Donnersbachwald: Skiing and mountain experiences for planning your trip

The children's ski carousel is also accessible outside of ski courses and covers more than 5 hectares of ski area, 5 lift facilities and 5 downhill runs. The Riesneralm ski area comprises 32 varied kilometres of pistes, ranging from easy-going to sporty. The information about the children's ski carousel and Riesneralm refers to two named offerings and should therefore not be combined into a single piste total.

Winter sports between the children's ski carousel and Riesneralm

For interpreting the figures, it is also important to note that piste kilometres refer to the stated length of the downhill runs, while lift facilities and downhill runs are separate characteristics of the respective offering.

For the summit experience at Riesneralm, the mountain station of the chairlift in Donnersbachwald is located at an altitude of 1,900 m above sea level. A mountain station is the upper station of a lift facility; here, the elevation specifies its position above sea level. Thus, the figure specifically refers to the chairlift's mountain station and not to a general elevation for the entire village.

Trails and travel to further experiences

The third stage of the Hemma Pilgrimage Trail follows the red-white-red marked Trail No. 936 from Donnersbachwald via the Glattjoch to Oberwölz and begins in front of the Lahrer Bridge by the EGG Donnersbachwald power station.

To reach the Bike & Hike Mörsbachalm – Gstemmerscharte route, take the train to Stainach-Irdning and then the bus to Donnersbachwald, Ortsmitte stop. The journey described therefore consists of a train section followed by a bus section. For this connection, Ortsmitte is expressly specified as the destination stop in Donnersbachwald.

Activities away from the downhill runs

There are also activities away from the pistes for groups in which not everyone skis. The KRISPINI children's treasure hunt follows the hiking trail from Hotel Berghof *** to the hunting stand and includes nine puzzle stations. The stations are therefore located along a specific trail; the activity combines the hiking trail with several tasks and ends at the named hunting stand.

At Riesneralm, the barefoot summit trail offers different surfaces and experience stations. The trail therefore provides a distinct focus within the Riesneralm offering: what matters are the different ground surfaces and the stations along the trail, not another downhill run or lift statistic. Together with the children's treasure hunt, this provides a selection of documented activities that are not limited to skiing.

Culture and high-altitude sacred buildings

Donnersbachwald is home to the Parish Church of St. Leonhard (and Patritius), which is dedicated to Saints Leonhard and Patritius; as a parish church, it is a sacred place within the village.

Another distinctive destination is the Glattjoch Chapel: at 1,988 m, it is the highest-altitude sacred building in Styria. The elevation refers to the chapel and makes it a special high-altitude structure.

For a further comparison with neighbouring villages, St. Leonard, Donnersbach, Fleiss, Großsölk, Pruggern, Tauplitz, Niederöblarn and Gössenberg follow.

For the broader travel overview: Liezen.