The Saalbach area is massive (zoned A to I.........and L - 10 zones!) and whilst it was too much for us to do in a day, we soaked in as much as we could. This place is an experience beyond simply skiing. It's where the well-to-do go. It's more expensive so watching the 'pretty' people is an event in itself. It's where you find quirky things like new cars encased in glass in the middle of a major run. Where the lift seats are sports car quality and the winter hiking trail forbids any skiing at all. Everything is a visual feast.

We parked at the quieter location of Vorderglemm at the bottom of the Schönleitenbahn gondola (I zone) on a gloriously sunny day and while the snow quality wasn't the best, we got our fill of fun and adventure.

We cruised through fabulous piste runs up the Wildenkarkogel (1910m) and across to the L zone of the Kniestichkogel (1570m) into Leogang township. Heading back up we were treated with superb vistas everywhere we looked so we took morning tea at the Alte Schmiede restaurant at the top of the Asitzbahn II gondola, which I recommend if only to check out the unique toilet.

As we made our way across to the H zone we went up the Kohlmaiskopf (1794m) and into Saalbach proper which is quite the pretty town, worthy of many a photo of the ski-decked-pedestrians that dominates the footpaths and roads. Out of Saalbach we ventured into the G zone and up to Bernkogel (1740m). The G and H zones appear to be the busier areas being the easiest to access for the pretty people out of Saalbach and Hinterglemm.

With that in mind we headed across the valley where the Schattbergs rise above 2000m in the A zone with very few humans about. We finished our day with the very fun and incredibly long number 2 and 2a run back down to Vorderglemm from the top of Schattberg Ost. Over 1000m vertical!!! Yeehah! Combined with a late lunch in The Hochwart Tenne just above our car-park, it was a perfect way to finish a feast of a day. (I highly recommend Hochwart Tenne for great food and drink and very friendly staff.)

Cruisy piste runs serviced by the best in gondola and chair technology were abundant but there is a plethora of off-piste options throughout the whole Skicircus area where fresh lines are guaranteed and desirable in the right conditions. Saalbach is part of Alpin Card which is a ticket alliance between here, Zell am See and Kitzsteinhorn/Maiskogel in Kaprun. Very handy if you are considering visiting all three premium regions as we did.

So many options here in any condition, so visit with confidence and hopefully have as much fun as we did.
See our video here

There was no fresh snow for us at Saalbach but the lines available on a powder day are immense. I have heard it can get busy there on a powder day but from what I saw of the available terrain, fresh lines should last well into the day.
See our video here

It has been a few years since we visited what we previously rated as one of the best all-round ski resorts in the world. And whilst it didn’t disappoint, time has taken some shine off the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. Its size, lively villages, amazing lifts & facilities, plus fabulous terrain with super long runs are still second to none in the world. But on this visit in mid-January, we found snow quality & quantity lacking and simply too many people (which for the time of year was concerning). Prices too, particularly in some in the restaurants & hotels are heading into the ‘expensive’ range for Austria too.

T'was strange to see the sunny south-aspect off-piste terrain above Vorderglemm almost completely bereft of snow in the entire vertical. A very warm spell over the new year period obviously di some damage. It was stranger too that we still found powder on the lower elevations of the colder north-aspect terrain – a testament to why we still love this resort. And of course, over the following 4 days after our visit, huge volumes of fresh snow were dumped on the resort, but we were elsewhere …… doing powder laps with no crowds at Kitzsteinhorn (same lift pass at Skicircus) & Pass Thurn Kitzski! Something to note about the Skicircus is that much of the off-piste terrain on the south-aspects above Hinterglemm, Saalbach & Vorderglemm is alpine & sub-alpine meadows that require relatively little snow to cover it all up and create a freeride powder paradise.

One great recent development is the new lift connection with Zell am See at the base of piste 60 in the hamlet of Viehhofen. Anyone coming back from Zell am See will need to take a bus to get back up to the Skicircus lifts & villages though, as Viehhofen has no current lift (something that is changing soon).

Perhaps a victim of its own success, a tell-tale sign this resort is getting too busy is that the humble quad chair has become an endangered species, with 6 & 8-seater chairs, plus 8 & 10-person gondolas now the main uphill conveyance. The morning traffic up the Schӧnleitenbahn (gondola) in the morning is quite staggering (with both day-trippers and the early morning lappers from the up-valley villages enjoying the long 2b valley run from Schattberg Ost peak), and the piste condition suffers greatly as a result.

Whilst the busiest areas of the resort are in and around the villages of Saalbach & Hinterglemm, there are several sectors that remain relatively quiet. The excellent north-aspect runs into Leogang below the Asitzbahn mid-station were superb during our visit. We skied shallow powder off-piste despite the last snowfall being over 5 days previous. The Fieberbrunn sector is typically quiet too and has the resorts best freeride terrain by a long way. We found powder on several aspects off the Reiterkogel summit, but each descent required us to ski areas that were officially closed. Intermediate piste 36a was closed, but we found it was one of the best of the day for snow quality. Ironically it is also one of the few pistes in the SkiCircus not covered by snow-making.

A highlight of the resort are the many superb mountain restaurants & bars. Everywhere you go there will be a somewhere interesting to have a drink or food. We were sorely tempted to prop at several of them and drink the afternoon away in the sun, but with a car parked at Vorderglemm, we preferred to ski back rather than take a bus. The long 2b piste back to Vorderglemm is a favourite of ours (despite being rated ‘easy’) and worth doing non-stop and ‘at speed’ if you have the leg strength. Après ski is usually vibrant in the Skicircus but covid restrictions limited the fun this season. All of the multitude of bars in the lower parts near Saalbach or Hinterglemm will be pumping again next year!

The Skicircus is still one of the best interconnected ski resorts in the Austria & the world. Modern, diverse, high-quality, and huge, it is worth visiting all winter, particularly on a powder day. However, having skied hundreds of resorts in Europe, we no longer think is holds a place in the top-tier of resorts for Powder Hounds. Getting too crowded and too expensive. With eyes wide-open, that’s ok, you will still love it! Be flexible on your travels, do a reconnaissance on a clear day, then return in powder during the storm when all the crowds are still tucked up in their hotels waiting for the next sunny day.

See our video here

It had last snowed 5 days prior to skiing Saalbach. In order to not be disappointed I kept my expectations low. Wow. My expectations were blown out of the water. Cracking little town, plenty of fresh off-piste powder still available, great apres scene. Enough terrain and lifts here for a lifetime of (mis)adventure. Fieberbrunn is the 'go to' sector for off-piste, but anywhere is awesome on a powder day. Put it on your list.

For a full list of the resort's Pros & Cons, see our Skicircus Saalbach overview page.

See our video here