Best Ski Areas Near Ramsau am Dachstein (Ski amade)

By Best:in Editorial Team · Updated September 2026

As of September 2026, a Ramsau am Dachstein base puts you on 12.9 km of home piste at the Rittisberg and within a short drive of the linked Schladming mountains, which count 123 km of slopes. Planai ranks first here on size and access, the Rittisberg second for families. The Dachstein Glacier no longer runs lift-served downhill skiing, so it is ranked as a touring and cross-country option.

Best Ski Areas Near Ramsau am Dachstein (Ski amade), ranked

1.

Planai

4.7 / 5 out of 581 Google Maps reviews

Planai is the main gateway to the linked Schladming mountains, and that link is why it ranks first: 123 km of piste, 43 cable cars and lifts and 56 huts, per the operator. The area spans 728 m to 2,015 m, with a 7.7 km longest run. Access is straightforward from Ramsau, with the main cable car in Schladming town and free covered parking at the gondola base. Beginners get the Alm chairlift sector on the way to Hauser Kaibling.

Best for: Biggest linked terrain

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2.

Ramsau am Dachstein (Rittisberg)

The Rittisberg is Ramsau's home area and the only one you can reach without leaving the plateau, roughly 2.7 km from the village centre. It carries 12.9 km of piste and 8 lifts between 1,035 m and 1,636 m, so a 601 m vertical. Since winter 2022/23 the main lift has been a combination of 6-seat chairs and 10-person gondolas; everything else is drags, practice lifts and the conveyor belts in the Kaliland children's zone. Short on scale, strong on logistics.

Best for: Families and beginners

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3.

Hauser Kaibling

Hauser Kaibling is the easternmost entry to the 4-mountain link and the highest lift-served terrain on this list, running from 752 m at Haus im Ennstal to 2,015 m. Wikipedia lists 10 lifts and a 7 km longest run, which works out at roughly 1,263 m of vertical in one go. That top height is the reason to pick it in a thin early-season or a warm March week, and the connection to Planai keeps the rest of the 123 km in reach.

Best for: Highest lift-served skiing

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4.

Reiteralm

4.6 / 5 out of 42 Google Maps reviews

Reiteralm sits at the western end of the link, above Pichl-Preunegg. Wikipedia records 20 lifts (2 gondolas, 5 chairlifts, 13 tow lifts) and an altitude span of 780 m to 1,860 m, while snow-forecast.com puts the vertical at about 1,160 m and counts 12 lifts, so expect operator updates between seasons. It is the quieter of the four mountains for cruising, and it is the closest 4-mountain access if you approach from the Mandling side rather than through Schladming.

Visitor note (Google Maps) "Nice atmosphere-But 6.70 Euro (!!!) for a beer?"

Best for: Quieter intermediate cruising

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5.

Dachstein Glacier

The Dachstein Glacier ranks last for downhill skiers on purpose: the operator states that ski operations are suspended, so there is no lift-served piste network. What remains is the cable car to 2,700 m, cross-country trails of up to 5 km (Ramsau) and up to 10 km (Hallstatt), plus touring lines including the 8 km Dachstein crossing to Ramsau and a 25 km route from the summit region. Rank it as the region's altitude and scenery day, and as the best mixed-ability outing.

Best for: Cross-country and ski touring

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Which ski areas can you reach from Ramsau am Dachstein on one Ski amade pass?

Ramsau's home hill is modest. skiresort.info records 12.9 km of piste, 8 lifts and an altitude band of 1,035 m to 1,636 m on the Rittisberg, which gives a vertical of 601 m. That is a beginner and family footprint, not a full week of varied terrain for strong skiers.

Ski amade files Ramsau inside its Schladming-Dachstein section, alongside Planai, Hochwurzen, Hauser Kaibling, Reiteralm, Fageralm, Galsterberg and the Dachstein Glacier. The four linked Schladming mountains are the volume play: the operator, Planai-Hochwurzen-Bahnen, states 123 km of pistes, 43 cable cars and lifts and 56 ski huts in the 4-mountain link. skiresort.info counts 47 lifts for the same area and an altitude range of 728 m to 2,015 m, with an extra 4 km of marked ski routes.

So the practical answer for a Ramsau stay: ski the Rittisberg on arrival and rest days, then use the pass on the Schladming side for the long descents, including the 7.7 km longest run listed for the linked area.

Is the Dachstein Glacier still open for downhill skiing?

No. The cable car operator, Dachstein Gletscherbahn, states on derdachstein.at that skiing operations on the Dachstein Glacier are suspended, a decision it frames as a response to nature and economics (checked 15 September 2026). Plan the glacier as a high-altitude excursion rather than as a lift-served ski mountain.

What still runs is the cable car to 2,700 m, plus cross-country skiing, ski touring and freestyle use of the snow surface. Ski amade lists a Ramsau cross-country trail of up to 5 km on the glacier and a Hallstatt trail of up to 10 km. Two long ski-touring lines also start up there: the Dachstein crossing, an 8 km descent towards Ramsau, and a 25 km route from the summit region past the Simonyhutte.

Practical consequence: if your holiday plan assumed autumn or spring glacier carving, that option is gone. The nearest reliable high-altitude piste skiing on the same pass is Hauser Kaibling, topping out at 2,015 m.

How does the Ski amade pass work if you are based in Ramsau?

The split matters more than the headline price. Passes valid for more than one day work on every Ski amade cable car and lift, which the network puts at 270 lifts and 760 km of slopes. Passes valid for up to one day are limited to the local ski area, so a single day ticket bought in Ramsau will not open Planai or Reiteralm.

Season windows from the published 2025/26 tariff sheet (issued 26 May 2025): Ski amade Start and Finale ran until 19 December 2025 and from 11 April 2026, with the main Ski amade Live period from 20 December 2025 to 10 April 2026. Equivalent 2026/27 dates were not published in the sources checked on 15 September 2026, so confirm before booking.

Two details that change the maths: the optional cancellation guarantee costs EUR 3.00 per day per pass and must be added at purchase, and age bands are set by birth year (adult 2007 and earlier, youth 2008 to 2010, child 2011 to 2020). Photo ID is required for ages 8 to 18.

How should you sequence a first ski week from a Ramsau base?

  1. Check which pass duration you actually need

    Decide first whether you will leave the Ramsau plateau. A day ticket is valid only in the regional ski area, while any pass of two days or longer covers all 270 Ski amade lifts. If your group includes one confident skier and two beginners, a mixed purchase is often cheaper than three multi-day cards. Add the EUR 3.00 per day cancellation guarantee at the time of purchase if your travel dates are shaky, because it cannot be added later.

  2. Start on the Rittisberg

    Use day one for the 12.9 km of local piste. The main access is a combination lift with 6-seat chairs and 10-person gondolas, running since the 2022/23 winter, and the rest of the area is drag lifts and practice lifts. Families should head for the Kaliland kids' zone, where the conveyor belts are open to everyone. The base is about 2.7 km from the centre of Ramsau am Dachstein.

  3. Move to the Schladming mountains for the big days

    Book the 4-mountain link for your strongest two or three days. You get 123 km of piste across Planai, Hochwurzen, Hauser Kaibling and Reiteralm, with 56 huts on the map and a top station at 2,015 m. Entry points are the Planai main cable car in Schladming and the WEST winter sports centre. Day visitors get free covered parking at the Planai gondola base.

  4. Treat the glacier as a separate outing

    Ride the Dachstein cable car to 2,700 m on a clear day for the cross-country loops (up to 5 km on the Ramsau trail, up to 10 km on the Hallstatt trail) or for a guided tour. Do not budget a ski day for downhill laps there: lift-served alpine skiing is suspended. Non-skiers in the party can use the same trip, which makes it a useful mixed-ability day.

What do first-time visitors get wrong about Ramsau am Dachstein?

Three recurring errors. First, assuming Ramsau equals glacier skiing. The village is at plateau level and the Rittisberg tops out at 1,636 m, while the glacier cable car station sits at 2,700 m with no downhill ski operation. Second, buying a one-day ticket and expecting network-wide access: single-day validity is capped at the local area.

Third, underestimating drive time to the Schladming lifts. Ramsau sits above the Enns Valley, and the linked Schladming area starts at 728 m, so every transfer means dropping and regaining roughly 400 to 500 m of altitude on mountain roads. Snow chains and an early start matter more here than in a valley-floor resort.

One more planning note: the Rittisberg's terrain is graded for beginners and intermediates, and the marked uphill route from the tow lift is 3.5 km with 482 m of climb, graded red. Strong skiers who stay only in Ramsau will run out of new pistes in a day.

What are the alternatives if you want more piste kilometres?

Stay on the same card and travel. A multi-day Ski amade pass opens 760 km of slopes and 270 lifts across the whole network, so the realistic upgrade path from Ramsau is a car and a willingness to drive between regions rather than a second pass.

Within Schladming-Dachstein, the step up is the 4-mountain link (123 km, 47 lifts by skiresort.info's count, 728 m to 2,015 m). Hauser Kaibling gives the highest start at 2,015 m and a 7 km run to Haus im Ennstal; Reiteralm runs from 780 m to 1,860 m on 20 lifts, which snow-forecast.com records as about 1,160 m of vertical.

If snow reliability is the deciding factor, note the altitude numbers rather than the marketing: nothing on this side of the pass exceeds 2,015 m of lift-served piste since the glacier stopped downhill operations.

How is this ranking computed?

  • Piste extent and lift capacity: 30%
  • Altitude and snow reliability: 20%
  • Access from Ramsau am Dachstein: 20%
  • Beginner and family terrain: 15%
  • Ski amade pass coverage: 15%

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