Skiing in Saalbach

The Ski Circus, as the area above Saalbach, Hinterglemm and Leogang is known, is renowned for the extensive skiing on runs that often stretch from top to bottom of the 1000-metre vertical.

One of Austria’s top ski areas, it competes on equal terms with its Tyrolean rivals which may be better-known on the international market and offers a range of skiing equally suited to beginner or expert. Some lift bottlenecks can lead to queues at peak periods.

The first lift reached in the Glemm valley is the Schönleitenbahn at Vorderglemm. This lift accesses one of the classic long red valley runs down to the bottom of the gondola again and gives a taster of what is available on the ski slopes further up at Saalbach and Hinterglemm.

The top station at the Wildenkarkogel also marks the access to the Leogang side of the area. A bowl at the top of the Leogang ski lifts normally has great shaded snow conditions and some interesting intermediate runs, while the long blue or red runs down to the base of the Asitzbahn are also worth sampling.

From the Wildenkarkogel the rest of the Saalbach area can also be sampled by heading over to either the Magic 6er chairlift or to the lifts halfway above the main Saalbach area. These access cruising runs which are perfect terrain for improving intermediate confidence.

Down in Saalbach, lifts further up the valley on the same side can be reached by taking the Bernkogel chairlift (stop above the beginners’ slopes in order to see where the access to this lift is – it is located across a road to the right of the slopes looking down). This lift, and the ones above it, can be crowded by the combination of ski school groups using the easy blue runs for practice and other skiers trying to reach Hinterglemm by ski.

Once up at the top of the Reiterkogel, the theme of intermediate cruising runs is kept up both by the lifts above Hinterglemm and those further up the valley at Lengau. If doing a day’s tour of the area in the direction described on this page, the mountain huts above Hinterglemm make a good stop to tank up on energy before heading over to the other side of the Glemm valley.

The Reiterkogel is also where the ski link into Fieberbrunn is located. Heading down to the bottom of the Hochalmbahn at Lengau, the Zwölfer-Nordbahn is the choice for the Zwölferkogel runs. On the way up the gondola, the black run under the lift is easily visible to check out conditions on the slopes.

An alternate black run is available on another slope from the top of the lift, with the World Cup run offering a shorter but occasionally more testing and crowded option. Those who prefer to stick to intermediate trails may choose the Zehner chairlift and the Seekar drag before heading down to Hinterglemm and the extensive network of beginner lifts on the edge of the village.

The Westgipfel lift up to the Schattberg offers another of the typical top-to-bottom red runs under the lift, a short but hairy bump field to the base of the Sprinter lift, or the traverse around to the Limberg chairlift which heads up to the east peak of the Schattberg. From the top, the choice is a long shady black down to Saalbach – or alternatively, a winding red down to the mid-station and back up to the Schattberg Ost.

From here a lazy meandering blue run heads down to the Jausernalm and the lift at Vorderglemm first mentioned at the start of this section.