There is nothing spectacular about the Stuhleck (1782m), the highest mountain of the Fischbacher Alps in Styria at the easternmost corner of the Alps (the flat plains of Hungary are just a stone’s throw away). Indeed, at the first look the Stuhleck resembles more of a hill than a real mountain, especially if looking up from Mürzzuschlag, the town at the foot of the Stuhleck.

However, it was here where alpine ski mountaineering started in Austria in the late nineteenth century. In those days the usability of skis in alpine terrain was still very much disputed. Though the long Norwegian skis were recognised as a useful tool for travelling through snowy woods and flatlands they were regarded as unsuitable for the higher, steeper terrain of alpine mountains.

Nevertheless, curious people started to experiment with these Norwegian skis. Among them a group from Styria led by Toni Schruf, a hotelier in Mürzzuschlag were especially keen to adapt the idea of skiing for alpine terrain. Together with Max Kleinoscheg from Graz and Walther Wenderich he started to experiment with Norwegian skis at the mellow meadows around Mürzzuschlag. Finally, in 1892 they ascended the very first real mountain with their skis and they chose the Stuhleck for this endeavour. Hence, the Stuhleck got its place in the history of ski alpinism as first alpine mountain conquered by skiers. One year later, they organised a skiing race in Mürzzuschlag, which became the very first skiing race in central Europe. Soon the Stuhleck area got popular among the increasing crowd of skiers in the Vienna region. In those days the direct accessibility of the Stuhleck area by train (from Vienna over the famous Semmering pass) was an important advantage of this area. As early as 1898 the first ski hut (Scheffelhütte) was established using an old barn from a small farming hamlet at the slopes of the Stuhleck.

Today, a museum dedicated to winter sports in Mürzzuschlag honours these early skiing pioneers and informs about the manifold skiing history of this region. This museum features among the many exhibitions a reconstructed full scale model of the Scheffelhut.

Alpine region around the summit of the Stuhleck

The Stuhleck has been a popular ski mountain since these early days. The first ski lift was constructed in 1948 at the meadows of the Schieferwiese near the mountain village of Spital am Semmering. The first chair lift (a single seater) followed in 1960. A total number of 80.000 transportations were counted in the first year. Since then, the Stuhleck ski resort has been expanding continuously and today it is the largest ski resort of the entire region counting about 3,9 million transportations (2008). Four modern, detachable chair lifts and five ski lifts (t-bars) serve a total of 24 kilometres of groomed pistes and a modern man-made-snow system guarantees the skiing between late November and about mid April. With the opening of the Eastern European countries the Stuhleck resort established itself as the most prominent ski resort for the growing number of Hungarian and Slovakian (Bratislava is just around the corner) skiers.

Despite the technical infrastructure of the ski resort the Stuhleck remained popular among ski tourers and mountaineers as well. It is a prefect training ground for easy touring in almost all conditions (the storms can get quite nasty around the exposed summit region) and there are several ski runs in almost all directions.

Tree skiing in the Stuhleck area

The Bettelbauer run, which is probably the route chosen by Toni Schruf and his friends for their first ascent in 1892, is almost 10 kilometres long and goes down to Mürzzuschlag (though it is fairly flat). The most popular ski tour goes down the backside of the Stuhleck to the small village of Rettenegg where the restaurant Ebner serves fresh trout in many variations.

If Hannes Schneider was the father of modern skiing then Mathias Zdarsky should be regarded as the grandfather of our sport. The skiing technique developed by Mathias Zdarsky (known as Lilienfeld ski technique) and his path breaking binding system were instrumental for the propagation of skiing in alpine terrain. As early as 1905 he initiated the first alpine skiing competition in Lilienfeld using 24 poles (gates) to mark the run (which would equate to a giant slalom today).

Mathias Zdarsky was born in 1856 in Kozichowitz in Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Hapsburg Empire (Czech Republic today). After finishing his studies in Brno (Moravia, Czech Republic) as school teacher he went to Vienna (1874) and eventually to Lilienfeld (1889), an industrial town in Lower Austria just south of St. Pölten. In Lilienfeld he developed his skiing technique using the steep slopes of the Muckenkogel (1258m) and the Spitzgraben just in the vicinity of the town as training grounds. In 1896/97 Zdarsky published his first book on his skiing technique: “Lilienfelder Ski-Technik” which totalled 17 editions until 1926.

Lilienfeld and the Muckenkogel in the background, ca. 1905

An important milestone for alpine skiing was the year 1905 when Mathias Zdarsky invited Ing. Hassa Horn, a famous Holmenkolm winner from Norway, to join a skiing competition which should prove that the Lilienfeld ski technique was superior to the Norwegian Telemark technique. Zdarsky chose the steep slopes of the Breite Ries, a huge alpine bowl at the Schneeberg, as test bed for this competition. The result was that Hassa Horn admitted defeat and declared Mathias Zdarsky as victorious (rumours say that Horn refused to ski the steeper part of the bowl) and the Lilienfeld ski technique proved to be as indeed superior for steep, alpine terrain. The Breite Ries is still a favorite ski descent among many skiers in the Vienna region. Zdarsky and Horn did not ski the steep and narrow couloir-like entrance which is about 36 degrees steep but did only ski the open bowl below the entrance which is about 32 degrees steep. However, given the equipment skiing the Breite Ries was definitely a prove about the usability of the new ski technique in ‘real’ alpine terrain.

Skiing in the Breite Ries bowl at the Schneeberg (Lower Austria) near Vienna

Already 60 years old, Mathias Zdarsky served as an alpine instructor during World War 1 (1914-1918) and taught about the dangers of avalanches which proved to be extremely hazardous in the mountain war at the Italian front. During a rescue operation in 1916 he was buried by an avalanche. He survived wounded with dozens of broken bones and severe vertebra injuries leaving him handicapped for the rest of his life.

Mathias Zdarsky died in 1940 and was buried at his mansion in Habernreith in Lilienfeld, Lower Austria. Today an entire section of the Bezirksheimatmuseum in Lilienfeld is devoted to Mathias Zdarsky. The Muckenkogel near Lilienfeld is still a popular ski area. A single chairlift (open at weekends, around Christmas and during the public school holidays in the first week of February) provides access to the historic ski slopes.

Avalanches are a part of the history of many alpine villages in Austria. There is quite detailed documentation of avalanche hazards in the high mountain villages of Tyrol for example. The late Franz Fliri (1918-2008) of the University of Innsbruck gathered old records of many natural hazards in Tyrol for the last centuries showing how these hazards were a constant threat to the rural societies in the alpine valleys of Austria.

However, only a few know that even in Lower Austria avalanche hazards had been responsible for dozens of deaths and had caused serious troubles repeatedly. The little village (about 150 inhabitants) of Lahnsattel (950m) at the border between Lower Austria and Styria is a perfect example for the devastating impact of avalanches. Located just on the foot of the steep slopes of the Goeller (1766m) the Lahnsattel village (950m) was devastated by large catastrophic avalanches repeatedly in the nineteenth century and even in the early and mid twentieth century.

The village was founded by loggers who immigrated around 1780 into the region which then was still a huge primeval forest unspoilt by civilization. The loggers served the ever growing demand of Vienna for wood and lumber, the primary energy source at the time. Later on a secondary village was founded, called Donaudörfl which was centred on charburning providing charcoal for the infant iron industry in the Lilienfeld – Türnitz area.

The name “Lahnsattel” has its origins in the local term “Lahn” for avalanche as the steep slopes of the Goeller are notorious for large avalanches which repeatedly travel down to the very valley floor. According to chronicles some of these avalanches destroyed parts of the village in 1844 (causing 11 deaths) and in 1878 (destroying almost the entire village causing 13 deaths). Further catastrophic avalanches are reported for 1907, 1909 and 1923 (causing two deaths). In 1944 some large avalanches flattened huge forest areas but without destroying houses in the village.

Even today the road over the Lahnsattel pass (1015m) has to be closed during snow-rich winters because of avalanche danger. The region is particularly exposed to orographic (relief) precipitation and thus extremely snow-rich.

This area is completely off the beaten path and thus a really gem for all skiers who like to enjoy the backcountry off the ski resorts. The ski runs around the Goeller offer a variety of different possibilities for powder as well as corn snow. If avalanche danger is too high the Wildalpe just south of the Lahnsattel pass is an easy and safe alternative for getting some turns. Beside ski mountaineering the limited winter tourism is based mainly on cross-country skiing with some interesting tracked routes around the Lahnsattel pass.

Lahnsattel. A Winter Idyll

The Graveyard of Lahnsattel, Lower Austria

Link: History of Lahnsattel (in German)

Source: Fliri, Franz (1998): Naturchronik von Tirol. Beiträge zur Klimatographie von Tirol. UVW, Innsbruck

Practically all mountains in Eastern Austria can be climbed and skied as a day tour. So in principle there is no need for mountain huts. However, the whole region is scattered by uncountable mountain huts, some even really close to the valleys while others are near or even on top of the summits.

This is due to historical reasons. The mountains around Vienna were a perfect destination for weekend trips when the villages in the mountains were finally connected to the public transport system (train and buses). However the longer travel time by using these early public transport systems made an overnight stay mandatory. People came to the mountain huts at Saturday, slept there and climbed the summits on Sunday and returned to Vienna.

Soon, a network of mountain huts developed. Some of these huts served as a the perfect base camp for longer ski trips. Entire ski vacations were spent for example in the various huts at the Schneeberg, which is probable the most versatile ski mountain of the whole region.

Today, most of this huts are only used as sort of ‘restaurants’, overnight stays are very seldom though it might be quite some fun for a group. Some huts are open virtually all the year round and offer a perfect rest in case of bad winter weather.

Mountain Huts Near Vienna: Fischerhütte (Schneeberg)

Mountain Huts Near Vienna: Graf-Meran-Haus (Hohe Veitsch)

Mountain Huts Near Vienna: Gschwendthuette

Mountain Huts Near Vienna: Karl Ludwig Haus (Rax)

There is a lot of history to be discovered in the Vienna region. The legacy of the former Hapsburg Empire is everywhere. And of course, some remarkable stories of the skiing history have its origins here in the Vienna region. It was the transport infrastructure developed throughout the nineteenth century which opened up the region and its mountains for us skiers. Let’s praise the inventive engineers and the many unnamed workers who managed to construct these infrastructures.

One particular helpful infrastructure is the cog railway from Puchberg up to the Schneeberg massif. This traditional cog railway was built between 1894 and 1897. It departs from the railway station in Puchberg/Schneeberg (576m) and goes to the plateau of the so called Hochschneeberg (1795m) near the two summits of the Schneeberg (Klosterwappen , 2076m and Kaiserstein, 2064m).

Cog railway Schneebergbahn (Lower Austria), ca. 1900

The Schneebergbahn was operated for decades using the same old steam locomotives. However, recently the trains were modernised and today a diesel train called Salamander transports the passengers in about 50 minutes to the summit station. Nowadays, the steam locomotives are in operation only on special occasions during the summer months. Though the Schneebergbahn is closed in winter the annual opening is usually in late April and thus provides an easy access to the fabulous spring skiing possibilities in the many couloirs of the Schneeberg massif.

Hotel Hochschneeberg (Lower Austria), ca. 1900

The summit of the Schneeberg is accessed via the Hacker bowl which is just below the two main peaks (Klosterwappen and Kaiserstein) of the Schneeberg massif.

Hacker bowl, Schneeberg (Lower Austria)

Cog railway Schneebergbahn (Lower Austria), Modern Diesel Train called Salamander at the top station