly lovely to ski.
We made it down to Fieberbrunn and back up but it was about 230 and no way were we’re gonna make it round with the worsening conditions so we made an executive decision to say collectively throughtout the week we had done it. So we skied down to Luis Alm and basked in the glorious sun. It was a very good decision. We had some food and thoroughly enjoyed the 2 hours spent there. We felt it was justified from the days endeavours.

We skied down the empty piste (well apart from the bashers! Which did mean we at least skied a freshly groomed piste at 5pm!).

A few drinks in the Eva Alm and back to the chalet for dinner.

It was a great day. Managed about 50km. Some lovely runs with good company!

snow reports

@Fridge03 thank you, really enjoyed that TR.
I take it that your first trip to S/H will not be your last?
You have barely scratched the surface.

So today....what a day.

Woke up early and caught the first lift up the Schattberg. Did the black to the mid station and then the red (which joins the black) all the way down. Was lovely and completely empty. We then headed back up and right towards Hinterglemm. Had a blast around the Zwolferkogel area before heading across the road and over the other side.
The pistes skied well until about midday and then even the higher pistes got into that sugary/slushy state. It was a warm bluebird day so we made the wise decision to head to the nearest bar for a drink and food which was the Reiter Alm. An hour spent on their lovely terrace was enough fuel to get us over to Luis Alm where a deck chair awaited and we promptly ordeee several Hugo’s and until about 430. We then skied down the 14 in a horrendous state but it was actually quite fun.
Dropped off the skis to Hansi and then had a few more drinks in town before heading back to the chalet.

All in all, a great day. Not in the traditional sense of perfect skiing but we hit some good runs, had some fun, the sun was out and it was just a beautiful day.

Heading home tomorrow so will have a think and write a summary of the week when safely tucked up at home.

You know it makes sense.

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

@Fridge03, Glad that you had a good time and liked Saalbach so much. For me there are compensations in the late season for the mushy pistes on sunny afternoons. Yesterday we went up about midday to the White Pearl Mountain Days party at the Montana Royal Alpin Club, followed by a sunny session on the Bergeralm’s terrace, and then an extremely lively (surprisingly so, in view of the relative quietness of the village) apres party at the Spitzbub.
If you return frequently to Saalbach you will get to know people, and the social side provides a powerful attraction towards the end of the season. There is a large body of people who just love the place and return year after year, and in many cases several times a season. (A season pass costs less than three separate weeks).

A snowHead

Ive much enjoyed your report, like you, Oh and I had the same idea of not going back to the same place too often but 7ish years ago having been to most of the regular places over a lifetime found saalbach, having been put off the eastern alps due to an earlier visit to somewhere not too far away , we would now take some shifting to anywhere else at least for our main trip, though we do try to have a short break elswhere if time and funds allow.If you want more mileage its a fact that jan in good weather you will be able to knock of the kms as from our lift pass report this march we av 30-5 km/day 2 years ago jan was 50 plus, purely down to the piste conditions and my ageing knees but the lifestyle of march skiing in saalbach takes some beating and reckon that first week in march is just about perfect ,as someone said you have barely scratched the place either skiing or apres( its impossible in a week) but seems you like us have been smitten . glad you enjoyed your trip.. edited, further to my comment about first week march next year just been told weve a major family event so that could be scuppered so looks like a week later unless we can get midweek accom which may be possible

A snowHead

Having visited S/H at various stages of the season I must say that the spring skiing is my preferred time to go.
Sure there are downsides but that well earned beer, in the warm sunshine, in late late afternoon is worth the negatives.

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

Having skied different countries and different resorts I know what I like (and more what I don't like). Unfortunately my trips are few and far between so I like the security of knowing what I will get. Also the way S/H are investing and improving there's new experiences each visit. If I get the chance for a two trip year I will go for a new experience and totally understand your motives.

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I get that people ski differently and want different things from a trip.

This was our first March trip so the conditions were new for us. We had a blast in 3V in Jan in the fresh snow and pistes but we also had a blast this trip but for different reasons. We like clocking up the miles (being still relatively young and fit) but it was a pleasure sitting on the sun terrace the last few days.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Final thoughts......

So I've had a think about how best to summarize our week. I think it'll be best to split up the different aspects of our trip.

Salzburg Airport:Really positive experience using Salzburg for the first time. I know this is very dependent on many external factors but I found it to be efficient, clean and a good place to start and end our holiday (especially in comparison to similar sized French airports!).

Tui: Chartered flight with TUI. Smooth time both ways. The 20KG was a bit stingy I felt especially combined with the smaller than other airlines hand luggage allowance.

Hansi's ski rental: Really good service. Easy pick up with a schnapps thrown in for good measure! He asked a few questions about my ski style and ability. Handed over a pair of Volkl Racetigers. They were in good condition (even at the end of the season). I really enjoyed my week on them. I felt the were responsive and lovely to ski the pistes with. The return was easy and hassle free.

Ski Locker rental at Schattberg X-press Station (can't remember the name of the shop): Really easy and convenient location to store the skis. 15 Euros for the week. Bit of a no brainer really, especially as for us every day started with the Schattberg. If you are in a different part of town, then it may not be the best location for you. Also may I say the staff were incredibly friendly!

s'Wirtshaus: Had dinner here on the staff day off. Great service, good price and perhaps one of the best steaks I have in recent memory. Would recommend.

Saalbach: Great town. Really liked the vibe of the place. Extremely friendly locals, reasonable prices for food and drink and a really nice feel to the place. Short, lovely transfer from Salzburg. I can really see why it's so popular. It has a little bit for everyone I feel. Restaurants from cheap to expensive, different "types" of bar to suit all tastes, convenient access to the lifts and pistes. I think if I was to return, it would be here as opposed to Hinterglemm, which I felt was a little bit more spread out and didn't have as nicer "feel" as Saalbach. Also, it's positioning right int the middle of the area makes it more appealing I feel.

The Ski Circus: Wow, what an area. I like the feeling of travelling around hence why we loved Paradiski and 3V so much. Ski Circus lived up to this. Lovely cruisey runs as well as some challenging steeper bits. I did find some of the grading a bit odd. Some blues that could have been reds, a black or two that could have been red and some reds that could have blues. Nothing that caused any real concern but just something to consider. What I did like though was that most of the runs were wide. Which meant, even on the busier days (and it wasn't that busy anyway) that the pistes were quiet and you never felt like you had people that close to you. Perfect for those more nervous of busy pistes. We enjoyed the different feels of the areas that make up the Circus but a particular favourite was above Leogang. The runs were lovely and the snow held up the the best even in the sun. We didn't queue once the whole week. The lift system was fast and efficient. We didn't need the heated seats but I'm sure they would have been a pleasure in mid winter. It was a tad annoying to have to pop the ski's off so often to go in a gondola (as I prefer a chair) but again in the poor weather I'm sure I wouldn't be saying that!
What I liked about the area was that if you wanted to, you could ski a long way before the next lift (in most areas). Nothing worse in my opinion that spending more time on lifts than on pistes.
The OH will certainly be returning. When we do, it'll be in late Jan/Feb when the lower pistes hold up better. Don't get me wrong I loved sitting out on the sunny terraces of the superb mountain restaurants (with Reiter Alm and Luis Alm being out favourites) but I'd love to experience the runs with fresh snow.
As previously mentioned, we have still so much to get out of the the Ski Circus.

Ski Miquel:
This is where, things maybe aren't so good. Well maybe that's a bit strong but I would describe the experience with them as " perfectly adequate ". For some, what they offer and how they do it would be ideal but for us we felt parts of their service were lacking or perhaps a slight/small change would drastically improve the all-round feel.
I thought that a Chalet-Hotel would provide the best from both worlds, however on this occasion I felt that it actually didn’t work. The joy of a chalet is that personal service. The benefits of a hotel is the range of options available. The Chalet-Hotel provided neither of these. And that isn’t Ski Miquels fault. We weren’t mis-sold this holiday. That’s why I can’t fault them or complain. More make observations that this wasn’t for us. I get that for some, their formula works. A lot (about 80% I believe) of there customers are returning guests. This says something but I feel that perhaps their approach to things is a bit “dated” and to compete in the ever increasingly competitive market they need to start appealing to a broader audience.
For example, not being able to book online. Not one thing. In this day and age, I find this almost unbelievable. And I have to be honest, when I have looked at Ski Miquel previously I have found their website so user unfriendly that I have clicked off and gone elsewhere.
I also get that a holiday can be made by the resort manager and they are all different. On this occasion, I feel that she was more pre-occupied with her family who were staying (not only in the chalet, but also at another hotel down the road) and her partner being there rather than engaging with her guests. I don’t blame her for this, it’s family after all but I do feel that this is somewhat unprofessional especially in that “lead” role. She should have handed over the reins for the week they were there so she didn’t have to work rather than try and balance the two.
Another point is that breakfast is served rather late. 8AM. Places I have stayed before have put out their continental stuff for 730 and cooked options from 8. This allows for greater flexibility meaning that if a guest wants to get the first lifts at 830, they can still have breakfast. When asked if the cereal and milk could be out at 745, then answer was a flat no. Breakfast starts at 8. The Ski Guiding was also a bit strangely done. Rather than take the groups off to areas of the mountain which would be the quietest, or have the best conditions for the day etc, it was a set plan every day regardless of the conditions (unless physically impossible with a link closed). For example, doing lower runs on warmer days or going high in poor vis, because it was the day of the week to do that area. Other times we have had guiding, it’s been to make the most of the conditions and the hill. This felt a bit more like “baby sitting”.
There were other things that I’ll write up in the full trip advisor review but to summarise again Ski Miquel were “perfectly adequate”. They certainly haven’t sold their experience to me.

I hope this has been useful for anyone planning a trip to the area. It was our first time and we found the help from Snowheads to be really useful so happy to return the favour!

Cheers all!

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This is one of those times when I really wish SHs had a simple "like" button. But even that wouldn't convey it.
Thanks again for such a detailed, honest and thorough report and summary.

I really hope you add a video of your trip similar to your other ones in your signature.

I only disagree on two points. You welcomed the schnapps at Hansi's, we dreaded it. But on every occasion we ventured in he wouldn't take no for an answer. It's not like petrol, I think it actually is rocket fuel. Skullie

And rather than Hinterglemm being more central than Saalbach for the whole area, having stayed in both I feel Saalbach is much better. It really is a trek all the way down into Leogang and back to Hinterglemm. Not that I am complaining about racking up the miles.

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

@ianbradders, I think he meant that Saalbach is more centrally-positioned.
According to a snowhead who stayed with us in January, and who also regularly stays in Hinterglemm, it’s a “no-brainer”. Saalbach is a lot more convenient, both for accessing all areas of the Ski Circus, and for getting back to your accommodation.

After all it is free

Ah, yes, see that now @tatmanstours.
I wondered why @Fridge03 would say that, but now realise it was for interested parties who were considering either village. Just clarifying why Saalbach is a better proposition to Hinterglemm. Laughing

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Two videos of our trip

A little mash up of our fun

http://youtube.com/v/4ZkxX2CKUGY&feature=youtu.be

Me attempting the slalom (not giving up my day job!)

http://youtube.com/v/8UsewN7OyZM

Help!!

Live TR: Saalbach Hinterglemm 23rd-30th March

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