Radstadt Altenmarkt ski resort is one of those small-town ski hills that is bigger & better equipped than one could possibly expect. There are two simple but effective base areas a few km from their respective closest towns. The Radstadt sector has an 8-seat gondola running bottom to top, a surface tow and broad beginner slope for novices, plus rental, food & après options. The base area gets morning sun which is nice when the temperatures are low (like during our visit). The Altenmarkt sector has a similar range of lifts & facilities but on a different aspect of the ski hill. Shaded first thing in the morning in mid-winter, lifts include a new 10-seater gondola and surface tow for novices. The new base building includes ticket sales, gear rental, warming/change room with lockers and toilets. Car parking is conveniently directly next to the building and lifts.
After a quick recon the previous day (having driven direct from Munich airport), the next morning we were greeted with a deliciously cold -15oC morning with crisp fresh snow on the hill and blue skies. Parking at the Altenmarkt base, we were alone on the slopes for the first hour. After a few hours we had our fill and went in search of other challenges in nearby resorts.
The 700m+ skiable vertical on either side of the hill has fabulous fast piste as good as anywhere in the world. The pick of them is piste number 6 which runs top to bottom to the Radstadt base. With only one short, advanced piste trail and a limited off-piste there is little for better skiers & snowboarders, but the modern lifts, perfect groomed piste trails, views and range of mountain huts more than make up for it. And let’s face it, this ski hill is for families and super-cruising, not steep off-piste powder hunters. Radstadt Altenmarkt is also great when cold blizzards blow in and higher elevation resorts turn hellish! The upper mountain terrain is served by two quad chairs, so it is possible to cut some fine laps without taking skis off (i.e. when using the gondolas).
With two sledding trails on the mountain, this is a good place to try this exciting non-ski activity. Not just for children, everyone will love speeding down the trails - it is fast and fun for all ages. The longest trail goes top to bottom on the Radstadt side.
With 10 on-mountain bars (most with restaurants), there are certainly alot of options for shenanigans during the day. After hours, the ski hill gets quiet quickly. The respective towns are also lacking in any real action. Radstadt usually has an outdoor bar going with tunes (in non-covid seasons!) in the town square and is probably the more interesting after-hours location. Altenmarkt has very little going on in the way of nightlife.
Either town makes a good base from which to explore the region. We have previously stayed in Radstadt when we skied Obertauern a few seasons ago. Gorgeous town, surrounded by a medieval wall and towers and with a convenient trin station and bus linkages. This time, with a rental car, we stayed in a self-contained apartment overlooking Altenmarkt and made day trips to several local resorts including Zauchensee, Snow Space Salzburg (Flachau etc) and Schladming. Whilst quiet after hours, Altenmarkt has a wider range of shops & services than Radstadt. Altenmarkt is also the home of the Atomic Skis factory!
The main negatives of the ski resort are the price, and its low elevation. A day pass is way over the odds for such a smallish ski hill, but thankfully includes Zauchensee. After the few hours testing the legs, we availed ourselves of the lift pass flexibility and headed there for some steeper, higher elevation skiing. The low altitude (850m to 1571m) makes it vulnerable to warming conditions.
We enjoyed our sliding on this hill. It was perfect for a first day in Austria and would be great for families easing their way into skiing the Alps.