Bad Kleinkirchheim

Bad Kleinkirchheim Ski Resort

Deep in Austria's most southern province of Carinthia (Kärnten), Bad Kleinkirchheim, or 'BKK', is a well-rounded spa town and ski resort. The home of Olympic Downhill ski legend Franz Klammer, its red run dominated pistes stretch across to neighbouring St Oswald.

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 few really tough challenges, at least on piste. The world cup run, named after Franz Klammer, is the highlight for advanced skiers: it descends from Strohsack nearly all the way into 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 there are 60kms 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.

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Bad Kleinkirchheim Pros & Cons

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

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

On The Mountain

Off The Mountain

Bad Kleinkirchheim Ski Area

Bad Kleinkirchheim’s ski area includes 64 miles of well groomed ski runs served by 26 lifts. Artificial snowmaking covers 97 per cent of the runs.

The top lift station is at 6,740ft with over 3,000ft vertical down to Bad Kleinkirchheim at 3,580ft. Around 75 per cent of ski runs are graded red for intermediates, 17 per cent blue for beginners and just 8 per cent are classified black for advanced skiers. There is no terrain park yet which is perhaps indicative of the target audience - solid skiers rather than freestylers.

Apart from the uppermost runs, the ski slopes are mostly well wooded and the way they dip and dive through the forest, wide and groomed, has more than a hint of American skiing about it albeit that the altitude here is more comfortably modest. If skiing in a white out, it's a good place to be as tree-lined ski runs help give perspective in bad visibility.

Most of the slopes nearest Bad Kleinkirchheim tend to be shady for much of the day but, because they are north-facing, they hold their snow well. The sunnier, more open slopes are situated above the nearby village of St Oswald with the skiing all interlinked. For days in the sun and long lunches on mountain restaurant terraces, head for the runs above St Oswald.

If you are at all worried about the somewhat low altitude, it's a comfort to know that 97 per cent of the slopes are covered by 700 snowmaking machines with the rest to be catered for soon. This network of snow guns is, interestingly, said to provide the equivalent of 50 centimetres of natural snow.

But relatively low-lying as it is, the combination of weather systems, from north and south, to which Bad Kleinkirchheim is subject throughout winter has brought a reassuringly good snow record. The resort is on the edge of the Nock Mountain National Park and separated from much of the rest of Austria's skiing by the Tauern mountain range.

This means that the Bad Kleinkirchheim area can frequently experience totally different weather to the rest of the country. Often it is said that if it is raining in Venice, it will soon be snowing in Bad Kleinkirchheim. And, similarly, snow may rush down too from the north.

Bad Kleinkirchheim Ski Lifts & Lift Passes

From Bad Kleinkirchheim, which is a fairly long and straggling community, the runs are reached by lifts from different parts of the village.

Bad Kleinkirchheim Ski Lifts

A two-stage gondolabahn rises to the Kaiserburg at one extreme of the ski area. From the gondola top station, a couple of T-bars continue up to the highest runs.

A fast four-person chairlift rises to the right side of the Kaiserburg face at Maibrunn. Here you are still at only 5,775ft which gives an idea of the modest altitude of the area. The highest point in the system is at the top of one of the Kaiserburg drags at 6,740ft.

On the other side of the valley, dominated by the slopes of Nockalm and Priedrof, two successive two-seater chairlifts rise from the village. These slopes link in with those of St Oswald. And half way to St Oswald from BKK, another gondolabahn heads up to Nockalm.

From St Oswald itself a gondola serves the slopes beneath Brunnach at 6,235ft. Brunnach forms the other extremity of the ski area. In this area there are two four-person chairs making the link with the St Oswald and Nockalm slopes.

Queuing for ski lifts is a rare phenomenon in Bad Kleinkrchheim. The uphill ski lift capacity to beds ratio is favourable, the lift bottom stations are spread out on either side of the village and, even when the village is full, many of the guests are there to enjoy the ambiance and the spas rather than to ski.

Bad Kleinkirchheim Lift Passes

Bad Kleinkirchheim Ski Lift Company

Bad Kleinkirchheimer Bergbahnen
Sport- und Kuranlagen GmbH & CoKG
Schneerosenweg 5
9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim
Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8282-0
Email: bergbahnen@ski=thermen.com
Web: www.vondenpistemindiethermen.com

Bad Kleinkirchheim Beginners

Bad Kleinkirchheim offers a good choice of beginners' slopes, to be selected according to where you are staying.

Beginner skiing in Bad Kleinkirchheim

Bad Kleinkirchheim and St Oswald each have their own beginners area, but there's a big difference though - Bad Kleinkirchheim 's beginner skiing is close to the village and low - so they may suffer from a shortage of snow in a poor winter season - and because of their low elevation Bad Kleinkirchheim's beginner slopes see little sun in the depths of winter.

In contrast, the beginner ski runs at St Oswald are at the top of the Nockalm gondolabahn and enjoy a much more open aspect with more sunshine. Accordingly, they are usually the warmer of the two beginner locations and aspiring beginners will soon be able to tackle the long blue run that runs the length of gondola from St Oswald.

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Bad Kleinkirchheim Intermediates

Intermediate skiing is Bad Kleinkirchheim’s strong suit with three quarters of all ski runs classified red for intermediates.

Good intermediates can head out in the morning in Bad Kleinkirchheim and take any lift or any route down without finding anything to terrify them but they will find the opportunity to perfect their technique on long, wide, fairly steep but still flattering slopes. Some of the runs have a respectable 3,280ft vertical, so there's a chance to do them non-stop and get some leg-burning happening.

A favourite is the FIS standard K70 downhill run, which takes you all the way from the top of the mountain to the bottom. You don't have to race down it - it's so scenic, in fact, you should take your time. It's about five kilometres long, so there's plenty of excuse to stop and take in the inspiring views every so often. The K70 run also takes you through an area well away from the lifts, and the bottom section has been cut through trees. It is not the only run that goes satisfyingly from top to bottom, so the mileage can really be clocked up.

The slopes around St Oswald also boast a wealth of opportunities to shred the reds, with T-bars handily located to keep you on the top sector if you wish. In all, an intermediate's paradise, but it's also good for groups of mixed ability because there is a choice of runs down from the lifts and it's very difficult to get lost on the mountain.

Bad Kleinkirchheim Advanced

Bad Kleinkirchheim is not the toughest ski resort as far as challenging skiing is concerned – but what challenging skiing it has it cherishes.

One of the best and most testing blacks is the Franz Klammer World Cup run, which takes you from Strohasack to the gondola base. Well, if you've got a Winter Olympic gold medallist in your ranks you might as well flaunt him.

His own named run is a FIS World Cup course and rated as among the most spectacular and challenging on the circuit - and you can even have fun on it with Kaiser Franz himself on certain days during the season. The old master, Carinthia's most famous son, is still a fanatical skier and he hosts the occasional skiing day through the season when anyone is free to take a run or two with him. If they can keep up!

Klammer learned his craft here. He was born at the farming village of Mooswald, nearby and his mother still runs a gasthaus at the village of Fresach, about 12 miles from Bad Kleinkirchheim, with his brother and sister-in-law. Klammer went on to win the World Cup Downhill title five times, coming first in a record 25 World Cup downhills in the process - as well as enthralling the watching world with his Olympic gold medal triumph with a spectacularly reckless run at Innsbruck in 1976 in the famous yellow catsuit.

That catsuit is now at his mother's gasthaus, along with most of his trophies. And the Kaiser is still happily racing around the Bad Kleinkirchheim runs. 'I'll never tire of skiing, especially in the wonderful surroundings of Carinthia,' he says. 'It's the absolute best. I get to the top of the mountain and I know I want to ski until I'm 80 - at least!' He adds: 'I still ski the same way I always did - but I just choose what mode to go in now: nice and easy or turbo.'

There are a few other designated black runs in the Bad Kleinkirchheim network, with two short and sharp ones below the Kaiserburg and another under the Wiesernock quad chairlift. But the masses of red runs can also be fun for advanced to hone their skills.

And there are a number of off-piste adventures to be had, with guided off-piste tours arranged through one of the ski schools. These will involve a bit of climbing and hiking and can include striking out towards the Mallnock and Klomnock peaks, a tour which starts from the top of the gondola from St Oswald.

Another popular area for off-piste is the Falkert mountain, a short taxi ride from Bad Kleinkirchheim. A T-bar takes skiers some way up the Falkert, where you need to hike before the real fun begins.

Bad Kleinkirchheim Boarding

Bad Kleinkirchheim has its fair share of snowboarders, and although they and skiers co-habit ski area perfectly well, this is very much a skiers' resort.

Bad Kleinkirchheim's ski lift system includes a high proportion of draglifts, which are not the most popular with less-experienced boarders. And so far the resort has not gone in for a half-pipe, or terrain park. Similarly, freestylers have to make their own fun and find their own jumps.

Bad Kleinkirchheim Mountain Restaurants

Bad Kleinkirchheim has twenty-two mountain restaurants – mostly rustic and welcoming with their fair share of gemutlicheit – and there are more eating places at all of the valley lift stations.

If the extent of its intermediate slopes is Bad Kleinkirchheim's strong point, it comes only just ahead of its many and varied mountain restaurants - one restaurant on average for about every five kilometres of piste.

For cosiness and traditional cooking, try the Ausflugsgasthaus Pioninger, the Buschenschank Hublbauer, the Larchenhutte, the Buschenschank Mati Sepp or the Falkerthaus. Tucked away on the runs are the Brentlerhutte, the Wiesenhutte, the St Oswalder Platzl and the Zum Sepp. Or for larger restaurants with bigger menus, there are the Bergrestaurant Waldtratte, the Nockalmhutte, the Rossalmhutte, the Alpengasthof Brunnach or the Panorama Restaurant at the Kaiserburg.

Carinthia has its own distinctive style of cooking, and many of these restaurants will offer dishes such as Karntner Brennsupp's, which is seasoned with marjoram and includes an egg. Or Karntner Kasnudeln, which is large ravioli filled with crumbly cream chees and herbs and mint. Also popular is Gamsngulasch - goulash made with chamois meat.

Another local speciality is Gelbe Supp'n (yellow soup), made with mutton, beef and pork and enriched with saffron, aniseed, cinnamon and nutmeg - Bad Kleinkirchheim, still at heart an old farming community, is one of the best places in the Alps to experience cooking that has been transferred directly from the farmer's wife's kitchen to the mountain huts. So lunches are substantial - a plate of Ritschert, a stew of smoked meat, barley and haricot beans will keep out the cold on the snowiest day.

Mountain restaurants in Bad Kleinkirchheim

Bӓrenhӧhle (Walter Bachler) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8469 or 8427

Bergrestaurant Kaiserburg (Joesf Pulverer) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8467

Bergrestaurant Waldtratte (Walter Bachler) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8469 or 8427

Groar Keusch'n (Gerlad Hinteregger) Tel: + 43 (0) 4240 8605

Maibrunnhűtte (Familie Ortner) Tel: +43 (0) 676 739 2257

Rosalmhűtte (Josef Pulverer) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8466

Strohsack Skibar (Walter Bachler) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8469 or 8427

Zum Sepp (Josef Prӓgant) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8468

Mountain restaurants in St Oswald

Alpengasthof Brunnachhof (Josef Hinteregger) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 478

Brentlerhűtte (Werner Hintergger) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 262

Falkerthaus (Maria Gritzner) Tel: +43 (0) 676 572 4090

Lorchenhutte (Familie Steinkellner) Tel: +43 (0) 664 568 2666

Nockalmhűtte (Sigrun Labacher) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8705

Bergrestaurant Nock IN Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8282 510

Oswald Platzl (Klaus Miggitsch) Tel: +43 (00 4240 20646 or 8690

Panoramahűtte (Joesf Brunner) Tel: +43 (0) 676

Zum Weltcup Poldl (Leopold Gruber) Tel: +43 (0) 664 184 4353

Mountain restaurants in Buschenschanken

Aufegger (Ernst Aufegger) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8254

Hűblbauer (Familie Walder) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 337

Matl Sepp (Familie Schleiner) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 685

Streitnig (Gűnther Unterweger) Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8416

Bad Kleinkirchheim Town

Bad Kleinkirchheim is an old spa town – more of a small town than a village, and spread out along the valley. But it is attractive and development has been cautious, with most buildings in chalet style and timber-faced.

There is a substantial, affluent feel about Bad Kleinkirchheim - as one would expect of somewhere with a history going back 1,000 years or more - and plenty of opportunity for shopping. Popular designer shops include the Boutique Jesse, for Armani, the Alter Moda, Trachtenmoden, and Intersport Gruber, which stocks Bogner, Emmergi, Goldwin, Killy and Spyder. There's also a perfumery, a jeweller, an antiques shop and several arts and crafts shops, as well as a Craft Museum, four banks, a supermarket, a florist and a bookshop, but if not skiing or when not skiing, best of Bad Kleinkirchheim's non-skiing treasures are the thermal spas.

Spas and Saunas

Legend has it that the recuperative powers of the local mineral water became known after the badly wounded fugitive Count Palatine Poto hid out in the Kirchheim Valley in 1055 - and saw his injuries miraculously heal after quaffing some water from a fresh spring. It was some early excellent PR for the area.

In 1884 a local hotelier put out a brochure extolling the health benefits of staying here and it became a destination for the infirm seeking the 'cure'. In 1934 the first outdoor thermal pool was built and the following year Kirchheim was granted the right to add the word Bad (designating it as an official spa resort) to its name and in 1969 came an indoor thermal pool and ten years later the Roemerbad (Roman spa) thermal bathing centre was opened.

The Roemerbad was completely refurbished recently and is an impressive facility which has been transformed into a 15-million euro 'wellness oasis', the highlight being a fabulous sauna centre. There's also a new expanded massage area, state-of-the-art beauty salon, meditation area for total relaxation and an adventure areas for children, both inside and out.

With saunas of all shapes and sizes, covering 4,000 square metres, the Roemerbad sets new standards in the sweat stakes! One of the best things is that the Roemerbad is perfectly situated at the foot of the Franz Klammer ski run, so it could hardly be more conveniently located when legs are burning at the end of a tough ski day.

You'll find thermal pools, with temperatures ranging between 28 degrees and 34 degrees, saunas of varying heat levels, including a tepidarium where it's comfortable to stay a little longer, steam rooms, solarium and a hot-tub. There are also water slides, waterfalls and massage jets in the pools. What a great way to unwind and get ready for the evening!

The spa aspect of the resort is not just to do with pampering yourself. The resort is keen to promote the health-giving properties, especially as far as the sports-minded are concerned. The claim that water therapy is the perfect way to keep your body fit for skiing or boarding - it keeps you in shape while being gentle with your joints.

The thermal water in Bad Kleinkirchheim is said to promote good circulation, reinforce the immune system against disease, strengthen connective tissue, alleviate rheumatic symptoms and nerve degenerative conditions, fight cardiovascular disorders and help the healing process after surgery or illness. So there you are - get in there!

Bad Kleinkirchheim Bars & Restaurants

Bad Kleinkirchheim apres ski can start fairly early in the afternoon in bars such as the Almstube, the Viktoria Pub, Club MC 99 and the Take Five Dancing Club. There’s also offers a wide choice of restaurants specialising in local dishes and fine dining available.

Bad Kleinkirchheim Apres Ski Bars

Much of the après-ski scene seems to take place in the hotel bars. But one of the advantages of Bad Kleinkirchheim is that après-ski can mean anything from a few drinks in a lively apres ski bar after skiing and in the evenings to a quiet glass of wine, or a gluhwein, in a rustic, cosy bar - all tastes are catered for. And you also need to allow time to take advantage of the wellness facilities and spa treatments - a sauna or hot-tub plus a massage after skiing is hard to beat and there's no lack of choice here in that department.

Almstube (Arnulf Sagmeister) Schneerosenweg 6 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8200

Bistro Pub "Die Tronke" (Peter Tieber) Dorfstrasse 77 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8333

Brechlstube (Familie Krenn) Maibrunnenweg 15 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 293 2056

Club MC99 (Familie Sagmeister) Schneerosenweg 6 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8200

Country Stűbert (Maria Gritzner) St. Oswald, Rosennockstr. 34 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 690

Die Grotte (Bjӧrn von Schӧnebeck) Dorfstrasse 63 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 20672

Kir Royal & Prosciutteria (Werner Hrastnik) Dorfstrasse 43 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 354-7

Peso (Peter & Sonja Pertl) Maibrunnerweg 5 Tel: +43 (0) 42409 20472

Take Five Dancing Club (Arnulf Sagmeister) Schneerosenweg 6 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8200

Viktoria Pub (Arnulf Sagmeister) Schneerosenweg 6 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8201

Bad Kleinkirchheim Restaurants

There is a wide choice of restaurants specialising in local dishes, but also some fine dining available. The three top establishments are probably at the Thermenhotel Ronacher, the Gasthof Drage and the Loystube restaurant at the Thermenweit Pulverer. For traditional home cooking, the top choices are the Restaurant Einkehr, the Landhausstuberl, the Dorfwirt, the Gasthof Alt Kirchheim, Gasthof Dalnig, Restaurant am Golfplatz, Gasthof Sportalm, Gasthof Hinteregger, Restaurant Berghof and Junge Romer at the Spa Romerbad.

Alt Kirchheim, Dorfstraße 71, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 241

Almstube, Schneerosenweg 4, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 8200

Gasthof Dalnig, Dorfstraße 84, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 228

Gasthof Ruanig, Zirkitzer Weg 44, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 357

Kirchenwirt, Margeritenweg 2, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 8890

Loystub'n, Thermenstraße 4, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 744 26

Einkehr, Teichstraße 7, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 8114

Landhausstuberl, Dorfstraße 36, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 688

Dorfwirt, Dorfstraße 87, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 353

Gasthof Ploninger, Mohnweg 8, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel. +43 4240 587

Golfrestaurant, 9545 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel. +43 4275 593 [email protected]

Gasthof Drage, Rottensteiner Weg 1, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel. +43 4240 277

Restaurant Junge Romer, Dorfstraße 74, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim - Tel: +43 4240 81200

St Oswald Restaurants

Gasthof Pizzeria Sportalm, Rosennockstraße 53, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 8202

Gasthof Hinteregger, Rosennockstraße 56, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 477

Restaurant Berghof, Rosennockstraße 55, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim - Tel: +43 4240 479 or 468

Zur alten Schmiede, Schmiedweg 9, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim -Tel: +43 4240 491