Situated 2km west of the ski resort of Saalbach at the upper end of the Glemmer Valley (Glemmtal) in the Zell am See district of Austria's SalzburgerLand, Hinterglemm is the quieter, higher-altitude village of the twinned Saalbach-Hinterglemm nexus of the Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn Skicircus resorts.
Although these two neighbouring villages are roughly the same size, Hinterglemm lacks Saalbach's cosier radial layout and is arranged mostly along one main street. The valley road bypasses the village via a tunnel, at least leaving this main street more pedestrian-friendly and lending the village some central focus and somewhere for residents and guests to head to for an evening stroll.
What it lacks in classic Alpine cuteness, however, it makes up for in friendliness and facilities, and it is perhaps the better of the two resorts for families and beginners; its slopes are also the most varied in the valley, making it a great resort for intermediates and more advanced visitors too, as there are a few testing black runs above Hinterglemm. All the main access lifts are gondolas and the majority of lifts serving the upper slopes are fast, covered chairlifts. Off-slope attractions include winter walks, sleigh rides and tobogganing.
Hinterglemm - Ski Map & Pistes:
Hinterglemm is home to a spacious beginners' area, fenced off from the main pistes, plus a good snowpark with a halfpipe and a bordercross course, on floodlit slopes next to the village.
The cirque at the head of the Glemmtal forms the backdrop to Hinterglemm and gives it the highest and most snow-sure slopes in the Skicircus, particularly on the Spieleckkogel and Reichendlkopf summit sectors, to the north-west above the hamlet of Lengau, and on the north-facing flanks of the Zwolferkogel to the south-west.
All of the principal access lifts from the outskirts of the village are gondolas and the majority of lifts serving the upper slopes are fast, canopied chairlifts, although queues can still be a problem in high season because of the sheer volume of visitors.
The Hinterglemm circuit covers 30 km and can take about 3.5 hours. the slopes are also linked in a circuit with Saalbach, via the Schattberg peaks on the southern side of the valley and the Reiterkogel and Bernkogel peaks on the northern side, the pistes are mostly well-groomed wide motorways, with some pleasant wooded areas on their lower sections, and well-served by plenty of good mountain bars & restaurants.
For intermediate and advanced skiers the big attraction here is the possibility of either racking up huge mileage or seeking out the excellent powder fields elsewhere in the Skicircus, in particular above Fieberbrunn. With 270 kilometres of ski slopes, the Skicircus is certainly one of the largest ski areas in Austria, with 140 km blue, 112 km red and 18 km of black slopes. With 70 cableways and lifts, numerous snow parks, a freeride park, floodlit slopes and toboggan runs, the Skicircus skiing region is one of the most diverse and best ski areas in the Alps, with masses of cruisey runs for intermediate skiers to get stuck into.
One of the undoubted highlights of the wider ski area is The Challenge – a 65km ski circuit taking you around the whole Skicircus in around seven hours. Clocking up 32 lifts and 12,400m in height along the way, it’s probably the longest of its kind in the Alps. You can also top up the mileage with a Ski Alpin lift pass that gives you access to the slopes of Zell am See and Kaprun, making an available ski area of 408 km.
Hinterglemm - Off-Piste, Backcountry & Ski Touring:
In the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn, you will find numerous off-piste possibilities combined with the breathtaking backdrop of the Kitzbüheler Alps. Legends are made from such events as the Freeride World Tour which comes here each winter.
The Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn also has its own Freeride Park in the Leogang sector, countless freeride routes of varying grades of difficulty, info-point, LVS search fields & checkpoints along with a specially tailored avalanche warning report for the region. For the best freeride skiing in the Skicircus, however, head to the Fieberbrunn sector. Fieberbrunn has ideal conditions for freeride, and the wild contours of the slopes of the 2,117m Wildseeloder were discovered by the up-and-coming freeriding scene some years ago.
It's also renowned for being easy to access - there are no long walks to reach the freeriding terrain.
Hinterglemm - Restaurants, Bars & The Town:
There are more than 60 huts in the Skicircus, and these are as diverse as the pistes. A local favourite is the Xandl Stadl, located on the Zwölferkogl with a wonderful panoramic view of Hinterglemm.
Hinterglemm is noticeably less raucous than Saalbach when it comes to village nightlife, but there's no lack of buzzing apres-ski bars, some of them at mid-station altitudes, such as the slope-side Bigfoot, the Almbar, and the very popular Goasstall, packed with party people swarming around the snow patios and umbrella bars next to the slopes and bopping along to a pulsating soundtrack from DJs and/or live bands from mid- to late-afternoon.
Later on in the evenings, Hinterglemm's handful of pubs and cool hotel-based bars, including the stylish cocktail bar in the Alpine Palace Hotel, do provide an adequate choice of venues, but many people choose to take a taxi or bus down to much livelier nearby Saalbach, where the centrally located Castello is a popular nightclub, but many of the bars and pubs also have dance floors, including some hotel bars too.
Hinterglemm - Ski Hire:
From ski boots to skis and snowboards, there are many excellent options for ski rental in the Saalbach-Hinterglemm area, but some good calls if you're staying in Hinterglemm itself are Hervis Hinterglemm in the village centre, Heli's Ski School and Rent, and four branches of Gumpold Mountain Sport.
Hinterglemm- Ski School:
Whether you're a beginner taking your first turns, or an experienced skier wanting to hone your off-piste skills, you'll find the various ski schools in Saalbach-Hinterglemm will help you make the most of the extensive ski area, including SkiSchool Activ, Ski School Penhab, Heli's Ski School and Rent, and Ski Total Ski and Freeride School.
