Europe's Under-The-Radar Resort Town May Be The Best Winter Haven To Ski Surrounded In Charm

Austria has an enticing stack of winter wonderland locations. From the thermal spas and holiday markets of Lower Austria all the way to the postcard-worthy European town of Hallstatt, you're never short of places to get the cozy feels going in this land of yodeling, schnitzels, and super-famous composers. What's more, there's skiing by the mountain load, with huge interconnected resorts like Ski Arlberg, along with hidden gems like the onetime mining town of Schladming.

Schladming might not be as famous as other big-hitting Austrian ski slopes. It can't muster the 150 miles or more of groomed piste on offer at Saalbach-Hinterglemm or St. Anton, for example. And it sits in one of the least popular Austrian states for winter travelers. According to Statistics Austria, the state of Styria (where Schladming is located) accounted for only a fraction of the overnight hotel stays recorded in states like Salzburg and Tyrol between November 2023 and April 2024.

But there's something to be said for staying out of the limelight. This is a chance to experience the authentic side of the Austrian winter, in a town with a centuries-old Gothic church near a pedestrian-only square, and where skiing at the local resort has a distinctly easygoing feel. Getting here should be easy, too. Schladming is just 56 miles from Salzburg Airport, a regional hub that's served by oodles of short-haul connections and some long-haul links. Alternatively, you can arrive by train — regular connections to the local Schladming-Dachstein station come from Vienna, Linz, and Salzburg.

Schladming is directly linked to the interconnected ski area known as the 4-Berge, or the 4-Mountain Ski Area. It's a quad of peaks that rise to form the mighty Schladminger Tauern mountains, which, come winter, offer up 76 miles of groomed runs fed by a network of 47 lifts. Check the ski map: See the town center smack dab in the middle of it all? See the two skiable mountains on one side, two more on the other? That's what makes this town such a fantastic base for hitting the slopes.

One past skier, writing on the r/ski subreddit, waxed lyrical about the resort, saying "Plenty of great reds and some blacks, expertly groomed and serviced by the most impressively modern lift network that I've skied." Indeed, there's a general feeling that Schladming excels for intermediate skiers, especially, mainly due to its abundance of lengthy red slopes and wide blues, backed up by some night skiing opportunities.

And the snowy adventures don't end at 4-Berge. Expert winter sportsters worried about snow coverage in the lower altitudes around Schladming could head out to the network of cross-country trails that awaits at the top of the Dachstein Glacier. This terrain unfolds around the highest peak in Styria in a series of long Nordic ski routes boasting spectacular views. In addition, an hour's drive could whisk you down the valley to Riesneralm, another, smaller ski area that's got family vibes and long, tree-lined cruiser runs.

Schladming can trace its origins all the way back to the medieval period. This already sets it apart from the big names in the world of American skiing, like the celeb-ridden alpine playground of Aspen, for example, which began life as a silver boomtown as recently as the 1880s. Schladming also emerged as a mining center, only its roots go all the way back to the 12th century. You can still see some relics from that era at the former miners' hospital of the Bruderladehaus, which is now home to the town museum. Or, check out the Salzburger Tor, the last remaining gatehouse in the old town walls.

This fascinating background sets the scene for a ski destination that's at once steeped in history yet buzzing with local life. Commenting on the ski forum snowHeads, which has over 71,000 registered users, one regular returnee to Schladming outlines the indubitable charm of the place: "It's a town with a life of its own outside of skiing, so it doesn't feel like a typical resort, but there is plenty going on there. I don't usually like going back to places over and over, but Schladming is usually on my list, because it ticks so many boxes."

Indeed, the town center is full of spots where residents and skiers alike can meet and mingle, such as Bäckerei Lasser, a highly rated bakery with 80 years of trading behind it, offering coffee and pastries alongside proper Styrian loaves and rye breads. What's more, the entire Schladming town center is free of car traffic, leaving extra space for après-ski enjoyment and people-watching.