With more than 123km of slopes, the 4-Berge Skischaukel (4 mountains skiing circuit), comprising the ski resorts Planai Schladming, Hochwurzen, Hauser Kaibling as well as Reiteralm, is by far the largest ski area in Styria. It is held in great esteem among skiers due to its highly modern lifts and breathtaking panoramic views of Hoher Dachstein, which is ranked as Styria’s highest mountain (2.995m). The great number of terrific mountain restaurants and ski lodges being evenly - and almost perfectly - dispersed throughout the four ski resorts is what our ski resort testers were particularly thrilled by.
The ski area reaches from Haus im Ennstal in the east to Gleiming in the west by a straight-line distance of 20km. Day trippers and weekenders often access the ski area in Gleiming or Pichl at Reiteralm. Yet, the largest and most popular alpine resort of the 4-Berge Skischaukel undoubtedly is Schladming. After lift closing time, it is the place to be in order to party until the early morning hours.
Although the 4-Berge Skischaukel with an elevation between 745m and 2.015m above sea level does not rank among high-altitude ski resorts, it quite often starts its winter operations in October offering excellent early-season conditions and perfect slopes by the beginning of December.
Surprisingly, yet well-deserved, the 4-Berge Skischaukel not only reaps the Snow Reliability Award, but also the Award of Après Ski, Advanced Skiers, Service and On-Mountain Dining, which rank it among the world’s top-rated ski resorts.