4-Berge-Skischaukel: Schladming, Hauser Kaibling, Hochwurzen, Reiteralm

Schladming – Four-Mountain Ski Area
Four areas tailored to winter sports fans

The ski area, which hosted the second Alpine Ski World Championships in 2013, is known as the 4-mountain ski area. In fact, the densely developed ridge on the south side of the Enns Valley includes much more. Coming from the west, you start from Forstau on the Fageralm, and from Gleiming and Pichl you head to the Reiteralm – and thus into the core area of the four-mountain ski area, which stretches as far as the Hauser Kaibling. The Reiteralm, which is decorated with a hut village and where a new cross park was recently built, is famous for its “early start”. Nowhere else are the slopes covered in snow so early that it is “World Cup-ready”. This is encouraged by the fact that the Schladming slopes tend to be more northerly. Otherwise, the Schladming snow miracle would be even greater, as the lifts start at 750 to 800 meters above sea level. From the Reiteralm you can ski. Varied slopes that meet all requirements and are ideal for carving. The center of the area is beautiful Schladming, which celebrated its 700th anniversary as a town in 2022, with a wide range of restaurants and accommodation options. Après-ski and nightlife are not neglected either. Right next to the valley station of the Planai is the rustic mega-entertainment temple Hohenhaus Tenne. On the mountain, 15 so-called Genuss-Specht innkeepers and a total of 61 cozy ski huts with regional delicacies entice you to stop off for a break.

Everything is top-notch in terms of sport: The Planai World Cup slope is legendary, and with investments of 400 million euros, the area was brought up to date for the last Ski World Cup. There are now more than 120 hot spots with free WiFi throughout the ski area. In the Superpark Planai, you can have your moves on the jumps filmed and then download them online. Investments are ongoing - most recently in the new Alm Arena and Mühlstodl gastro and après-ski hotspots on the Hauser Kaibling and in the new 10-seater Planai gondola. And on the Planai, the largest investment in the company's history to date was made with the 26.5 million euro reconstruction of the main cable car "D-Line" (153 gondolas and 3,800 people per hour). Most recently, the new 8-seater Lärchkogel chairlift was opened on the Palnai. The valley runs in the region are mostly difficult and hard. This also applies to the Hauser Kaibling, which forms a single unit with the Planai in terms of skiing, but offers a variety of slopes for everyone. The Hauser Kaibling is also the highest point of the four-mountain circuit at 2,015 metres above sea level. In the other direction, you can reach the Hochwurzen and then, via some extensive connecting slopes, back to the Reiteralm, where investments have recently been made in widening the slopes, expanding the children's area, creating a "Kids Cool Running" race track with timekeeping and the new 6-seater Schoberbahn.

A very special tour Also in the region is Austria's national ski tour, the Dachstein crossing to Hallstatt. This covers a distance of 25 kilometers and an altitude difference of 2,000 meters. No touring equipment is necessary for this tour, which takes four to five hours - but this year it is not possible due to the cable car closure on the Dachstein glacier. The same goes for the cult freeride run "Edelgrieß" with 18 breathtaking kilometers from the Dachstein massif to Ramsau am Dachstein. And don't forget: the cross-country ski trail network in the four-mountain area is 85 kilometers long - in the entire Schladming-Dachstein region there are 435.