The Planai summit

The Planai rises straight behind Schladming to 1,906 metres, and its gondola station is in the town itself, a few minutes' walk from the main square. That makes it the easiest summit in the region to build a session around: ten minutes up, and you are on open ground with the Dachstein wall filling the sky to the north and the rounded ridges of the Niedere Tauern running away to the south.

The top is broad and grassy rather than rocky, with short paths in every direction, a couple of huts and benches, and enough space to walk away from other people. That matters here — the summit is busy in the middle of the day in both seasons.

The Dachstein is north of you, so it lights up through the afternoon and goes pink at sunset while the Planai itself falls into shade; mornings give cleaner air and an empty summit. Late June to September is the green window, with wildflowers into July.

In winter this is the middle of a working ski area: the World Cup piste starts at the summit and the lifts run late in January for the floodlit night race. That is a different picture and a different plan — check the lift hours, and expect groomed, busy ground rather than wild.