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
