Snow & fun to the max
The clock has changed and winter is really coming to an end. But you should celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of spring and nowhere better to do that than in Saalbach. Saalbach turned orange in recent days when Dutchweekend arrived there. After a great edition of the Italian variant, it was time to throw a party in the Austrian Salzburgerland. With more than a thousand Dutch winter sports enthusiasts, dozens of DJs, two live bands from the Netherlands and the slopes of the Skicircus as a backdrop, it was a long weekend for the books!
Ski circus
So it all happened in the Skicircus in Austria, a ski area on the border of Tyrol and the Salzburgerland and known for the villages Saalbach and Hinterglemm. Saalbach is the ideal location for such a Dutch party, because the Dutch have felt at home here for years and know how to find their way to the Skicircus. It is a lovely village: a cozy atmosphere, lots of nice bars and restaurants and a super ski area around you. Since this year, the ski area has been expanded with a connection to Fieberbrunn in Tyrol, making it an even more fun and versatile area. At the end of March it is still great skiing here and we were even surprised with some fresh snow. But the cannons are now out, the end of the winter sports season is near and so it is time to party. And good too.
Dutch weekend Saalbach
This Dutch party was celebrated in Saalbach for the second year. Last year was such a great success that this edition had to be even bigger and more fun and even though I wasn’t there last year, it was definitely great and fun! And especially because it coincided with Easter, Dutchweekend Saalbach lasted an extra day this year: from Wednesday to Sunday.
Annemerel and I arrived in Saalbach on Sunday evening, but from Wednesday it got really busy with Dutch people. At the Summit Travel welcome desk, everyone was provided with an orange wristband and the party could begin.
The days naturally start on the slopes of the Skicircus and even though it took a while before we got to see the sun, the slopes were generally still in good shape. The end of the season is of course in sight and so the snow will be less later in the day, but that’s exactly when the Dutchweekend parties start. In the afternoon you could lounge at the Panorama Alm, easy going music with a heisse choco, before sinking a little lower towards the Mais Alm around four o’clock. Nice beats from the speakers and Saxojoe with his sax form a wonderful end to a day of skiing. But of course you can’t stay there forever on top of the mountain, so you still had to ski a short distance to put your skis in the rack at Burgi’s and continue après-ski there. And to be honest, it remains my favorite party after a day of skiing, with delicious German ‘sing-alongs’. Fortunately, most Dutchweekend-goers agree with me, because at Burgi’s the biggest party was celebrated every day. By the way, it was far from bedtime, because we also had a few unforgettable evenings in Castello, with the band Royal Beat in a starring role!
And because images say much more than words, here’s a nice photo report of Dutchweekend in Saalbach. Are you coming next year?
Of course there will be another Dutch weekend in Saalbach next year, because that’s how everyone wants to end the winter sports season! Keep an eye on the websites Dutchweek.nl and Summit Travel (where you can book), and I will of course keep you informed! Compliments
Photo credits for all photos with the Dutchweek logo: Stephan Versluis & Christ Clijsen!
