 Poster: A snowHead
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Which is the best, Want good apres plenty of skiing and just a good fun ski holiday, probably first week in march, Have narrowed my thinking down to these 2. Cost not a huge issue as have found some ok deals for both, Just wondered what people think
Cheers
Matt
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Both are quite lively for apres.
I would say try both as each has its own unique features.
Saalbach is linked with Hiterglemm with Leogang as a side branch near the Saalbach end. It has 200km piste and is a very "long" valley with over 30km skiing loop, longer than the St Anton's White Ring but shorter than Sella Ronda, if you ski on one side and return by the opposite side. Hinterglemm is the dead end and has even more livelier atmosphere in the evening. Saalbach, HiterGlemm and Leogang are fully linked on one ski pass.
Solden, with 150km piste, has 3 peaks at 3000m known as the Big 3 and some very nice and sunny area in a large glacier at the far end. Obergurgl, with 110km piste, is another "white" resort, with base near 3000m, further up the valley. Solden and Obergurgl are separate resorts requiring different passes.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Wed 1-06-11 11:52; edited 1 time in total
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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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Solden is more snow-sure, due to the multiple glaciers and higher terrain, but at the beginning of March, you should be okay with either.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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at that time of year ... well flip a coin ... both will provide you with what you want in equal measure
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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 choice Saalbach Hinterglemm. Skiing is more convenient, greater variety of on piste- close to town apres huts.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Personally prefer Saalbach - the runs all link up nicely and the village is quite compact whereas Solden is very spread out along the valley floor.
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I personally prefer Solden, but Saalbach is good as well and I can see why people might prefer it. It's a pretty close call either way.
As noted above Solden is quite spread out, so for apres and nightlife make sure you are close to the Giggijoch end of town. You don't necessarily need seperate passes for Solden and Obergurgl either. You can add a day in Obergurgl to a Solden pass and there is a free bus between the two resorts.
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Saalbach has more charm. I always think Solden is great but the main road disecting the majority of the town from the slopes does detract from it's appeal for me.
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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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Morrissey, ... mmm ... seem to remember a main road running straight up the Saalbach/Hinterglemm valley too. Saalbach does have a bit more charm though, agreed on that. The higher pistes of Solden might swing it for me with the holiday in March
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To be honest in terms of 'Piste' Skiing I prefere Saalbach Hinterglemm. Saalbach has IMO a greater variety of terrain.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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rayscoops, it runs past the bottom of the village, not through it.
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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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clarky999, yes true, it runs up the side. I was in Hinterglemm so was thinking more about it linking the two and that it was quite wide and busy in places and fed into Hinterglemm village a bit, I seem to recall having to cross it from pistes on one side to get to the Saalbach village. But yes it does not go through the village
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mattiwilkin,If you want good apres plenty of skiing and just a good fun ski holiday go to St Anton or Ischgl bouth are much better than Solden I must admit not been to saalbach
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You know it makes sense.
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Glen Charman, Piste skiing is much better in Saalbach than Anton, although Anton wipes the floor with Saalbach when it comes to offpiste. Ischgl sits between them for skiing, although it has more 'challenging' pistes than either. Anton has the best apres, but Saalbach (and particularly the Goatsstall in Hinterglemm) come very close. Ischgl is worse than either for apres but also better for late night stuff than either. Ischgl is more expensive than either two though, with Saalbach probably being the cheapest overall.
I've never been to Soelden so can't comment.
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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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Think i am sold on saalbach now, any hints and tips? wishing the summer away already cant wait to hit the slopes. alpbach with family jan and then party time an march!!
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Poster: A snowHead
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mattiwilkin, stay in Hinterglemm - lifts are quietier in the mornings 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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What about the apres and nightlife though?
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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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mattiwilkin I think it depends on how much evening entertainment you want. If you are the crash and burn type (a gallon of Eurofizz straight off the slopes at 4.00pm) then Hinterglemm (and the Goatstall) would suit you. If you are an all night party animal then Saalbach has more late venues and is livlier than Hinterglemm (and you won't care how busy any lifts are in the morning 
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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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| mattiwilkin wrote: |
| What about the apres and nightlife though? |
there is some action in Hinterglemm, the London complex which is a lively late bar and night club and a few other smaller bars that were rammed full and bouncing, plus the Goastall just up the piste which is like the KK or Moose in St Anton. You can always get a taxi back up the hill from Saalbach for a tenner or fifteen quid on the odd night or two you head down there if you are that way inclined
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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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Apres Schi Paleis, or however it's spelt, is pretty good crack in Hinterglemm too. It's a Dutch bar so usually full of Dutchies, who are usually pretty good banter.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Ok so going to book saalbach tomorrow? guessing use schatberg am ad swap to the other side of valley after lunch? any good rental shops near schatberg with lockers? thinking will be easier to book own ski hire rather than through neilson?
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There's a hire shop in/under the Schattberg gondola. Plenty of other hire shops to choose from, a few of the ski schools can offer discounts too if you book lessons with them.
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Just a quick comment to add.... the lift system in Saalbach/Hinterglemm is the best of anywhere I have skied. The odd choke point, but only one long drag lift. The rest are fast and modern and regularly updated. If you want night skiing, the floodlit area in Hinterglemm was hugely extended last season with a new bubble lift.
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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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I found a few huge choke points around the 'circus' route and the long drag in Saalbach was the only way you could ski back up to Hinterglemm on the route (depending which way you are going). Is the drag being changed ?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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mattiwilkin, If you haven't already asked me for it and would like me to e-mail you a copy of my own "Rough Guide to Saalbach-Hinterglemm", covering most things you are likely to want to know (ski areas, apres-ski venues, recommended mountain and village restaurants, ski hire shop, bars, etc, etc.) PM me your e-mail address.
I agree with most that has been said. Like all Saalbach afficionados, I'm looking forward to the new (for next season) gondola cable-car up the Bernkogel and the new chairlift up the Reiterkogel Ost, which will greatly enhance the anti-clockwise valley circuit.
For what it's worth, we find the location of Saalbach more central in the system - it lends itself to alternating between itineraries to Leogang and the opposite direction to Hinterglemm. Also, when conditions are such that you have to seek out the best snow, that is usually found in the Leogang sector, which is mostly north-facing and more easily accessible from Saalbach than Hinterglemm.
With regard to the late afternoon/early evening apres-ski, we find that Happy Hour at the Bergeralm, followed by a leisurely ski down to the daily alm-party at the Hinterhagalm, and then a further short ski down to Bauers Schalm or the Spitzbub keeps the Saalbach-based faternity more than happy. However we alternate with days that end up at the highly-rated Goassstall in Hinterglemm. This lends itself to spending those days concentrating on the Hinterglemm skiing, without any necessity to catch the last lifts back to Saalbach. A taxi back to Saalbach after the Goassstall finishes at about 19.15 (or later if you fancy an evening session on the floodlit piste) costs about 4 euros per person, and it takes about 5 minutes! In a typical week, we would probably visit the Goassstall a couple of times.
Feel free to ask any questions.
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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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Are they definitely updating the Bernkogel lifts for next season then? The lift company had promised us* that it would be done in time for last season...
*They put on a big presentation/meeting/drinking session for all the instructors in the valley around christmas every year.
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clarky999, Yes, they announced it on Facebook at the end of the season in April, and building work has been in progress. It's a new Bernkogel 1 gondola and (to avoid causing an inevitable bottleneck) a new 6 seater chair up Reiterkogel Ost. It's featured as "new for 2011/12 season" on www.saalbach.com
The upgrading of the long Bernkogel 2 T-bar has surely got to be the next improvement, followed perhaps by a gondola from Jausern up to the top of Schattberg.
The lift company is certainly not resting on its laurels, having already won the award in 2010 for "Best Ski Resort Development" from the Where To Ski and Snowboard publication. Even then it had the highest proportion of fast lifts of any major resort in the world, and it seems determined to stay ahead of the field!
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You know it makes sense.
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clarky999, Correction: the above-mentioned award was made in the autumn of 2009.
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