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SpotCheck | Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbunn

Freeriding in the Home of "Lässig"

by Lorenzo Rieg • 11/06/2019
Since the merger with neighboring Fieberbrunn a few years ago, the "Skicircus" really does offer an almost infinite number of descents for freeriders and ski tourers. During our visit, we were particularly impressed by the opportunities to access long descents in great freeride terrain with short hikes. From extreme variations on the Wildseeloder to relaxed alpine terrain - there is something for everyone.

The Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang-Fieberbrunn ski association is also making an effort for freeriders: avalanche transceiver checkpoints have been installed almost everywhere and the ski resort is one of the first users of the LO.LA snow information and avalanche warning system.

Of course, thanks to the Freeride World Tour stop on the Wildseeloder, it is also clear that there is a lot of freeriding potential here. It's not for nothing that freeriders from Salzburger Land, Tyrol and southern Germany make a pilgrimage to Pillerseetal again and again after fresh snowfall. There is usually enough snow in the entire area between the Steinberge and the Salzach Valley. Especially when the Nordstau the more easterly areas of the Alps, considerable amounts of white gold are often dumped.

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In addition, the area is relatively calm and gets fewer Beaufort winds than other areas, especially in foehn conditions. Of course, it can blow strongly here too, as you are still in the high mountains! So don't forget to pay attention to wind signs and other warning signs when freeriding!

The south side of the Reiterkogel is largely characterized by pistes, although there are of course also one or two corners of powder to be found. However, the numerous variations that lead back to the Hörndlinger Graben and thus to Tirol S are far more interesting. With a little pushing and trudging, you can reach steep and long descents from the lifts, for example from the Hochalmspitze, which are surprisingly little frequented. You can spend quite a while here and you haven't even visited the better-known "highlights" of Saalbach-Hinterglemm.

In contrast to Fieberbrunn, the other ski resorts in the network are less well known for their freeriding opportunities. We think wrongly so. Because since the connection between Reckmoos and Reiterkogel was put into operation a few years ago, the well-known freeride runs around Wildseeloder and Henne have been joined by numerous new options.

Freeriding in the Home of “Lässig”

We start in Fieberbrunn and first ski a few runs on Lärchfilzkogel and Reckmoos-Nord before descending from the summit via very wide slopes Skiers Left of the Reckmoos-Süd lift into the Hörndlinger Graben. The sunny slopes are not exactly extreme, but they are wide and long. Not only are they a lot of fun, they are also relatively safe due to the southern exposure and lower gradient. Instead of heading back up towards Fieberbrunn, we take the Tirol S southwards to the Reiterkogel and are quickly practically directly above Hinterglemm.

The south side of the Reiterkogel is largely characterized by pistes, although there are of course one or two corners of powder to be found. However, the numerous variations that lead back to the Hörndlinger Graben and thus to Tirol S are far more interesting. With a little pushing and trudging, you can reach steep and long descents from the lifts, for example from the Hochalmspitze, which are surprisingly little frequented. You can spend quite a while here and you haven't even visited the better-known "highlights" of Saalbach-Hinterglemm.

These start from the Schattberg-Xpress, for example, directly above Saalbach. Here, there is playful terrain in the immediate vicinity of the lift and slopes, but also really long runs, for example to the west down to Hinterglemm. With a little ascent (with or without skins), you can also reach numerous other interesting runs from the Schattberg with little effort, for example from the Stemmerkogel to the west. If you go a little further south with skins, there are also some interesting downhill options from the Saalbachkogel.

All in all, it would be impossible to ski all the options in the Skicircus in one day, especially as you have already been on skis and in the lift for quite a while from Leogang via Saalbach and Hinterglemm to Fieberbrunn.

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Ski tours around Saalbach and Hinterglemm

And if the snow is completely gone, the extensive ski resort also offers numerous opportunities for longer ascents with skins to earn some “First Tracks”. Of course, you can start directly from the valley, or shorten an ascent with the lifts, or add another descent with lift support.

The valley head of the Glemmtal valley from Lengau is interesting here, for example, from where you can tackle the Saalkogel, Tristkogel and Staffkogel as summit destinations. Or you can ski from the Seekarlift (or after a short ascent from the Hohe Penhab) first to the east into the Vogelalmgraben (which is also well worth doing as a freeride descent) and then climb the Schusterkogel from there.

Conclusion

Overall, the area impresses with its diverse options. From extreme variations to classic ski tours to relaxed freeride slopes for beginners, the "Home of Lässig" offers something for practically everyone, because in addition to the variations for freeriders praised here in the article, there are of course also plenty of pistes, huts and bars.

Information and links

How to get there: From the north via Bad Reichenhall or Inzell to Lofer and from there either to Fieberbrunn or via Saalfelden to Saalbach. From the east via Bischofshofen and either via Maishofen to Saalbach or via Saalfelden to Fieberbrunn. From the west from Sankt Johann to Fieberbrunn or via Saalfelden and Maishofen to Saalbach.

Fieberbrunn in particular is also very easy to reach by public transport thanks to the train connection!

Maps: Freeridemap Fieberbrunn (Only covers the area around Fieberbrunn)

Books: PowderGuide.com - The best freeride areas in the Alps

Link to the ski resort

Photo gallery

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