A day in the Skicircus with the Home of Lässig App

Since this winter 2022/23, the "Home of Lässig" app exists with a lot of information and functions around the Skicircus. But what exactly does the app contribute with and who is it useful for? We found some answers during a skiing day in Austria's coolest ski area!

 

I was a bit sceptical when I downloaded the "Home of Lässig" app onto my phone because I am usually finding my way around the ski area with analogue maps and signs. But who knows, maybe an app like this can be quite helpful after all. Here comes the test.

 

Ticket purchase and tracking

Wednesday, 8:00 a.m., I'm getting ready for my day of skiing in the Skicircus. It's quite handy: You can buy the ticket directly on the app, and then either transfer it to an existing keycard or pick it up at the ticket machine or the ticket office at the cablecar stations. I try it out right away. When I arrive at the Asitzbahn at 9 a.m., I receive the ticket without any problems and off I go to the top of the mountain. During the cablecar ride, I browse through other functions of the app and discover the option of tracking under "Play". I immediately start the function and use it to record all the rides in the Skicircus - let's see how many meters in altitude and kilometres there will be in total!

Easy navigation

The app can also be used for navigation. I meet my brother at the top station, and we want to ski the "Hinterglemm circuit" together. The various laps are also visible directly in the app, e.g., the Saalbach, Hinterglemm and Leogang laps and "THE CHALLENGE - the Skicircus circuit". We select a run that matches our circuit - namely the Schattberg-Bahn - and it displays which slopes and lifts we should take. The estimated time is also displayed, 1,5 hours - let's see if we can make it!

Speed check and gastronomy

After some beautiful descents on fresh snow and relaxing time on the consistently comfortable lifts, we reach our first selected intermediate destination - faster than the app predicted. However, today it is also relatively quiet, and we are experienced skiers. This means that even on more crowded skiing days and for relaxed skiers, the times should be well suited. We continue assisted by the app and enjoy the perfect winter day. As we sit in the Schönleitenbahn, we meet three skiers searching for a place to take a break. They ask us for help, and just in that moment, the Home of Lässig app actually reveals a few huts nearby. We decide to wait until the end before we take a break, since there are still a few lifts and downhill runs ahead of us. Once again we try out whether the times calculated by the app match ours, and again, we are a bit faster. Very motivating!

More than skiing

We end the skiing day at the Kralleralm - also found via the app! - we follow the track recorded by the app. We skied over 7,000 meters of altitude and our track was recorded quite precisely. With the "Save track" function, the activity log can be saved and viewed again at any given time. As we continue to browse through the app, we find some more functions: From the current piste map, weather and snow conditions to infrastructural offers (e.g., rental, ski bus schedules, accommodation, gastro), buddy finder, the already mentioned store, which contains ski tickets as well as vouchers and special offers. Here you can find all the info you need for a day of skiing in just one place. But that's not all: the "Active" menu item also shows many other activities in the region, including winter hikes, cross-country ski trails, family recommendations and toboggan runs. I think this a very convenient addition, because activities do not always have to be all about skiing.

Conclusion

My conclusion regarding the app is overall positive. Especially, if you are not yet familiar with a ski area, the app is very practical, but also if you - like me - have already been skiing in the Skicircus, but easily lose the overview due to the abundance of lifts and slopes. These points are particularly positive:

 

  • Everything at a glance, everything on your phone.
  • Info about current conditions, piste status, weather, snow, avalanche report... + emergency button with GPS location!
  • Navigation option and piste map, GPS location on the piste panorama (Where am I?).
  • Tracking, e.g., recording of the GPS track and saving of several tracks.
  • Gastronomy, hotels, stores, rental possibilities, etc. are easy to find.
  • Many other activities around the Skicircus with all the data you need.
  • Buy tickets directly.
  • Suitable for every smartphone user (Android and iOS), for ski area experts and those who are here for the first time.

Photos: Margret Hörl, saalfelden-leogang.com, Michael Geißler, Christoph Bayer Photography