Bad Kleinkirchheim
Ski Resort

Bad Kleinkirchheim’s wooded, rolling mountains are perfect for well-groomed intermediate-friendly ski slopes. Beneath them lies the old spa town with its comfortable hotels and elegant restaurants catering mostly for families and well-heeled and often well-fed mature visitors who appreciate that skiing is just one of the finer things in life, and a good ski resort should not be solely defined by the size of its piste network or the height of its mountains.

That having been said, there is a fair amount of skiing here: not quite enough for a determined piste-basher staying for a full week, but plenty for most of the families who come here for a bit of peace and relaxation. In total 103 km of piste weaves through the trees across 300 hectares of mountainside, and over 70% of it is graded red – perfect for interesting, ‘slightly steep but not really frightening’ cruising. The runs closest to BKK itself mostly face North so hold their snow well despite their modest altitude (the top lift only reaches 2055m). The journey over to Sankt Oswald is mostly on East-facing pistes which are at their best in the morning. Around St Oswald the slopes predominantly face South – not so good for snow quality but ideal for long sunny lunches.

BKK’s skiing has a few tough challenges, at least on the piste. The World Cup run, named after Franz Klammer, is the highlight for advanced skiers: it descends from Strohsack nearly down to the town. The handful of other black pistes are all relatively short but there are more opportunities off-piste, best explored with a guide.

And the skiing is ultimately just one reason to come here. The tobogganing near Kaiserburg Wöllaner Nock above the top ski lift is superb, there is a good ice rink in town and 60 km of walking trails. For those who prefer less active pursuits, there are walk-in saunas beside the piste and plenty of mountain restaurants with tempting sun loungers outside. And Bad Kleinkirchheim is still very much a spa town, brimming with solariums, steam rooms, therapy centres, pools, saunas and massage treatments, as well as all the ski schools, hotels, apartments, bars, night clubs, restaurants and shops needed for an all-round winter holiday.

Bad Kleinkirchheim Strengths & Weaknesses

+ Excellent red run skiing
+ Attractive spa town
+ Good tobogganing and other activities

– The ski area is too small for keen skiers
– Too low to be snowsure
– Very few challenging pistes for strong skiers