Hirschenkogel am Semmering – Zauberberg

Hirschenkogel am Semmering
Winter experience with tradition at the Magic Mountain

The Hirschenkogel on the Semmering, also known as the Magic Mountain, is certainly not one of the largest, but it is one of the best known and most visited areas in Austria. Located on the border between Lower Austria and Styria, it is popular and frequented by locals and even more so by Viennese, Hungarians and Slovakians. It is also extremely easy to reach via the motorway and expressway. The Hirschenkogekl is a real sports mountain that is just as attractive in summer as it is in winter, when families are drawn to the Magic Mountain as are fun-loving young people or ambitious skiers. The attraction is particularly strong on weekends, which is reflected in correspondingly large crowds.
Another attraction for city dwellers is the baby slope at the top of the pass, complete with the so-called Happy Lift, where children can romp around while parents stand next to them in the sun and watch their offspring slide around. This is also reflected in the way the resort sees itself: The Magic Mountain is not just a ski area, but a winter experience with lots to offer the whole family. There is also a winter hiking route to the most beautiful viewpoints on the railway hiking trail. Culturally, something has also recently changed with the opening and use of the traditional Südbahn Hotel: guided tours, music and literature now take place there.

A floodlight system, which offers pure night skiing pleasure, is probably the greatest special feature of the Hirschenkogel. With 1,300 lux, it is, according to its own information, the most powerful night skiing facility in Europe and is also used in the women's World Cup races, which take place here every two years between Christmas and New Year. In fact, visibility on the perfectly lit slopes can often be better at night than during the day. There are 14 kilometers of slopes in total and, in addition to the FIS World Cup slope, there is also the relatively steep Diamond slope. New in the 2023/24 winter season, there is a bag jump (16 m long, 8 m wide) for skiers and snowboarders to jump on.

The infrastructure is goodThe snowmaking facilities cover 13 of the 14 kilometers of slopes. Also worth mentioning are the Zauberbar and Seewirtshaus, which offer more than the average ski refreshment stations, and the three-kilometer-long toboggan run, which can also be used at night and is very popular with city dwellers. Motto: Get in the gondola and go down on the toboggan as often as you like. In general, the Zauberberg is very family-friendly, but snowboarders and trick skiers also get their money's worth in the Split Park. Children up to five years old ski for free; senior tickets are available from 60. The area (with season tickets) is also a member of the Ostalpen Card ski association.
Due to Semmering's long tradition as a climatic health resort with the status of a World Heritage Site, including a number of pretty Art Nouveau villas, there are also accommodation options, a tennis center and a fitness center - so there is plenty of variety. The disputes surrounding the Ukrainian owners of the ski area and the country, which recently somewhat dampened the positive mood on the Magic Mountain, have fortunately subsided. We can only hope that this will continue to be the case in the long term - Semmering is a winter tourism fixture that is simply part of Lower Austria. The successful completion of the 1.7 million euro tunnel water project from the tunnel portal in Maria Schutz to the Zauberbar pumping station with a length of 3,300 meters including additional pumping capacity also gives hope.