Schladming 4 Berge Ski Resort Austria
Schladming ski resort is the centrepiece in a collection of 4 lift companies interlinked across 4 mountain peaks (Hauser Kaibling, Planai, Hochwurzen, Reiteralm) in central Austria. Otherwise known as 4-Mountain (4-Berge or 4-Peaks), the north-facing terrain has a solid skiable vertical of over 1,250m, served by 46 super-modern lifts & around 127km of world-class piste trails (including ski routes). Schladming rates highly as one of the best on-piste ski areas in Austria, Europe & the world.
Pros & Cons for Schladming Ski Resort
Pros
- Superb range of on-piste trails for all abilities.
- Ultra-modern & efficient lift system.
- Long top to bottom descents of over 1,000m vertical on all 4 mountains.
- Lift lines are almost non-existent during the week, limited by the incredible uphill capacity of the chairlifts & gondolas.
- Lots of awesome mountain huts throughout the resort.
- Numerous fun slopes & parks throughout all sectors.
- The best (& perhaps most challenging) toilet in an Alps ski resort (Sky Toilet on Planai - you will know what we mean when you check it out for yourself!).
- In a normal year (i.e. non-covid!) there is great après ski available at multiple venues on & off the mountains.
- Plethora of accommodation options throughout the valley & mountainsides to suit all needs & budgets.
- Fantastic public transport access by bus & train, plus ample free car parking for day trippers right at the lifts in all base areas.
Cons
- Surprisingly limited off-piste terrain (with the notable exception of Hauser Kaibling).
- Major piste trails can be busy & get skied off/bumped quite early under certain conditions.
- Not a powder seekers destination.
Pro or Con (depending on your perspective!)
- Lower part of mountain is ‘climate challenged’, but any deficits are made up by an impressive snow-making system.
- The main town of Schladming lacks the classic Austrian village charm found in other locations.
- Lift pass valid in all Ski amadé resorts but price is relatively expensive for Austria (you get what you pay for though!).
- A popular ski resort area that attracts a crowd but manages it well.
Skiing & Snowboarding, Lift & Terrain
The skiing & snowboarding terrain across the four Schladming mountains is more diverse than one might at first envision. Whilst each has a leg-testing skiable vertical of greater than 1,110m and runs up to 5km long, there are subtle differences across the 4 sectors, 46 lifts and 127km of trails. Planai has the best super-long fall-line pistes and most modern lifts. Hauser Kaibling is best for a combination of easier long groomers, the longest skiable vertical (1,265m) & quality off-piste from its summit. Hochwurzen has the resort's best novice terrain in a rural setting at Rohrmoos, plus fabulous wide intermediate slopes & modern lifts above that. Reiteralm provides another set of stellar groomed top to bottom groomed runs, with a nice mid-mountain learn-to ski area.
Check out the Schladming 4-Berge ski trail map below.
A surprise to us was the relatively limited inbounds off-piste terrain available across the 4 mountains. The best of them by a long way was Hauser Kaibling, with loads of options on all aspects from the top of the Gipfel chairlift. We imagine that in a heavy snow year, the off-piste opportunities all the way down to the valley increase exponentially. For easy access side-country, the peaks north of the Mitterhaus chairlift on Planai hold plenty of promise via a sharp ridge accessing chutes & bowls, plus forest lower down. Marked ski routes on both Hauser Kaibling & Planai look good, but you need to get in early on a powder day to avoid riding in the tracks and bumps of others. Interestingly, during our visit, ski route #9 on Hauser Kaibling was beautifully groomed and lined with snow-making machines, marking it more of a fabulous, advanced piste trail than a ski route.
The ski lifts at Schladming are first class but do vary across the interlinked mountains. Planai has far and away the newest lift infrastructure, easily identifiable by its bright yellow & green colours. The oldest set of lifts is probably in the Hauser Kaibling sector, but like the rest of the resort, they are progressively being updated. Quad chairs are becoming an endangered species which indicates the high number of skiers in the sector, but also indicates the resorts willingness to ensure there are no lift lines! New gondolas, combi chairs/gondolas and 6 & 8-seater hooded express chairs are throughout and becoming more dominant.
The low elevation base of 745m altitude may be challenging in warmer winters, but an incredible snow-making system combine with a cold, shaded, northerly-aspect & loads of upper mountain terrain to balance the equation.
Lift Passes
Part of the greater Schladming-Dachstein ski region, day lift passes are valid in a host of local ski areas (Hauser Kaibling, Planai, Hochwurzen, Reiteralm, Dachstein Glacier, Skiregion Ramsau-Rittisberg, Galsterberg & Fageralm), with multi-day passes valid throughout the massive Ski amadé resort network which includes places like Gastein & Snow Space Salzburg (Wagrain, Flachau et al). Lifts passes are up to €10 per day cheaper if pre-purchased online.
See the Schladming Dachstein ski region map.
Where is Schladming Austria?
The Schladming ski resort is in the upper Enns River valley (Ennstal) of central Austria, in the state of Styria. Only 100km by road south of beautiful Salzburg, Schladming is close to a host of major European cities, with Munich only 2½hr drive. Access to the ski area is superb via rail to Schladming (& Haus or Pichl), and by car from almost anywhere (no high mountain passes to negotiate here!).
Gateway airports are Munich (MUC) & Salzburg (SZG). Salzburg airport only accepts flights from origins within Europe or the UK. Another alternative to Salzburg would be Innsbruck (INN) airport.
Rail is the recommended mode of travel to Schladming. The ski resort is served by no less than 3 train stations, including Schladming, Pichl b.Schladming & Haus im Ennstal. Note that the station at Pichl is quite basic! Hourly direct trains from Salzburg (direction Graz) make the journey to Schladming in a little over 1½hr. Trains from Munich, Innsbruck & Zurich can all easily reach Schladming. Buses to all points of the valley are available from the Schladming station.
Search & book train tickets to Schladming, Pichl or Haus.
Anyone travelling by rental car will find free parking close to the lifts at all the base areas. In Schladming, parking next to the Planai gondola is undercover in a multi-storey complex. The gondola station with full facilities is only a few steps away. Other base areas have free outdoor parking near the respective gondola stations. In Schladming itself, if the main Planai car park is full, an alternative is available at Planai West.
Schladming Accommodation
Whilst the town of Schladming (745m) might dominate the central section of the 4-Berge ski area, a wide range of valley villages & towns are close enough to the action to be utilised for overnight accommodation. At the eastern end of the resort, Haus im Ennstal (752m) is in a great location at the base of the Hauser Kaibling sector, and would be our second preferred lodging location, particularly once the ancient village cable car is replaced with a modern alternative. At the western end of the resort is Pichl (765m), third to Schladming in the preferential stakes, is central to lifts up into the Hochwurzen & Reiteralm sectors. All three villages are accessible by train from anywhere in Austria. Above the valley floor at 1,050m elevation, Rohrmoos is a pretty rural location with excellent ski-in ski-out access to both the Hochwurzen and Planai sectors.
Search & book all Schladming ski accommodation.
To the west of the resort 12km from Pichl, Radstadt is the pick of the alternatives. Its vibrant, historic town centre, railway station & proximity to not only Schladming, but also Obertauern and its own local hill (Radstadt-Altenmarkt & Zauchensee ), make it an excellent base of operations from which to explore the entire region.
Search & book Radstadt accommodation.
Ski Rentals Lessons & Guiding
Ski rentals are available throughout the resort via our local partners in the centre of Schladming and at the ski lift bases, including higher up the mountain at Rohrmoos village (on Hochwurzen). Receive a discount when you search & book via our Schladming Ski & Snowboard Rental page.
On or off-piste ski lessons & mountain guiding are available via our local partners. For more info & options, compare, search & book via our Schladming Ski Lessons & Guiding page.
Review
The Powderhounds visited Schladming recently and enjoyed roaring down its fantastically fun, long groomers, loved frolicking in its many & various parks & fun slopes, plus finding some powder in the interesting alpine off-piste. Click on the review link in the left column (or top of the page if on a mobile) to read all the reviews.
See how Schladming compares to the rest of the Austrian ski resorts on the Austria ski resort ratings page, or compare to the rest of Europe on the European ski resort ratings page.
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