"Schladming - the skiing-capital of Styria" Schladming by PetraG

Schladming is a small mining town in the Styria-state of Austria, that is now very popular with tourists. It has become a large ski resort and has held various Skiing competitions recently.The Shopping area has lots of cafes, restaurant and a variety of shops and caters well for tourists.

Skiing: The main mountain is the Planai and the main ski lift (6 seater)starts near the town center. The Planai is best suited for the intermediate skiiers although it is also very good for beginners and experts.

Non-Winter Months: The surrounding mountains are renound for climbing and hiking and the country side and forest is ideal for cycling. In the summer there are downhill runs for toboggans and go karts with runs of 7km. There is also a large outdoor swimming complex at the sport complex.

Accommodation: There are hotels ranging from 1* to 4* catering for a vast range of needs.

Transport: There is a special bus service that runs up and down the Planai and surrounding mountains throughout the year. There are many ski lifts on the mountains some especially for small runs

flag of styria

Styria (German: Steiermark; Slovenian: Štajerska; Czech: Štýrsko) is a state or Land, located in the southeast of Austria. In area, it is the second largest of the nine Austrian states, covering 16,388 km². It borders Slovenia as well as the other Austrian states of Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Salzburg, Burgenland, and Carinthia. The population (as of 2001) was 1,183,303. The capital city is Graz.

Styria is called "The green state", because it is covered with forests and is famous for it's nature.

Planai nightrace with 50.000 people watching

Schladming's reputation as an international venue is based on the hosting of numerous FIS Alpine ski world cup races, the 1982 FIS Alpine Ski world championships and the 1993 Special Olympics World Winter Games.

Among many a milestone there is the outstanding success of Franz Klammer in 1973 marking the beginning of his unique career. Many celebrities of Alpine skiing (F. Klammer, H. Weirather, H. Hinterseer, A. Tomba, H. Maier, B. Raich, B. Miller…) enjoyed unforgettable triumphs in Schladming. The Nightrace, (Men's FIS world cup slalom), first hosted in 1997, has become an unparalleled classic in the FIS ski world cup.

The Planai is the heart of Austria's biggest ski alliance, "Amadé". Skiing by night and illuminated tobogganing runs are contributing to every visitor's delight. Outback tours in the Dachstein-Tauern-Region are rounding up the varied offer, whereas the "Planai-X-treme" provides the ultimate kick.

• Pros:Great for skiing in winter and hiking in summer!!!
• Cons:Can be very crowded in winter
• In a nutshell:For all that love sports and action!!!