Lachtal

Lachtal
Gentle snow giant with a great past

The Lachtal, located in central Styria near Judenburg and reachable by car from Graz and Vienna in one and a half or two and a half hours respectively, used to be the ultimate destination for many winter sports fans. The ski area experienced its heyday in the 1970s in particular as the "Styrian Arlberg" - which seems a bit exaggerated in times of ever larger regional mergers. Nevertheless, the Lachtal has a relatively small number of ten lifts and covers a large winter sports area of 150 hectares. There, skiers and snowboarders can enjoy 26 kilometers of blue, red and black slopes and 10 kilometers of ski routes against a spacious, gentle mountain backdrop - such as the Grosslachtal, Hirzmann and Zinkenschlucht ski routes. There is also enough space for winter fun away from the slopes. As part of the 2015 Snowboard and Freestyle Ski World Championships on the nearby Kreischberg, two attractive competitions were also held in the Lachtal. The world's best snowboarders fought for the coveted World Championship titles in the parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom.
Despite the alpine altitude of between 1,600 and 2,222 meters, reservoirs and snowmaking systems have recently been built, making the ski area even more snow-sure. In 2010, the Lachtal was upgraded for seven million euros and woken from its hibernation. At that time, a second, modern 6-seater chairlift was built in the Schönberg-Tanzstatt area - including the extension of the ski area towards Pusterwald and the replacement of the aging Zinken drag lift. In recent years, 3.5 million has been invested in strengthening and expanding the snowmaking system - including a new, fully automatic pumping station at the Lachtal reservoir at 1,900 meters above sea level, 3 transformer stations and 35 additional snow cannons (so there are now a total of 85 snowmakers). An offer that is now appreciated not only by Austrians but also by the numerous guests from Austria's eastern neighbors, who dominate the ski area.

child-friendliness is a big deal in the Lachtal, which has given itself the title of "gentle snow giant" - which is also evident from the Family Days discount rates in the pre- and post-season. The "Children's Lachtal" has a magic carpet, teddy rope lift, mini slalom, colorful figure course, wave track, snow channel, treasure hunt, Lachtal children's taxi and childcare facilities - as well as the new "Wild Lachtal" adventure course. There is also a speed course with speed measurement. An illuminated toboggan run, an ice skating rink, winter hiking trails and the opportunity to go snowshoeing round off the offer for a successful winter holiday.

For ski tourers The Lachtal is also an attractive region - overall it is characterized by its provincial charm and good value for money, which is reflected in everything the ski area has to offer. This also applies to the twelve huts and inns on the slopes, which spoil hungry winter sports enthusiasts with Styrian home cooking such as dumpling soup, roast meat, Jagatee, alpine coffee and pine schnapps.