Ski & Snowboard Touring in Saalbach & Kaprun.

Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn links four villages and around 270km of piste across Salzburg and Tyrol. With the Ski ALPIN CARD it connects to Zell am See's Schmittenhöhe and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier above Kaprun.

For freeride, Fieberbrunn is the standout: its Wildseeloder faces host the Freeride World Tour, and much of the best off-piste is a short traverse from the lifts. In Saalbach and Hinterglemm, the north-facing sides of Schattberg and Zwölferkogel hold snow well after storms. The Kitzsteinhorn adds glacier terrain up to 3,029m and the most reliable snow early and late in the season.

That mix of easy access and variety is why we run technique and off-piste courses here: you can work on one skill all day without long approaches.

The season usually runs from late November or early December into April, with the Kitzsteinhorn glacier opening earliest. Our on-piste technique courses run in December; off-piste courses run in January, once there's a proper base.

January to March is the best window for powder, with north faces holding snow longest. Spring brings corn on the sunny sides.

We don't publish snow depths or forecasts on this page — they go out of date within hours. These are the sources we check ourselves: Windy for wind, freezing levels and storm tracking, and the resort or regional forecast for snow detail. On a guided trip your guide checks them, plus the snow on the ground, every morning before any plan is set.

Windy — Saalbach Hinterglemm
Snow-Forecast — Saalbach Hinterglemm
Snow-Forecast — Fieberbrunn
Snow-Forecast — Kaprun

Off-piste here is easy to reach, which is exactly why it catches people out. The official avalanche bulletin for this area is published by Lawinenwarndienst Salzburg (the official Salzburg avalanche warning service) for the Salzburg side, and avalanche.report (the Euregio service) for Fieberbrunn in Tyrol — read it every day you go out, and read the whole thing, not just the danger level.

⚠ Conditions change fast — this is for planning only. Always check the live bulletin and consult a certified local guide before heading out.

Our on-piste technique courses stay out of avalanche terrain. On the off-piste course we ride terrain chosen for the day's conditions, with the bulletin read every morning; beacon, shovel and probe are not required on that course because we stay out of avalanche terrain, but bring them if you have them.

The ski areas have transceiver training fields and checkpoints — use them.

In Austria, mountain rescue is run by the Bergrettung Salzburg (and its sister organisations in the other provinces). Raise the alarm on the Austrian mountain rescue number 140 or the European emergency number 112. Coverage is good in the ski areas and patchy in the side valleys.

Travel and medical insurance with mountain rescue and helicopter cover is essential and is not included in our trips. We recommend Austrian Alpine Club (Alpenverein) membership, which includes mountain rescue cover.

Salzburg (SZG) is the nearest airport, with Munich (MUC) the bigger hub further away. Austria's rail network reaches deep into the Alps, so getting to Zell am See by train is realistic. Saalbach and Kaprun are both about an hour to an hour and a half from Salzburg by road.

On our courses we usually drive together between areas to follow the snow.

We arrange accommodation for our courses unless agreed otherwise — usually basic shared accommodation such as apartments or bed and breakfasts, close to where we ride.

Independently, all four Skicircus villages, Zell am See and Kaprun have everything from pensions to large hotels. Book early for school holidays.

Rental is easy in every village. DOWN demo skis are available on most of our courses — tell us your size when you book.

Bring: helmet (mandatory on our courses), goggles with a low-light lens, layered clothing, spare gloves. For off-piste and touring days beyond the courses: beacon, shovel, probe and a backpack.

Austrian mountain huts are part of the experience: Kaspressknödel soup, Germknödel, Kaiserschmarrn and a Radler on the terrace. Down in the valley, most places do proper Austrian home cooking, and the Salzburg region has some excellent gastro-pubs.

Zell am See's lakefront and old town, a thermal spa in the region, or a day in Salzburg itself — less than two hours away.