 Poster: A snowHead
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The less time you have to spend shopping the better - it can be quite a hassle getting everything organised when you arrive in resort and just getting yourself togged up and to your ski lessons can be knackering when you start (actually, the bad news is that it goes on being knackering....). If you are buying a helmet beforehand, buy goggles at the same time. You can spend a fortune on all this stuff but you absolutely don't have to. If you live in the UK Decathlon is a good place to start - on the whole resort shops are not known for "bargain" gear.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@tatmanstours, @tatmanstours, Hello. Would you kindly let me have a copy of your guide to the Saalbach area. I did send you a request via snowheads but not sure if it went. Many thanks. My email ski.peterw@gmail.com Peter Woodhead
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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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@nickywicky, as you know, I have strongly recommended you to go to Hansi for your equipment (helpfulness/quality/price + extra “Tatman discount”). Hansi also sells and rents out helmets and sells good goggles.
Whether you will need goggles, as opposed to a decent pair of sunglasses, depends on the weather. I very seldom use goggles, as they tend to make my glasses steam up. If the weather forecast indicates snowy weather, you can easily buy a pair of goggles at short notice from any of the many sports equipment shops, including Hansi.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@peter w, will do, Peter. If you don’t get it, check your spam folder.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@nickywicky, the ones that Hansi sells are made by “Black Sheep” and I don’t recall them being very expensive.
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I'm better off getting from Decathlon or even a cheapie one from Amazon.
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It's best to try on both helmets and goggles, and the two in combination. I was amazed when I last bought that so many, even at £100, had straps which wouldn't adjust to go round a helmet. Decathlon in Singapore might not have an extensive range of ski gear, I guess. You will feel the cold in the Alps if you live in a hot climate - get merino base layers from Decathlon too.
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@nickywicky, if you can get them in Singapore I would , you are more likely to get the small/Asian size that you need, with goggles and helmets you can get a gap between the top of the goggles and the helmet, more of an issue at speed, the fit to your face will be more important, you want them to sit well on you face with no gaps.
The Decathlon ones look a really good option and good price too, their gear is excellent value.
This is for anyone else who wants to know more on Asian fit goggles. https://www.sportrx.com/blog/asian-fit-snow-goggles/?amp=1
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@tatmanstours, saw them in his shop, love the logo which made me nearly buy a pair, even though I don’t need them 
Asian fit is going to be the challenge, some goggle manufacturers make a specific range of sizes.
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Pam w makes a good point on being warm, as your husband has been before he should have some idea, I’m a merino fan, but have some synthetic too. Layering is the way to go, rather than specific ski gear you could look at uniqlo merino jumpers,gives you an alternative use for them if not skiing. For when it’s really cold I have a Uniqlo ultra light down gilet (I have an insulated ski jacket), their heattech range is good too.
You will find lots of posts about what to wear, the one thing we all tend to agree on is to avoid cotton.
As Pam has said if Decathlon have a helmet in store try the goggles with them to make sure the strap is long enough.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@radar, Thanks for bringing up Asian fit goggles, I didn't think they existed! I'll have a look around for affordable ones.
Yup I own some Uniqlo base layers so they'll do. Will head to Decathlon this weekend, am also keen on their ski jacket 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@nickywicky, 
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@nickywicky, well jealous you have Hotel Kohlmais booked, no single rooms available for me at end of January, still holding on booking a room in the hope someone cancels. Went there in March 20 with the wife and son, it was fantastic then and as @tatmantours advises they have invested more in their facilities since. In my view you are staying in the best location in Saalbach, that comes from someone who has only stopped 4 times in that part of the village out of circa 20 visits, enjoy Burgi’s across the road for a friendly apres.
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You know it makes sense.
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@ribblevalleyblue, I can offer accommodation in late January, and I’m next door to Hotel Kohlmais 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Sorry, I have to revive this thread again. So as I said we’ll be in Saalbach 17-22 December - I understand that’s right at the start of the season. I also saw some people say it’s a snow sure resort with 700 canons in case there’s no snow.
Husband spoke to someone (a German gent) at work who said we’re there too early, there won’t be any snow!
Is he right? Will we be disappointed with lack of snow?
I know the Rave on Snow event is on from 15-17 Dec. Will these guys end up raving on dry land?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@nickywicky, do you think we might have mentioned it if we thought that the chances of good snow in mid December were slim? DON'T PANIC!
Go to https://www.saalbach.com/en/live-info/livecams and then choose the Wildenkarkogel camera. At the bottom, select Archive, and then go back to December in each of the last few years and take a look around the 15th. Here's an example:
https://saalbach.panomax.com/wildenkarkogel?t=2021-12-12+11-50-00&r=-72&z=100&tl=0
It shows the 12th December 2021. On the far left of the pano shot, you see the whole valley towards Bernkogel and Zwolferkogel covered in snow, then a bunch of skiers outside the Alm, and then the view towards Leogang.
There will be snow. There always is. Sometimes it is artificial snow on the lower slopes, usually not, but the continued existence of one of the premier resorts in Austria is not in doubt, and that's because it has a good snow record as well as excellent facilities.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you're tempted to go back into November, you'll see the valley looking green and brown at times. You can go back as far as 2016, and play a timelapse as well between two dates - if you do, you'll see that there is invariably a big dump of snow either in the last week of November or the first week of December, and it then sticks around. Before that, snow comes and goes typically from October onwards as there isn't a sustainable base at that point, but from then on the base builds and it will be fine.
The current view shows snow cover above 2000m, which could be gone by the weekend, but there will be more.
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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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@nickywicky, as @ousekjarr, mentions in his post there will be snow, we arrive 11 December and I have no doubt we will be skiing’s, @tatmanstours, has been skiing in Saalbach forever and can certainly give you his view on snow coverage better than I.
This was 11 December last year
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@nickywicky, 17 December 19
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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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My view right now LOL
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@nickywicky, don’t worry about reviewing the thread, it’s a current one, people have been know to respond to a question that was posted over a decade ago
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@nickywicky, I used to travel to Saalbach during the week before Christmas, but I got so sick of being told that I’d missed a couple of weeks of great skiing on perfect, very quiet pistes, that I then began to aim to be there by around 10th December (which was easier after I retired).
That is not say that freak seasons don’t occasionally occur, when settled, anticyclonic weather blocks the snow clouds, so that it’s cold but sunny, with none of the expected snowfall, for weeks on end. And of course such weather affects all resorts in the area, or even the whole of the Alps. That last happened a few years ago. I arrived in Saalbach, expecting very limited skiing, only to be surprised how much of the area was open. It was possible to ski around the main valley, and over to Leogang and Fieberbrunn, and down to the village on the main pistes, all on artificial snow. In fact they were bussing people in from other resorts that had not invested so heavily in snowmaking infrastructure.
Naturally I’m touching wood as I write this.
Incidentally, I’m in Saalbach currently, and during the last week it’s been snowing, and the mountains have become snow-covered down to about 1,500m (about halfway up). The cows have been brought down from their high pastures, and everything seems to be proceeding as normal for the time of year. Later in the autumn you’ll be able to see on the resort webcams that the snow cannons have been switched on, as dotted white lines start to appear up and down all the main pistes (unless it snows early down to village level, as it sometimes does, in which case you will only see the cannons in action on the close-up video footage).
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FAQ
, and even on normal days they do slide down my nose due to a non-existent bridge - unless they're sporty Oakley type glasses. But I don't own those either so perhaps goggles will be a safer bet. I'm more sensitive to sunlight as well due to Lasik surgery from a few years back.
