Big Slopes and Even Bigger Schnitzels: How I Enjoyed a One-Day Ski Trip to Stuhleck
It’s never been easier
I bought my ticket, including the ski pass, two weeks before the trip on the Slovak Lines website. To make things even more carefree, I added 24-hour parking at Nivy for €1 to my booking. On Saturday, I arrived at the bus station by car around 6:30, parked, grabbed my gear—and didn’t have to worry about anything else.
By the way, the bus runs not only on weekends but also every Thursday, Friday, and Sunday, as well as during school holidays. During the nearly two-hour journey, I caught up on some sleep to make up for the early start—so it wouldn’t catch up with me later on the ski lift.
Just in case, I packed a baguette, a bottle of mineral water, and my ID card – without valid identification, you wouldn’t be allowed on the trip. I didn’t even have to print my ticket; the QR code on my phone was enough. The full-day ski pass was handed to me by the bus driver when boarding, but it’s also possible to travel without one – in that case, the return trip costs €29.
A good ski trip is a safe one
Besides protecting my head with a helmet, I also made sure I was covered in case of an accident. There were no long forms to fill out, and I could get insured from just €1.98 by adding Travel Insurance as an extra during purchase. Keep in mind: the insurance does not apply if you cause an accident on the slopes under the influence of alcohol.
Things I believe are essential for a ski trip:
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Thermal clothing
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Goggles – absolutely essential
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A baguette or another small snack for the journey
Arrival at Stuhleck
The bus arrived at parking lot P2 around 9:00, just a few dozen meters from the main Stuhleckbahn chairlift. On a weekend, getting a parking spot like this would normally be wishful thinking.
Stuhleck has recently changed its parking policy, and parking at P1–P4 without a valid ski pass now results in a €75 fine. So if you’re planning to go ski touring or cross-country skiing and don’t need a ski pass, the bus is a great and worry-free alternative.
I was able to change my boots and clothes calmly by the bus and leave my belongings inside in my seat. The bus stays parked there all day and opens for one hour at 12:00, so you can stop by for lunch or simply take a break and enjoy a cup of tea. There are also toilets and lockers near the ticket offices, which I didn’t need thanks to the ample space available on the bus.
Big slopes and even bigger “Shnitzels”
I kept my discounted ski pass ready in my pocket, which allowed me to skip the long queues and head straight onto the slopes to enjoy 26 kilometers of pistes. Of these, 19 kilometers are blue runs, ideal for recreational skiers and beginners. The remaining slopes are red runs, perfect for intermediate skiers.
Younger visitors will enjoy the sledging run, gentle beginner slopes, snowtubing, and a ski school offering instructors who speak English, Slovak, or Hungarian.
Snowboarders will appreciate the snow parks with ramps of various difficulty levels. Near the bus parking area, there is also an 8-kilometer cross-country trail, which leads to the neighboring villages of Steinhaus or Semmering.
After my seventh or eighth run, I was seriously hungry, which sparked an inner debate: should I grab something from one of the buffets with Austrian prices, or head back to the bus for my baguette? The aromas and the panoramic view from Restaurant W11 convinced me that the baguette could wait.
I treated myself to a schnitzel, and instead of the classic potato salad, I chose a fresh side dish from the menu – after the holidays, I’d had more than enough of potato salad. And since I still had room, I finished with an enormous Germknödel, a steamed dumpling that looked absolutely irresistible.
Heading home
The lifts at Stuhleck stop running at 16:00, and I made the most of every single minute. To avoid paying the €3 deposit, I handed my ski pass to the bus driver right after boarding for the return trip instead of returning it at the resort’s ticket office. The bus departed around 4:30 p.m. and arrived back at Nivy roughly two hours later.
This was exactly the kind of one-day ski trip I needed. I didn’t have to deal with navigation, stand in a 30-minute line for a ski pass, look for parking, or load my car like a game of Tetris. In the end, it cost me less money and far less effort. I honestly can’t imagine a better ski day.
The only thing to keep in mind is to buy your tickets well in advance—during the main season, I recommend purchasing them at least two weeks before departure.