Saalbach-Hinterglemm is actually two resorts (as in two separate villages) that share a ski area and have 'branded' themselves as one resort. Saalbach is a traditional style village with typical Austrian church and lots of hotels for the large numbers of German, Dutch and British tourists.
The resort is situated in a valley near to Zell am See (another resort!), in the Salzburg province of Austria. It's about 1.5 hours (only because of windy roads!) from Salzburg airport. Many of the transfer buses from the airport go through Germany (via Berchtesgaden) to reach this valley from the airport, as this route is (apparently) easier for buses. This region has lots of peaks, but this valley in particular is quite green and meadowy most of the year rather than steep and rocky.
The village has a good infrastructure with an underground car-park and bypass, meaning that the centre is mainly traffic-free. Ski buses run up and down the valley all day and are free with a lift pass.
We stayed at the hotel Koenig which was nice, basic but very friendly and more than adequate. However, there are so many different hotels you will easily find something to suit your taste and budget.
There is a nursery area for beginners at Saalbach which all the schools use, but the downside of it is that it is at the bottom of a main through-fare (skis not a road!) so can get busy which may be offputting for beginners.
Once you're off the nursery slopes, best to attack the ski-circus, a complete circuit covering both sides of the valley and going as far up as Hinterglemm and back through Saalbach village, or further down valley.
The circuit consists of mainly red and blue runs, and is not too difficult, apart from the tiny bit of black run.
All over the valley there are lots of long runs and you can get a real sense of travelling. Runs are of similar pitch and length so not much to choose between them, but they're uniformly pretty and scattered with excellent mountain restaurants.
The week we were there there were some big queues getting out of the village in the morning, but after that, we didn't queue much during the day.
Snow was patchy to be honest, some parts were very good, whilst other busy pistes were suffering in the afternoon. It's quite low so I would imagine this is the norm.
Hinterglemm is a quieter place to stay (although not quiet as such) and would probably be better for families, Saalbach is a bit more rowdy so a bit better for groups looking for nightlife. This is just my opinion and I'm sure others may disagree!
Lots of UK package operators do deals to the valley, so it's easy to get there. There didn't seem to be much point in doing an independent trip as costs were about the same. Watch out for accommodation that is in between the two villages though, as this can be inconvenient to ski from.
All in all, a great all-round Austrian resort catering for everybody.
I have no idea where in Austria these two places are, maybe you should lead the readers there before describing them. --- K ö nig! ö ö ö ö ö ö :-)
mogrus 14.10.2004 17:27
Been skiing 3 times. First time I broke my arm. Third time tore a knee ligament and had to be rescued off the mountain. Hate skiing. Nice op though. Nikki x
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