Schladming

We first visited Schadming in Styria in 1972 after it staged the World Championships, and visit when we can as it is a superb area for Ski Easy followers. Not particularly obvious when you look up from the town square and see the steep black Planai run into the base station – used only for major ski races.

However the three adjoining mountains are all linked and all have a variety of user-friendly red and blue slopes to keep good skiers happy all day. The Hauser Kaibling peak, at 2015 metres, is the top ski height, whilst the Hochwurzen’s benign pistes provide some of the best teaching and improving areas in all of the Alps – and the trusty Tritscher ski school is still helping struggling Brits as it did for us 40 years back. Similarly Ski-Easy is Mountain No 4, the Reiteralm, also with easy red and blue runs all over.

Then there’s the small Dachstein glacier, where we have managed to have a run or two even in June.

All the mountains have a good selection of rustic restaurants serving all the usual favourites, such a gulaschsuppe and Tiroler Grostl and one of the best Kaiserschmarren we have ever wolfed down.

Apres ski is typically Austrian and there is a goodly variety of hotels of all grades to suit all pockets. A great area for a mixed non-expert group of families, as it is generally inexpensive and an hour from Salzburg.

Schladming has its own area ski pass, but is also on a giant Amade area ski pass, which covers Salzburgland’s 3 Valley and as far as Badgastein (more than an hour by road).

Height – 740m – 2015
Lifts 45
Km pistes 125
6-day local area pass – €220