The villages of Saalbach and Hinterglemm lie in the Glemm valley (or "Glemmtal") in the province of Salzburg in western Austria in an area known as the Pinzgau.
The Ski Circus area, which shares lifts with the resorts of Leogang and Fieberbrunn in a neighbouring valley, is one of the most extensive in Austria and has a good snow record, although the top stations of many of the lifts are not that high compared to other resorts in the west of Austria.
Saalbach Elevation: 1003 metres
Hinterglemm Elevation: 1060 metres
Leogang Elevation:
800 metres
Location: 5753 Saalbach/5754 Hinterglemm - Salzburg - Austria
Saalbach and Hinterglemm were originally villages in the farming valley of the Glemmtal and, despite, the changes that the ski industry has brought, that rural character remains during the summer months. But the developments brought about by winter sports have led to Saalbach-Hinterglemm becoming one of Austria's top ski resorts.
The boom in winter tourism and skiing in the area really started after World War II, and the communities have profited from an increase in general prosperity and an influx of inhabitants. From a population of around 1,000 in the mid-1900s the number of inhabitants has grown to over 3,000 with the biggest increase taking place in the 50s and 60s as tourism developed.
Since 1987 the separate village of Saalbach and Hinterglemm have officially become one local council area called Saalbach-Hinterglemm. The ski area also includes the communities of Vorderglemm further towards the entrance of the Glemm valley, and the former mining village of Leogang in the neighbouring Leogang valley.
The combined ski area includes over 200km of ski runs and enough variety that the visitor needs to get up early in the morning just to do a loop around the whole area, and that's without stopping too much along the way! The 62 lifts in what is termed the "Skicircus" are a result of the massive amount of investment that has been pumped into the resorts to make the linked ski area a rival for the title of "biggest in Austria".
And the connection with Fieberbrunn has meant that the area is now even bigger...
Read more about the slopes on our skiing page.
Saalbach-Hinterglemm is reached from the main road between Zell am See
and Saalfelden, while Leogang is even more convenient and is on the road between
Saalfelden and St Johann in Tirol.
Find out more about getting to the resort on our travel information page.
Visitors have quite a few options when looking for where to stay. Saalbach is the best-known 'name' and is the easier of the two villages to get to.
More
information about Saalbach hotels & other accommodation
Hinterglemm on the other hand is higher and has more access to a wider range of immediate skiing.
More
information about staying in Hinterglemm
Leogang is over on the other side of the mountain from Saalbach. It is more convenient for those arriving from the west and north and is quieter than the other two resorts.
More
information about the accommodation possiblities in Leogang