Hitting the slopes in Schladming – why Austria is so popular with Irish ski holidaymakers

After two years of pandemic disruption, the pistes are open again to eager skiers. And Austria remains one of our favourite destinations...

Skiing on Planai mountain in the Schladming resort in Austria. Picture: Peter Burgstaller

Luke Byrne

My face is red, I’m pumping sweat and my legs feel like they’re on fire. Looking over my shoulder, I see the incredibly steep, mogul-laden slope I’ve just come down. What the hell was I thinking? One mistake and I could have been rolling to the bottom, my skis and poles lost forever in the snow.

As a pretty average skier — I spend most ski trips desperately trying to keep up with a former instructor who was once asked to join the Irish ski team — I chalk it off as an achievement to have even made it down Planai’s famous black slope number one. As I arrive under the Skygate at the end of the run, which brings you into the Austrian town of Schladming, I’m just glad to be alive.