Volker Brands
20.01.2022
Lesedauer: 5 Minuten
We all know it - you leave work while you're still stressed, buy some groceries, gather all your documents and go on your winter holiday with kilometers of traffic jams. All in the hope that the snow and the mountains will simply sweep away the stress of the last few months... When you arrive at your holiday destination, you settle in, buy your ski passes and then find out at the latest at the lift - where exactly am I, and where do I want to go there? Here is a little orientation for the Saalbach-Hinterglemm ski area.
You can easily orientate yourself and find your way around the ski area. If you are on holiday at the Zirmhof, you don't have to take the ski bus once, even if it stops right in front of the front door and takes you quickly to every part of the ski area. The bus is an option but not a must. The Zirmhof is in the Jausern district at ski bus stop 1. The longest slope in the ski area also ends almost on the doorstep - the Jausern descent. The ski area is divided into sectors. The locals and those who know Saalbach are certainly more familiar with the old names of the slopes, but the ski area has grown significantly and is huge in recent years - the subdivision makes a lot of sense and provides an overview, especially for beginners. The Zirmhof is ideally located in area "I". Sectors H, G, D and C are all on the same side of the slope and offer plenty of sun in the morning and predominantly blue and red runs. Sectors A and B, on the other hand, have access to black slopes, world cup runs and only partially offer morning sun.
The Schönleitenbahn, which you can already see from the Zirmhof, takes you to the Wildenkarkogel. After just a few meters of altitude you will notice that it is a south-facing slope - the first rays of sunshine fall on your face. If you look at the Schönleitenbahn from the Zirmhof, you can easily remember: Viewing to the right, where the sun shines in the morning, are mostly the blue and red runs. The steeper mountains with the black runs are almost all on the left when viewing. Of course, exceptions also prove the rule in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. You can be sure that you can take it easy with the rays of the morning sun on the way to Saalbach and Hinterglemm, especially for the return to your winter holiday.
Why a south facing slope is good for you? Because the sun's rays here in the morning melt the first layer of snow very easily, the light gives you an optimal view of the slopes and you have ideal conditions to start the day! It's best if a few centimeters of fresh snow have fallen on the groomed slope overnight.
The mountain names ending in Kogel are typical of the ski area. This has to do with the geography and geology of the region. In the ski area you won't find any sharp and unreachable mountain peaks, as you would imagine them to be in the Alps. A selfie with the summit cross and the Alpine panorama in the background is completely normal in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. This has the following effect on skiing: Most slopes initially have a small plateau after the gondola exit. Here you can enjoy the breathtaking Alpine panorama. Only after a few meters you come to an "edge" and can see the actual slope. So you can take it easy.
The ski area has been greatly expanded in recent years and is now connected to the towns of Fieberbrunn, Zell am See and even Kaprun with the Kitzsteinhorn. The original ski area includes Vorderglemm, here is your home base of the Zirmhof, Saalbach and Hinterglemm. If you want to go on trips to the expansions, you should definitely check the weather beforehand!
A single slope leads to Fieberbrunn, in sectors E and F, and only one gondola takes you back over the mountain to the valley. If the weather is too bad, this bottleneck is quickly closed and you have to take a 1.5 hour trip with the ski bus. The weather should be good on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier anyway, just for the view and the 45-minute gondola ride to the summit. However, the ski area's app gives you an overview in real time.
There is WiFi at all lift stations, so you can always make sure whether a trip to the extensions of the ski area is worthwhile. Our tip: for the first two days, the ski area on your doorstep offers you enough kilometers of pistes to have fun and find your way around. Afterwards you can go on a discovery tour, go deep snow skiing or conquer the highest peaks.
From the idiot hill to the free ride experience, the ski area offers everything! The flatter southern slopes are ideal for beginners, the fun parks, deep snow zones and world cup slopes also challenge every pro. In Hinterglemm you have the opportunity to send the beginners to the middle station via a blue piste while you smash down the official World Cup piste. At the middle station you meet again for the valley descent. This makes the ski area a top destination for families and groups of friends with different skiing skills!
The highest mountain that can be skied or boarded in the direct and immediate ski area is the Schattberg at 2096 m. This means that the ski area just reaches the alpine zone of the Alps. There are no more trees up here and you have a magnificent panorama. The Zirmhof itself is just under 1000 m above sea level. In winter, the valley is mostly white because it is above the snow line. This is perfect for that winter feeling! The extreme exception is offered by the glacier world of the Kitzsteinhorn. Here it goes up to the highest point in the province of Salzburg and thus to more than 3000 m.
Saalbach-Hinterglemm offers a lot and has something for everyone! The Zirmhof is located in the middle of the ski area on a south-facing slope and right next to the gondola. This makes the Zirmof the ideal starting point for your winter holiday in Saalbach-Hinterglemm!
Insider: In 2013, the international association of cable car operators checked the effective slope length of all ski areas in the Alps. The center line of the piste was measured, without any supplements or double calculations, because two pistes share the same valley run or one piste is perhaps a bit wider. For marketing reasons, many ski areas in the Alps claim to be the largest. Leaving aside expensive marketing and cheating, Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn and the addition of the runs in Zell am See and the Kitzsteinhorn is the largest ski area in the Alps. You can ski all slopes free of charge with the Alpin-Card, your ski pass. Why doesn't the ski area advertise it? Who needs it...
Interactive piste map:
https://www.saalbach.com/de/winter/skigebiet/pistenplan
Huts next to the slopes:
https://www.saalbach.com/de/service/gastronomie/winterhuetten
Wheather in Saalbach-Hinterglemm:
https://www.saalbach.com/de/live-info/wetter
Saalbach App:
https://www.saalbach.com/de/live-info/mobile-app
or get the Alpin Card Navigator app. The app is the map! Free available for IOS and Android.
Length of ski area:
https://www.spiegel.de/wirtschaft/wer-hat-die-laengste-a-4f0e43a6-0002-0001-0000-000139787739
