adrenaline junkies are always in their element in Austria's ski areas. Even in family ski areas, you will unexpectedly find one or two steep slopes that you have to overcome before you can push off.
The number one challenge is generally considered to be the infamous Mousetrap on the Streif in Kitzbühel. It is only a very short section of the course, but with a gradient of 85 degrees it is the steepest slope on the world-famous Hahnenkamm downhill run. Depending on the preparation, the racers jump up to 60 meters, leaving part of the steep drop below them in flight. It is best not to try this, but the Mousetrap is not suitable for people with weak nerves and moderate skiing technique. Otherwise the run can quickly end in an unstoppable fall and, in the worst case, in hospital. Assuming there is sufficient snow, the Mousetrap is only closed to piste skiing from around two weeks before to one week after the Hahnenkamm weekend. Why after the race? Because the Streif would be too icy for us to ski on.
If it's up to the celebrities, If you go by the numbers – see the list on the following page – then the Mausefalle is the clear number one, but if you go by the raw data – the Gamsleiten 2 in Obertauern is another classic that's 100% ahead. G2, as "Gamsleiten 2," was the steepest of all the drag lifts. These days, it's much more comfortable to get up there by chairlift. Going downhill, however, it remains extremely challenging to maintain your footing in the moguls. Among the glacier regions, Salzburg also held the steepness record with the biting, narrow "Black Mamba" on the Kitzsteinhorn. But that's history. Since the Falginjochbahn opened on the Kaunertal Glacier at the end of 2019, Tyrol has been home to the steepest glacier piste. The "Black Ibex" has been precisely measured and arrived at a value of 41.3 degrees, or an 87.85 percent gradient. They consider it the steepest slope in all of Austria, although the run, marked as 1b, isn't very long. But the World Cup slope on the Rettenbachferner glacier in Sölden is hardly inferior to the other two glacier slopes. Year after year, its steepest section increases by one percent. The "ultra-black" category is found in the range of a breathtaking 80 percent gradient. However, the percentages are a bit of a tricky thing. 100 percent on the Gamsleiten slope corresponds to 45 degrees. That doesn't look so bad on a protractor, but when skiing, it's close to the limit. Although: there were times when the Lange Zug run from the Rüfikopf to Lech was listed as 106 percent, and someone even listed the start at 142 percent! Now, while the start is exceptionally wide and groomed, the middle section is truly extremely steep. Even if it's officially only 81 percent. Until two years ago, the Manni-Pranger racecourse on the Bergeralm (Steinach in the Wipptal valley) was listed as Austria's steepest: 102 percent! However, it is no longer prepared in this form.
Among the steepest slopes In western Austria, seven runs with gradients of 77 to 81 percent, marked as "Black Scorpions", stand out in the Silvretta Nova in Montafon. Next door, on the Golm, the Diabolo crashes down pretty vertically. If you like steep slopes, we have scouted out three absolute highlights in the west: the Harakiri in Mayrhofen (Zillertal) has a decent gradient, and its width and flat run-out make it doable for weaker but brave skiers. The two direct Lazid runs in Serfaus seem much more brutal, and the same goes for the "officially" flatter Lange Wand in Ischgl. But the condition of the slopes always plays a decisive role anyway. And this is usually optimal on the Trass run in Zell am See or Zwölfer-Nord in Hinterglemm.
In Carinthia Last winter, the north-facing slope made its comeback. "Our S1 is a run of superlatives – black, absolutely steep, and fast," announced cable car boss Erik Zechmann, who also promised a permanent speed racecourse. The S1 is considered the longest black run in the Alps. On the Großglockner in Carinthia, the 1,520-meter-long direct Fallbichl variant is partly a mogul run. A challenging and enjoyable experience with breathtaking high-mountain panoramas. But the hottest of all is the Franz Klammer World Cup downhill run in Bad Kleinkirchheim. At 3.2 kilometers long, it boasts a vertical drop of 842 meters and a gradient of up to 80 percent. In Upper Austria, specifically in Hinterstoder, the Inferno Piste – true to its name – with a gradient of 70 percent, is the hottest run far and wide. In the Dachstein West region, which crosses the border into Salzburg, there is also plenty for adrenaline junkies: Skiers with exceptional technical skills will love the "Wilde Hilde" (67 percent gradient), "Rock'n Roll" and "Donnergroll" slopes; for less experienced winter sports enthusiasts, the three challenging slopes – even though they are rather short – are only recommended to a very limited extent.
On the Reiteralm in Styria, you'll find several challenging runs – with evocative names like Black Rose (Hahn'l Piste), Black Power (Gasselhöhe Run), Black Queen (Finale Grande), and Black Horse (Rauner Steep Slope). The Black Rose makes its intentions clear right from the start: it plunges down to the valley with an 80 percent gradient. And on the Katschberg, the most demanding run is the Direttissima. Even in the Styrian Salzkammergut region, you can really let loose: namely on the Loser Alm Schuss – the steepest run in the Salzkammergut. Lower Austria's Hochkar also boasts some truly challenging slopes: for example, the Karabfahrt with its 63 percent gradient, the 900-meter-long Häsing Steep Slope, or even better, the Thomas Sykora Slope, a true slalom run. The steepest slope in Lower Austria can of course be found on the Gemeindealpe Mitterbach – the Direttissima from the Terzer Haus is quite something – the descent has a gradient of at least 74 percent.
THE TOP 30: AUSTRIA'S TOUGHEST DOWNHILLS
| LOCATION | PISTE | PERCENT SLOPE |
| Obertauern | Gamsleiten 2, mogul slope | up to 100 |
| Kaunertal Glacier | Black Ibex | 87,85 |
| Kitzbühel | strip mousetrap | 85 |
| Hinterglemm | Zwölfer-Nord | 81 |
| Lech | Long Train | 81 |
| Montafon Silvretta Nova | Black Scorpions | 81 |
| Skiwelt Wilder Kaiser | Alpseite No. 112, Westendorf | 80 |
| Reiteralm | Black Rose | 80 |
| Bad Kleinkirchheim | Franz Klammer | 80 |
| Zell am See | Schmittenhöhe Trass descent | 79 |
| Mayrhofen | harakiri | 78 |
| Goldeck | S1 | 75 |
| Gemeindealpe Mitterbach | Direttissima Terzerhaus | 74 |
| Damüls-Mellau | Sunneg | 73 |
| Ischgl | Long Wall C5 | over 70 |
| Serfaus | Parallel Lazid-X-Drean & Direttissima | over 70 |
| Hochzeiger-Pitztal | Zirbenfall | over 70 |
| Hinterstoder | inferno | 70 |
| Innsbruck Nordkette | Hafelekar: Karrinne ski route | 70 |
| Warth-Schröcken | Salober | 70 |
| Saalbach | Schattberg Nord | 70 |
| Gastein | Bürgerwald piste and S5 Schöneck | 70 |
| Dachstein West | Wilde Hilde | 67 |
| Sölden | Rotes Kar | 65,14 |
| Kitzsteinhorn Glacier | Black Mamba | 63 |
| Hochkar | Karabfahrt | 63 |
| Hochkönig | Aberg No. 16 | 62 |
| Sölden Glacier | RS World Cup slope Sölden | 62 |
| Katschberg | Direttissima | 60 – 100 |
| St. Anton am Arlberg | Schindlerkar | over 60 |
| Maria Alm | Arberg Schreinerloch descent | 60 |