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Resort Guide

Suitability	Resort height: 1003m
Families:		[Yes]
Glacier:		[No]
Beginners:		[4]
Intermediates:		[5]
Advanced:		[4]
Snowboarding:		[5]

Hinterglemm is part of a larger ski area known as Saalbach Hinterglemm, and is the smaller of the two villages, which a few kilometres apart which share one of Austria's largest ski areas, known as the Skicircus.

The area's 200km (125 miles) of piste are well connected so that you can travel around the valley in a giant circuit without needing to repeat a run. They also form a lift connection to a third village on the lift pass – Leogang.

The area is the second most popular destination in Austria after Vienna, attracting well over a million winter guests annually, many of them driving down over the nearby border from Germany. Unlike many ski areas, there are some 20 different routes up from the valley in to the ski circus so there is no need for bottle-necks getting up on to the slopes each morning.

Many accommodations are ski-in, ski-out and, wherever you descend to the valley, you'll find a free ski bus service circulating which can bring you back to your starting point if you don't make it on skis.

Beginners

Beginners have ski slopes right in the village, snow conditions permitting, for maximum convenience. Once you have mastered basic technique you will then find increasingly long easy blue runs stretching further up the slopes and in to the main ski circuit, so you can both stretch your abilities further and enjoy your new found abilities as much or as little as you like.

Affordable "first time skier" packages can be offered which include equipment rental and five full days of tuition at a much lower cost than buying these elements separately.

Intermediates

A great choice for intermediate skiers, there's a wide range of pistes up to eight kilometres (five miles) long to enjoy, with everything from wide open 'motorway' trails across barren snowfields above the forests, to plunging, winding classic runs down through the trees.

More than 55 runs are graded either easy or intermediate. If you haven't clocked up enough piste kilometres in the daytime the Unterschwarzach lift serves a floodlit piste in the centre of Hinterglemm for night skiing and boarding.

Advanced

Saalbach Hinterglemm's status as a centre for some of the world's best skiers was boosted by its hosting of the 1991 Alpine World Ski Championships and subsequent World Cup races.

Many skiers are also attracted by the large number of off piste routes that are marked on the piste map and offer half as much skiing again as the groomed piste, and cross both wide open powder fields and some tree skiing sectors. Back on the groomed trails the long black beneath the Schattberg gondola is on the "must ski" list for better skiers.

Snowboarding

Saalbach Hinterglemm is one of Europe's major snowboarding centres, and a decade ago, when many resorts were still banning snowboarders from their slopes, it was one of very few that decided to create 'boarder only' zones where skiers were not allowed. The crossover of the two sports in recent years has nullified the need for these restrictions.

The resort also created a special boarder route around its famous 'circus' and organised international competitions each winter. There are two terrain parks on the circuit, one over at Leogang, the other just above Hinterglemm.

Other Activities and Facilities

Outdoor options off the ski slopes include 10km of cross country skiing at Hinterglemm and a high altitude 1.7km loop 1800m up on the sunny side to the Glemm Valley between Reiterkogel and Hasenauer Kopffly. This is maintained daily but you do need a lift ticket (special cross country skiers rate available) to get up to it.

There are also over 50km (32 miles) of prepared winter hiking trails, ice skating and curling rinks, and the opportunity to race down a toboggan run, try tubing or take a sleigh ride through the woods. Ice karting or snowmobiling are also possible.

Indoor facilities are also good. The main public sports centre is in Hinterglemm which has an indoor pool along with sauna, solarium and massage facilities. There are also indoor tennis as well as squash courts and bowling alleys.

Après Ski and Dining Out

There are about 70 bars and restaurants in the resort with perhaps a third of these in Hinterglemm. Saalbach definitely has a reputation as a major après ski destination for those who like lively night spots, and has received the maximum five stars in the 'après ski' awards of one of the large German ski guides.

Hinterglemm is quieter. The Goasstall above Hinterglemm is one of the livelier options when the slopes close. Later on the Glemmerkeller and Tanzhimmel are busy. Dining options include all the usual Austrian staples but you'll also find Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Spanish and Thai options – an unusually wide range.

Families

The Snow and Fun ski and snowboard school in Hinterglemm, one of several based in he village, operates a ski kindergarten for children aged three and older. Ski school normally begins at age four-and-a- half (snowboarding from age ten) and low price packages including equipment rental and four-and-a-half hours tuition each day (divided between morning and afternoon) may be available. Lunch and lunchtime supervision may be available but this should be checked in advance direct with the resort if essential to you.

Accommodation in Hinterglemm

• Hotel Austria - 3 star,
• Hotel Ellmauhof - 4 star, half board
• Hotel Reisinger - 2 star, half board
• Hotel Tirolerhof - 4 star, half board
• Hotel Wolf - 4 star, half board
• Sonnalp - 3 star, half board
• Sonnblick Hotel - 3 star, half board

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