The history of the Schöneben-Haideralm skiing, biking and walking area
Tradition and vision in South Tyrol
It all began in 1930 with the development of the mountains surrounding the lakes Reschensee and Haidersee. The founders of the Reschen Ski Club, pioneers of skiing from the very beginning, built the Rojer Ski Hut, laying the foundations for the development of the ski area at Reschensee. Twenty years later, in 1953, the first ski lift was opened. Schöneben and the Haideralm have thus become a major destination for skiing holidays in South Tyrol. Over the following decades, the area developed not only into one of the most popular winter destinations, but also into a well-known destination for biking and hiking holidays.
From the 2026/27 winter season, the new Piz-Schöneben gondola with modern 10-seater cabins will provide even greater comfort and shorter waiting times. The valley station is getting a fresh new look, with a welcoming ticket area, modern offices and a larger ski storage facility. The building at the mountain station is also being completely renovated.
The Jochbahn, a new detachable 6-seater chairlift, replaced the last remaining surface lifts in 2010, and the valley run in Schöneben was extended. In autumn 2017, the newly elected Board of Directors was expanded from seven to nine members, and Haider AG was merged into Schöneben AG. In spring 2018, connecting slope between St. Valentin and Schöneben was created, along with the Erlebnisabfahrt and Höllentalabfahrt runs.
The new detachable six-seater Fraiten chairlift replaced the two double surface lifts near the Skihaus. As part of a three-year review of the ski piste plan, two options for connecting Schöneben and Haideralm were developed and assessed by an expert commission. From 2005 onwards, major improvements to the ski area followed, including an extension of the valley run and new pistes in Rojen and on Zwölferkopf.
The lifts were electrified and additional garages were built for the piste-grooming machines. An igloo at the valley station and a ski service station were also built. The regional ski piste plan was revised, and the decision was made to merge the Schöneben and Haideralm ski areas. This was followed by close cooperation between the three ski areas of Schöneben, Nauders and Haideralm, with a total of 30 lifts and 110 kilometres of pistes. The ski areas established an efficient ski bus service and allocated a joint budget for shared marketing activities.
In 1980, a high-capacity lift with greater transport capacity was built, along with the two Pofel I and II lifts. This was followed by the conversion of Schöneben–Rojen GmbH into a public limited company (AG) and the local municipality becoming a shareholder. At the same time, a new Board of Directors was elected: Oswald Folie became President and Dr Hans Waldner Vice-President. In 1982, the Schöneben Restaurant was built. In 1989, the new Piz–Schöneben gondola, together with a widened piste, was officially opened.
In 1975, the button lift was replaced by a double T-bar lift. In June 1979, the Schöneben–Rojen ski area joined the “Association of Lift and Cable Car Owners of the Ortler Ski Arena”.
The construction of three new lifts made 1960 a particularly significant year in the development of the Schöneben–Rojen ski area. One of the new lifts ran from Reschen to Pleisen and into the Rojen Valley, another connected Graun with Endkopf/Joggl, while the third ran from St. Valentin auf der Haide to Haideralm. Two years later, the gondola lift to Haideralm began operating. In 1965, the button lift from the Skihaus was built. A technical first: the lift was the first of its kind to be powered by a Leitner VM motor.
On 1 January 1953, the first lift began operating on the Klopair scree fan. The second Klopair ski lift followed in 1956/57, with the third opening in 1960.
Unique mountain experiences in the Schöneben-Haideralm ski area
Our awards
Quality, safety and hospitality are our top priorities. Our awards recognise our high standards and motivate us to continually develop the Schöneben-Haideralm ski, biking and hiking area.
