 Poster: A snowHead
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What would of created Austria's largest ski area with around 350 kilometres of pistes is Cancelled
The proposed SaalbachXPress linking Saalbach to Zell am See (via Viehhofen is canned because permission has not been granted for the construction of a reservoir for snowmaking , which makes the project unfeasible.
The construction of a snow-making reservoir was a precondition for the project
Because the lift is not being built now, guests from Viehhofen will have to rely on a bus ride to the Schönleitenbahn.
The project costs are also cited, which eventually doubled from 30 to 60 million euros,
Arlberg (302 kilometers).Ski Region will retain its crown as the largest Ski area in Austria .
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| stanton wrote: |
| What would of created Austria's largest ski area.... |
@stanton, I know English isn't your first language, so I'm just gently pointing out that it should be "What would have created" or using the contraction form "What would've created". Mind you, far too many native English speakers these days get it wrong too, personally I blame the schools.... 
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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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Well they are still linked, but you need short bus ride if you've skied down from Zell. And depending on conditions, if that long blue with no cannons on it s shut you need a short bus ride from Saalbach to Zell.
Claimed KM's of pistes are about as reliable as published road bike weights in any event.
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Just be be pedantic - Saalbach is already linked to Zell am See via Piste 168 to Viehhofen (when it's open) and the Zell am See Xpress lift from Viehhofen up to Schmittenhohe/Zell am See.
The missing link is the return journey from Zell am See back to Saalbach. It is currently possible to take the Zell am See Xpress lift down to Viehhofen, or to ski the section below the mid-station on the rare occasions that it is open, but the link that is missing is the lift from Viehhofen back up into the Saalbach area - i.e. the lift that appears to have been cancelled. Instead, skiers will need to continue to use the 10-minute shuttle bus to Schonleiten.
I doubt that anyone on a week's holiday gives a flying hirsch whether the Saalbach Ski Circus is the largest in Austria, or whether St Anton has 2 km more. The Ski Alpin ticket that covers the Ski Circus plus Zell am See and Kaprun still has 350km of pistes, even if there is one small connection missing.
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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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@quinton, I think the point is that @stanton is still a knob!
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| RedandWhiteFlachau wrote: |
| @quinton, I think the point is that @stanton is still a knob! |
I’m feeding the troll I know, but he will be chuckling in his taxi.
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Shame the project got shelved that link would’ve made such a huge difference for skiers staying in Viehhofen.
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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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@quinton, I think the tourist offices do care, by some unwritten rule the Arlberg continues to be the "largest ski area in Austria" - bus connections dont count. It makes no difference at all to visitors. No doubt if the lift and piste had been built then it would have been all over the various S-H promotional material. Then again if the link between Rendl and Kappl had not been stopped by a court in Vienna the Arlberg would have been even bigger. Does bigger = better?
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| zoldyr453 wrote: |
| Shame the project got shelved that link would’ve made such a huge difference for skiers staying in Viehhofen. |
The "huge difference" for skiers staying in Viehhofen already happened when the Zell am See Xpress lift up to the Schmittenhohe was built, giving those guests an alternative to the bus/taxi ride to Schonleiten. While a new lift directly into the Saalbach area would be a welcome convenience, in reality all that would be saved is the 10 minute shuttle bus ride. The bus is free and they run almost constantly in high season.
I can imagine the economic head-scratching that has taken place - for the cost of the new lift and snow-making infrastructure (€60 million?) the skiers staying in Viehhofen could have been ferried to the Schonleiten lift in chauffeur-driven limos with free champagne every day for the next 50 years, by which time global warming would have made skiing on the south-facing sunny side of the valley impossible (as it is, it has not been open for the last 2 seasons due to the lack of snow on piste 168).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@quinton, That's true, but I'd say the bigger disappointment is not about the ease of transport around the system, but the fact that the magical piste 168 won't now be serviced with season-long snowmaking.
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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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| NickYoung wrote: |
| @quinton, That's true, but I'd say the bigger disappointment is not about the ease of transport around the system, but the fact that the magical piste 168 won't now be serviced with season-long snowmaking. |
Much as I love this particular piste and rather selfishly don't want everyone to know about it, if the magical piste 168 were ever to be serviced by season-long snowmaking, it would turn into an overcrowded motorway piste (particularly in the afternoon when the Zell am See guests would be heading home) and cease to be "magical". The lady who owns the Hecherhutte half-way down the run would become a millionaire, although the place would need to be knocked down and replaced with something more substantial in order to maximise the opportunity.
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| quinton wrote: |
| NickYoung wrote: |
| @quinton, That's true, but I'd say the bigger disappointment is not about the ease of transport around the system, but the fact that the magical piste 168 won't now be serviced with season-long snowmaking. |
Much as I love this particular piste and rather selfishly don't want everyone to know about it, if the magical piste 168 were ever to be serviced by season-long snowmaking, it would turn into an overcrowded motorway piste (particularly in the afternoon when the Zell am See guests would be heading home) and cease to be "magical". The lady who owns the Hecherhutte half-way down the run would become a millionaire, although the place would need to be knocked down and replaced with something more substantial in order to maximise the opportunity. |
Let's agree that the first rule of piste 168, is that we don't speak about piste 168.
Move along, nothing to see here.
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You know it makes sense.
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| zoldyr453 wrote: |
| Shame the project got shelved that link would’ve made such a huge difference for skiers staying in Viehhofen. |
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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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| quinton wrote: |
| NickYoung wrote: |
| @quinton, That's true, but I'd say the bigger disappointment is not about the ease of transport around the system, but the fact that the magical piste 168 won't now be serviced with season-long snowmaking. |
Much as I love this particular piste and rather selfishly don't want everyone to know about it, if the magical piste 168 were ever to be serviced by season-long snowmaking, it would turn into an overcrowded motorway piste (particularly in the afternoon when the Zell am See guests would be heading home) and cease to be "magical". The lady who owns the Hecherhutte half-way down the run would become a millionaire, although the place would need to be knocked down and replaced with something more substantial in order to maximise the opportunity. |
Last time we were there (3 years ago) the magic was real... My son's skis disappeared from a rack outside Hecherhutte. Only thing missing was anyone saying abracadabra and a puff of smoke.
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Poster: A snowHead
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@quinton, wrote, “ The missing link is the return journey from Zell am See back to Saalbach. It is currently possible to take the Zell am See Xpress lift down to Viehhofen, or to ski the section below the mid-station on the rare occasions that it is open, but the link that is missing is the lift from Viehhofen back up into the Saalbach area - i.e. the lift that appears to have been cancelled. Instead, skiers will need to continue to use the 10-minute shuttle bus to Schonleiten.
I doubt that anyone on a week's holiday gives a flying hirsch whether the Saalbach Ski Circus is the largest in Austria, or whether St Anton has 2 km more. The Ski Alpin ticket that covers the Ski Circus plus Zell am See and Kaprun still has 350km of pistes, even if there is one small connection missing.”
I’ve just stumbled upon this thread/piece of news and have been processing it. It’s a subject that is dear to my heart, as, being wedded to Saalbach, I spend the whole season every season skiing the Ski Circus/Zell am See/Kaprun.
First it should be pointed out, in the interests of accuracy, that the ski bus ride between the Zell am See Xpress and Schönleitenbahn lift stations (which would have been avoided by the now abandoned new “Saalbach Xpress” lift) takes only about 7 minutes and runs every 10 minutes. Also that the combined ski area covered by the Ski Alpin pass (the Ski Circus + Zell am See/Kaprun) totals 408 km of piste. (And, apart from the marketing people, who really cares whether the grey area around the definition of “biggest” puts it ahead of St Anton, or ranking in second place?)
There have always been mixed feelings about the proposed new lift - a yin and yang. Yes, it would have been good for piste 168 to be covered by snow-making and skiable more of the time. On the other hand, as quinton has said, its “magicality” would have been destroyed if it had inevitably become a major, heavily skied thoroughfare, rather than an off the beaten track, occasional delight. And there have been snowy seasons in the not too distant past, when I’ve been able to ski down 168 throughout most of the season, and lunch at the incomparable Hecherhütte was, if not a routine, at least a treat several times a week.
Quinton conjures up a horrific image of what the Hecherhütte might have become, if the proposed project had come into fruition. Now that it’s been cancelled, the main worry for me is whether the hardworking Jarmila Kirnbauer, the Hecherhütte’s owner, will be able to continue into the foreseeable future to make it viable as a restaurant/hotel business. It’s undoubtedly a very special place - my favourite mountain restaurant out of the 60+ in the Ski Circus. The food is great, the staff (mostly from the Czech Republic, like Jarmila herself) are exceptionally friendly, and Jarmila works very hard at injecting a fun factor. The vibe at lunchtime, at après-ski time, and at the weekly barbecues throughout the summer season, is very unique and special. Long may it continue!
Leaving aside the guaranteed future viability of the Hecherhütte, and the impact on the desirability of Viehhofen as a place to stay or invest in property, I question what has really been lost by the cancellation of the new lift/new reservoir project. The connection between the ski areas of Zell am See and Saalbach is, travelling in either direction, quick and easy - probably much quicker using the very efficient ski bus service than the projected new lift, or by using piste 168 when open. The perceived benefits of the new lift may have been more psychological than practical. And piste 168 will hopefully continue to be a delightfully quiet, beautiful piste, ignored or overlooked by the masses, and there to be enjoyed by the cognoscenti when the natural snow is adequate (incidentally the mobile snow cannons that used to keep it open had to be withdrawn in the face of objections from environmentalists that water was being taken from natural water courses). If not the icing on the cake (of the Ski Circus), the cherry on top of the icing.
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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, nice comment and insight. Thank you.
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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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Does anyone have a reliable source for this , not saying that stanton isn't a reliable source 
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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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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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@tatmanstours, thank you
@Markscotski, as his understudy I take the morning shift
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@Markscotski, I managed just over 330,550 vertical metres (1,100 downhill miles) last season (which I worked out as equating to 37 x Mt Everest, or 245 x Ben Nevis). That’s quite enough for an old crock like me, operating on all original parts.
Besides, I enjoy a nice lie-in and a leisurely breakfast.
You should try late afternoon and early evening skiing some time - nice empty pistes, freshly groomed, and occasionally fresh powder.
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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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Reading the linked article is pretty revealing. Basically with the changing climate it simply makes no sense either financially or environmentally to "create" a long ski piste on a low south facing slope. If a very rich ski area like S-H cant do this what does it say about the future of areas with less resources? Locals should enjoy it on the odd occasion when conditions allow, while they still can! There is a similar valley run in Brixen (Tanzer) that is rarely open these days either.
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@munich_irish, Totally agree with what you say, S-H decision is based on the consequences of global warming as much as the financial cost of the proposed new lift. It's not that much of a hardship having to get a bus between Viehhofen and Saalbach or Saalbach and Viehhofen (when piste 168 is closed) for folk coming from/returning to Zell.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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@Markscotski,
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FAQ
