Bad Gastein or Schladming: one lift pass, two very different mountains
The Ski Snug teamUpdated 12 October 20266 min read
Bad Gastein and Schladming are on the same lift pass. Both are in Ski amadé, both fly you to Salzburg, and both run from December to April. But the pass is five regions that are not all joined, and these two are not joined to each other. Schladming's four mountains are a separate domain, and Bad Gastein's own area is one of four separate areas down its valley. So the question is not which ski area. It is which mountain you wake up under, because that is the one you will ski.
And the two mountains are not much like each other. Bad Gastein is the higher and steeper one, with faded belle époque grandeur and thermal spas. Schladming is lower, bigger and gentler, a friendly valley town with floodlit night skiing. So it comes down to what your group cares about more: height, or easy skiing for everyone. The numbers first.
The numbers, side by side
| Figure | Bad Gastein | Schladming |
|---|---|---|
| Village altitude | 1,000 m | 745 m |
| Top of the skiing, measured | 2,644 m | 2,001 m |
| Ski area and lift pass | Its own area is 83 km, one of four separate areas down the valley. Ski amadé pass, 760 km across five regions, not all joined | 123 km across four mountains, linked end to end with no bus. The same Ski amadé pass |
| Piste we measure around the village | 106.6 km | 134 km |
| Blue and easier | 41 km, 39% of the piste | 59 km, 44% of the piste |
| Black | 8.2 km | 12.9 km |
| Marked off piste itinerary | 1.5 km | 2 km |
| Piste steeper than one in four | 37% | 27% |
| Piste gentler than 15% | 29% | 39% |
| Piste at or above 1,800 m | 50% | 7% |
| Season | December to April | December to April |
| Nearest airport | Salzburg | Salzburg |
Schladming takes the size rows, the easy rows and the black row. Bad Gastein takes the height rows, by a distance, and the steep row.
Altitude: Bad Gastein is higher everywhere
Both villages are low. Bad Gastein sits at 1,000 metres and Schladming at 745, the fourth lowest of the 55 resorts we cover, so Bad Gastein is 255 metres higher at the door. The gap opens up on the hill. The top of the skiing we measure at Bad Gastein is 2,644 metres, 643 above Schladming's 2,001, which is also the fourth lowest of the 55 we cover.
That carries right through the piste. Half of Bad Gastein's piste is at or above 1,800 metres, and 27 percent is above 2,000. At Schladming, 7 percent reaches 1,800, the third smallest share of the 55 resorts we cover, and almost none of it reaches 2,000. Half of Schladming's piste sits below 1,384 metres; half of Bad Gastein's sits above 1,799.
Neither is snow sure on our measure, which asks for more than half the piste at or above 1,800 metres and skiing that reaches 2,500. Bad Gastein clears the second part and falls just short on the first. Schladming misses both. Nobody can promise snow, but if your dates sit early or late in the season, this is the difference that matters most.
Size: Schladming is the bigger, joined up week
Schladming's four mountains are linked end to end without a bus, 123 kilometres in one domain. Bad Gastein's own area is 83 kilometres, one of four separate areas down the valley, so a week there is more a matter of choosing a mountain each morning than skiing one long circuit.
On our own measure of the piste around each village, Schladming has 134 kilometres to Bad Gastein's 106.6, which is 27 more. Our Bad Gastein figure is larger than its own area, so it probably takes in some of its neighbours in the valley. Either way, Schladming puts more skiing on one joined up mountain.
The skiing: Bad Gastein is steeper, Schladming kinder at both ends
Thirty seven percent of Bad Gastein's piste is steeper than one in four, joint eighth of the 55 resorts we cover and third of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover. At Schladming it is 27 percent, close to the 26 at a typical resort we cover. Turn it round and the order flips: 39 percent of Schladming's piste is gentler than 15 percent, the largest share of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover, against 29 at Bad Gastein.
41 km blue and easier 39%57 km red 54%8 km black 8%
59 km blue and easier 44%62 km red 46%13 km black 10%
Marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste totals: Bad Gastein 1.5 km, Schladming 2 km.
These gradients are averages per run segment, and a run's grade is set by its steepest pitch, so read them as how the week feels rather than a verdict on any one run. The surprise is that the reds are steep at both. Bad Gastein's average 25.0 percent, the ninth steepest of the 55 resorts we cover, and Schladming's 24.4, the eleventh steepest of the 55 we cover, against an Austrian red at 23.4.
The difference is at the two ends. Schladming's blues average 13.0 percent, against 14.9 at Bad Gastein and 16.4 for a typical Austrian blue, and it has 59 kilometres of blue and easier piste against 41. At the other end, Bad Gastein's blacks average 32.6 percent and Schladming's 25.0, the gentlest of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover. Neither has much marked off piste.
So Bad Gastein is a red mountain more than anything: 57 kilometres of red, more than half of what we measure there, against 46 percent at Schladming.
Who each one actually suits
Bad Gastein suits people who want the place to be part of the holiday. The belle époque, the spa and the scenery are the three things on our list of what it does best, our read on it is grand and characterful, and we class it traditional. On the mountain it suits confident intermediates who like a red with some bite, and anyone who wants more of the skiing up high. Our terrain scores put it level with Schladming for intermediates.
Schladming suits families, and groups where not everyone skis at the same level. Night skiing, families and value make up its list, our read is down to earth and friendly, and we class it a family resort. The gentle blues give a nervous skier plenty to do all week, and the floodlit night skiing gives the evening a reason to go back out. Our terrain scores put it ahead of Bad Gastein for improvers.
The bit nobody tells you
Schladming has more black run than Bad Gastein, 12.9 kilometres against 8.2, and on paper that makes it the mountain for a strong skier. Measured from the gradient, it is not. Schladming's blacks average 25.0 percent, and so do Bad Gastein's reds. On our measure, a black at Schladming is, on average, as steep as a red at Bad Gastein.
For an improver ready to try a first black, Schladming is a kind place to do it. For a confident skier who wants a black to feel like one, Bad Gastein's, at 32.6 percent, are the ones to book.
So, which one
you want the higher skiing, with half the piste at or above 1,800 metres against 7 percent; if the spa and the old grandeur are half the point; or if your group skis reds with confidence and wants blacks that live up to the colour.
you are a family or a mixed group, you want the largest share of gentle piste of the Austrian resorts we cover on one joined up domain, the floodlights appeal, and you can book the heart of the winter.
You are on the same pass either way, and the biggest difference between the two is the one you cannot change after booking: skiing that reaches 643 metres higher, with half of it above 1,800 metres. Schladming is the right answer when the least confident skier in the group is the one you are booking for, and your dates are January or February.