Austria - Salzburg Super Ski Card - Day Trips to Kaprun, Kitzbuhel and Saalbach

Even more resorts to choose from!

For about £60 extra it's possible to replace the Ski Amade Season Pass with the Salzburg Super Ski Card. It is very difficult to drag ourselves from the paradise that is Gastein but we managed it somehow.

With a car and a willing driver, Franz, it is possible to hit the slopes in a massive range of resorts. Some big world class names are only about an hour away. 

Kaprun with its glacier, Kitzbuhel and Saalbach were our first three targets.

High up on the Kitzsteinhorn

Zell am See down below in December

Up on the glacier

Lunchtime on the Kitzsteinhorn

Kaprun and the Kitzsteinhorn was our first venture. About an hour away on a good road it was an excellent option pre-xmas when the snowfall was very limited. They were even making snow on the glacier! Of course, it can get very busy when other resorts are struggling but it was very tolerable in December. The car parks are massive and in High Season you need a bus to get to the lift. Not us though, we parked a few metres from the lift that takes you up to the ski area. The initial ride up is not pretty, without snow cover it was like riding up a quarry. The views up the top are stunning, Zell am See seemed  a world away as we looked down.

Down to Kitzbuhel

Not all slopes register on Skiline - we worked harder than this!

Kitzbuhel, Kirchberg and Pass Thurn is a comprehensive ski area and it is only an hour and a quarter away. We have had a few holidays in Kitzbuhel and, even though we like it, the skiing is a tad overrated. It relies heavily on the appeal of the iconic Hannenkahm Downhill Race. The town is nice of course. However, with Kirchberg and Pass Thurn all connected it is well worth a look. Definitely worth a day trip.

We drove to Mittersill, parked by the lift station and took to a gondola to take us up to Pass Thurn from where we made our way over to Kirchberg. Then we took a look at the Downhill Course in Kitzbuhel itself. The actual downhill took place 2 days earlier so we were able to ski down some of the route with the blue dye still visible. We managed to avoid the town and its pricey shops and headed back to Pass Thurn and our lift to the valley. The final lift section is not skiable so we could not be late.

Saalbach

Saalbach etc on a day trip

Saalbach-Hinterglemm was next on our hit list. Just an hour away from Gastein it is a massive ski area and difficult to cover in a day. Again Parking was easy, right next to the lift at Vorderglenn. We skied over to Leogang in the mist then back to Saalbach from where we headed to Fieberbrunn. Never been there before and it looked to be a very nice ski area. The town was spread along a road but the runs were very good. It would be great to go back one day and fully explore. From Fieberbrunn we headed back to the Hinterglemm Area and then across the road and up to the Zwolferkogel to complete the ring via Schattberg. The area has grown massively since my last holiday there about 30 years ago. There are lifts and pistes everywhere. Huts are still nice though and we had a final coffee at the Simalalm before the last run back to Vorderglemm. The final run was marked Blue but was long and extremely lumpy. I reckon the snow boarders are the cause of the nasty late in the day lumps with ice on the other side. Very difficult to deal with on tired legs. A great day out but exhausting!