Now, I love a good mountain. Mountains are definitely in my top 5 favourite things ever. The Alps are especially awesome. But if we’re talking ski trip destinations specifically, I don’t think you can beat Saalbach and the rest of the Ski Circus area.
As a big Austria fan I’m slightly biased – I don my dirndl on every occasion, I’ve been known to accidentally order steins down at my local and I consider cows with flowers draped around their necks just the cutest. I hasten to add though that I do have a lot of love for other ski resorts across the globe, too. Having skied in Austria, Canada and China to name a few, I’m what you might call a ‘well-rounded skier’. I just happen to love Saalbach the most. Here’s why.
First off, open up your Ski Circus piste map. I know right – wowowoweewaa! You’ve got 270km of marked runs to play with and four ski areas across two regions. More than enough for a week’s adventuring and the perfect amount of piste for any intermediate skier on holiday. So where to first?
Leogang
Fieberbrunn
Hinterglemm
Then, of course, there’s Saalbach itself for sunny slopes, desperately beautiful views and authentic après huts, but more on that later.
If you’re after that amazing feeling where your heart is soaring and you can’t help but smile, then the Ski Circus’ ski area doesn’t disappoint. You can plan new routes every day and you don’t have to keep repeating runs – there’s enough out there. Get to know the slopes, get to know your favourites and make them your own.
On a side note, all of the ski areas are interlinked. This mean there’s no faffing around with buses in the Ski Circus or lugging your skis or boards between lifts. I have zero upper body strength so this was a massive bonus for me. But for you all, this is your holiday – be kind to yourself.
Lifts
Snow Surety
Natural Beauty
Authentic Après
Mixing drinks is dangerous and I obviously advise you not to do it. To save you the trouble (and risk), I tested some of the ‘fun’ drinks on offer. Flügel is a popular drink with the locals and the schnapps served in Saalbach is super healthy – it always comes served with fruit.
So this is après of the best kind – typical get-on-the-tables-and-break-it-down kind of après. The beer’s under five euros and there’s no pomp or posing, just pure fun. After the official après is over, there are lots of fun Scandinavian-run bars in town so you can keep dancing/ playing nails/ singing your heart out ’til the cows come home. Not literally of course – that actually happens around the end of September.
A huge part of me is genuinely against raving about Saalbach and the Ski Circus – it’s a wonderful, magical place and was my home for a while. I worry a little bit about everyone showing up and stealing the piste space. But life is short and there’s enough snow to go around. Let’s shout about the good things and share the love as and when we can. So accept my bit of ski love, listen to my words and give Saalbach a whirl.