Saalbach – Hinterglemm – Leogang – Fieberbrunn Skiing the Ski Circus

**Saalbach – Skicircus** Trail Ski Map – Click on Map to Enlarge in new browser

Saalbach’s Skicircus is a mega sprawling multi-valley resort, comprised of four main alpine villages: Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Leogang and Fieberbrunn. Its a vast ski region just under 1.5 hours south of Salzburg. Saalbach is not super high elevation (830 to 2096 meters) up to 6,876’, but offers a respectable vertical of 3,000+’.

Saalbach is vast, connecting about 12 peaks, 270-kilometers of skiing, served by 70 lifts (including 29 gondolas), with lots of big boulevards for skiing, well-groomed slopes, amazing interconnected lifts, and numerous on-mountain chalets and restaurants. Saalbach has awesome Alps views all around the interconnected peaks. While Saalbach Ski Circus is not as big as The Arlberg, its actually bigger than Ischgl, although Ischgl has higher elevation, and one big mountain.

EPIC ski news: Saalbach is now on Vail Resorts’ Epic Pass, along with nearby Zell am See, Kaprun Kitzsteinhorn, and Ski Arlberg’s St Anton, Lech, Zurs, Stuben. The Epic Pass for just over $1000 a season is also valid at Andermatt-Sedrun and Crans Montana in Switzerland, plus 3 dozen iconic North American mountain resorts, like Whistler Blackcomb, Vail, Beaver Creek, Park City, Breckenridge.

Saalbach is the heart of the “Ski Circus”, it’s a big village with lifts emanating on both sides of the road, east and west. This is the busiest part of the resort. Hinterglemm is the second largest village, and similarly gets crowded. The World Cup ski events are actually in Hinterglemm. Saalbach is very popular on Austrian and German holidays.

We stayed just up the road a bit further in Hochalm, there are just a few lodging properties in Hochalm. Hochalm is quieter, less hectic than downtown Saalbach – but no ski shops, no real village, or après ski bars to speak of. You can enjoy après ski up on the mountain at Wallgalm and ski back to your peaceful hotel. Our Hotel Residenz Hochalm had everything we needed, half board with excellent food – a big buffet breakfast and a 5-course dinner, a spa, a chic bar in the lobby, a ski room with boot dryers. Our beautiful suite had a slope view balcony and big soaking tub, lots of space with modern appointments. The team at Residenz Hochalm was very good, befitting an Austrian four-star ski hotel.

Leogang is a pretty village, with dramatic views, resembling Dolomite peaks. This is the very family friendly part of the ski resort with 2 long gondolas and long 3,000+ vertical foot ski trails. Leogang is home to a summer water park on the lake plus lift-served mountain biking (some of which is quite extreme). In fact they host World Cup Mountain Biking events every summer here.

Leogang’s has some very cool on-mountain chalets for dining and drinks at the top of the 2 gondolas. The alpine architecture in the Alps is so impressive, ancient wood, local stone and mirrored glass create fantastic chalets capturing the amazing views. Umbrella bars and huge sun terraces are perched at the top of most major lifts.

Saalbach Ski Circus’ lifts are modern, high-capacity Doppelmayer 6 and 8-passenger chairs with heated seats and bubble covers, plus 29 gorgeous gondolas with floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows with heated leather seats with race car style upholstery. These major lifts indicate they see major volume of skiers, and lift lines, but we rarely encountered wait times in mid-January.

Fieberbrunn is promoted as a freeriders’ paradise, with some extreme off-piste terrain. In fact, they host a World Freeride event in March. You can easily access Fieberbrunn’s steeps and wide-open snowfields – for off-piste terrain, there’s even a freeride terrain park with natural elements. This side of the resort is less busy than central Saalbach.

Our favorite Fieberbrunn mountain chalet for lunch was Wildalpgatterl Hutte near midstation of the Streuboden Gondola. Its a charming old hut, reserve ahead a candlelight wooden table, the Tirol Grosti was superb!

A fun ski tour in Saalbach is “The Challenge” which is a lengthy day tour of the entire 4 village ski region. You must ride 32 lifts, and ski 66 kilometers in a day to complete The Challenge, tracked with your RFID ski ticket. It is a clockwise tour that can start and end anywhere on the course. We completed the Ski Circus Challenge in 6.5 hours including a quick 30-minute lunch in Bernkokogel . You get a well-deserved prize for skiing the Challenge. While Saalbach has signage around the entire ski region, the Challenge was not as well-designated, so consult the trail map for which lift to ski to next. You will also encounter others on the ski tour, it can be busy at certain key lifts.

Besides hosting World Cup ski races on the Zwolferkogel area, Saalbach’s White Pearl event in March is a big après ski party with live music, like Zermatt Unplugged, and the EDM Festival at Solden. The Europeans know how to throw big music festivals in the mountains which coincide perfectly with spring skiing and sunshine.

Saalbach is part of the Super Ski Card, and The Alpin Card Ski region, which includes nearby Kitzsteinhorn – Maiskogel and Kaprun, and Zell am See, within 30-minutes which you could include on a ski safari in this Salzburg region.

An Epic Pass European ski trip could include Saalbach, Zell am See, Kaprun, and Ski Arlberg in Austria, Switzerland’s Andermatt-Sedrun, Crans Montana, Verbier 4 Vallees region and Les 3 Vallées in France.

Skicircus – Saalbach, Hinterglemm, Leogang and Fieberbrunn Ski Stats:
Elevation: 830 m – 2096 m, 6,876′
Vertical: 1266 m, 4,153′
Lifts: 70 (inc. 29 Gondolas)
Trails: 270 km of prepared pistes, plus lots of Freeriding