 Poster: A snowHead
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Rather than add this to any of the more "live" threads about Saalbach, I am writing my trip report in its own thread. That way, it can drop off the front pages pretty soon, but someone might find this with a search in the future.
Booking
This was a relatively late booking (October) for a peak time of the year, so we were forced to use a Tour Operator for the first time since 2005. We chose the Bergers Sporthotel based upon its Tripadvisor feedback and booked through Neilson since they were the only people with a vacancy for New Year. It wasn't possible to book direct with the hotel. Slight grumps were that it costs MORE to do a self-drive than it does to fly, and also our 13 yo is classed as an adult for accommodation in Austria, but as a child for Neilsons flight booking... the combination meant that it wasn't possible to book on the web (with the online saving) and we HAD to book over the phone (but I argued for the saving anyway). We didn't make use of the Neilson rep for anything, but he seemed to accept that we were happy to sort ourselves out without trying to "push" his evening excursions on us.
Skis and Passes
Since we're independent skiers, we booked our own stuff rather than using Neilson's offer. We booked through Skiset since their shop was directly opposite the Sporthotel, however once we'd got to Saalbach we realised that the village is quite compact and therefore we could have booked from any shop and only had a short walk. A 6am flight from the UK to Salzburg meant that we were in the resort before midday. It would have been earlier, but all Innsbruck flights were diverted to Salzburg which meant the place/coaches/transfers were a little chaotic. By the time we'd checked in, eaten, and got skis it was 2:30, so we bought 6day ski passes and went straight onto the slopes. This is because all ski passes start working from 3pm the day BEFORE they're supposed to. This is not a secret, but the ticket-staff were a little surly when it became clear to them that is what I was doing 
The Hotel
Bergers Sporthotel is a family run place, and that REALLY does mean that Frau Berger will welcome you at the door. Her daughter runs the front-desk, her daughter in law runs the Spa, and all the staff treat everyone with that close attention too. Being in the centre of a village there is the bonus (and negative) of being in the centre of the night-time apres scene. I've seen the hotel get some criticism for this, but in reality it is the trade-off that I've had in all ski-resorts and Bergers suffers no worse than anywhere else. Yes, there is a table-dancing club underneath the hotel, but apart from the sign outside you would never have known (it's a ski resort, so you won't get scantily dressed women outside pulling the punters in unless they want to catch pneumonia!).
The food in the hotel is excellent. We were half-board and the buffet breakfast filled us up each morning so much that a little snack at lunchtime was all we needed until dinner at 8pm each night. There's often a choice (out of 3) for evening meal that you make the prior evening. You have the same table each night, which means that your waiter gets to know you (and your drinks order) very quickly. With a Disco taking over the restaurant/bar after meals and a quiter/more-plush loungebar at the other end of the hotel, there is a choice of relaxing drinking to match your mood.
The Skiing
The Ski-Circus is a great area for the early intermediate. To be able to work around the valley in a clockwise direction skiing only on Blues and not retracing your steps is quite cool. It feels like ski-touring but never being too far away from home if you get tired. There is also a run over to Leogang that, whilst it is a little "linear" also provides the sensation of skiing off to "somewhere" and back. On that route you will need to do a red or two (81, 82, & 83) but those runs aren't any harder than a normal blue to be honest.
We only came across one T-bar lift (a first for us) but the "challenge" of that was balanced out by the heated and covered chair lifts. As my wife said "These lifts are as nice as being in the car at home!". The loos on the mountain are also the best she's ever experienced (female readers may be more interested in THAT than the chaps).
The pistes were also amazingly quiet, given that this was New Year's Eve. The lift system lays claim to be able to shift loads of people up the mountain really quickly, and this seems to work since there were nothing like the Halfterm queues we've experienced from France.
 
The Snow
It looked as though there had been a dump of fresh snow before we arrived, and the temperature remained around 0 during the daytime for the first half of the week. Skies were clear, and the pistes held up well to a re-bash each night. Midweek there was a slight flurry of snow in the air, so they put all the snow cannons to work. This meant that there was a new layer of (false) snow across nearly every run in the resort. They have invested heavily in snow cannons.
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Sadly, following this lovely image, on the Friday (last day) it began to rain in Saalbach. I don't like skiing in the rain, and even though I suspect this was falling as snow elsewhere in the mountains, it meant that the village pistes were slushy. I wonder if this is why they had used the cannons to top up the snow only 2 days earlier?
The Apres
We're not really into the drinking and dancing into the small hours, but the 3-5pm session suited us perfectly. The Hinterhagalm just above Saalbach on the 52-blue deserves its reputation and is worth visiting. I saw a German man, singing & dancing Rhianna songs, in broken English.... that sort of memory won't go away easily! Saalbach also has a regular events programme, which at the beginning of 2013 included a nighttime freestyle extraveganza. Skiers, Boarders and BMXers were leaping and looping to a booming soundtrack backlit by fireworks. It was a great spectacle, and this picture definitely doesn't do it justice!
 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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"This is because all ski passes start working from 3pm the day BEFORE they're supposed to. This is not a secret,"
Is this only true for Saalbach or all ski resorts as I have never heard of this before?
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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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I can vouch for Soll that if in a similar position of getting to the resort at Saturday lunchtime you could get a cheap part day ticket to use after 2pm. This was great to sort your kit out, then go and have a stretch and remember what the planks on your feet are for. Also helped with aches and pains not going into a full day straight off.
Great News about the Berger as we are arriving there on the 26th of January. 
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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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jimmybog, pretty well the same all over Austria as far as I know - it gives you an hour and a half at the most to to get as high as you can to play before everything shuts. Then you have to be be off the slopes by 17.30 or 18.00 at the latest. Unless there is a previous arrangement with the lift company, it is now illegal to ski between 18.00 and 08.00 (not 100% sure of the morning time). This rule was bought in after a couple of Darwin type accidents when people were injured/killed skiing into pistie beasties or the wires they were operating from, after the slopes were officially closed.
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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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James great report fella!
Going there the 16th March '13
The Mrs & I have been skiing over 20 years but I've got 2 beginner adults coming this time and the info you've given is a great help. Hope other SH follow the format! 
Does anyone have a link to any different webcam page for Saalbach? the only one with a few that I can find is:http://www.saalbach.com/en/winter/weathersnow/live-cams.html
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Angry Squirrel wrote: |
Does anyone have a link to any different webcam page for Saalbach? the only one with a few that I can find is:http://www.saalbach.com/en/winter/weathersnow/live-cams.html |
Mostly the same ones, but give http://www.bergfex.com/saalbach-hinterglemm-leogang/webcams/ a go. It's got better / longer snow forecast too,
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| Quote: |
This is not a secret, but the ticket-staff were a little surly when it became clear to them that is what I was doing
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Far from being a secret, it is actually printed on the piste maps as follows:
"Tip: If you purchase your ski ticket the day before, it is vaild as of 3.00pm that day".
Most people take advantage of this well-advertised concession, so it would seem surprising if the counter staff, who we have always found very helpful and friendly, took exception to it on this occasion
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Thanks Fire mate
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FAQ
