Ski in Obertauern

Skiing in Obertauern

Obertauern, Austria (1640m to 2350m)

An ideal intermediate skier's resort with huge amount of this level terrain. Doorstep skiing but comparatively small vertical for a top resort. Popular with Germans, although a strong British tour operator presence. Excellent snow record which, ironically, can lead to floods of skiers when snow is limited elsewhere. The Ski scenes in the Beatles film Help were filmed here 1965. A sports centre was constructed recently housing tennis and squash courts, bowling alley, fitness room, solarium and restaurant. Apres ski is generally hotel based with the resort stretched out along the central road.

Obertauern

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Obertauern Ski Facts

Obertauern Ski Facts

		Intermediate Skiers
		Beginners
		Snowboarding
		Snow
		Apres-ski
	4	Black Runs (4km)
	35	Red Runs (35km)
	61	Blue Runs (61km)
100km		Downhill Pistes
26km		Cross Country Trails
26		Ski Lifts
710m		Max Vertical
2350m		Highest Lift
1740m		Resort Altitude
1640m		Lowest Piste

Obertauern

The Austrian ski resort of Obertauern has direct access to 100km of downhill skiing, with 66 individual pistes, served by 26 ski lifts.

The ski resort itself is above 1500m, so skiing or boarding back to the resort is usually possible. With skiing above 2000 metres, snow cover is generally reliable.

Snowmaking :- Obertauern is able to augment natural snow, on 80km of ski runs, with 120 Snow Cannons.

Ski Lift Capacity :- The 26 Ski Lifts of Obertauern are able to uplift 42,980 skiers / snowboarders per hour.

There are three airports within two hours drive, so ski weekends, snowboard breaks and short ski holidays to Obertauern are perfectly feasible. Salzburg Airport is just one hours drive away, in good driving conditions, so you can be on the piste quickly.

Skiing in Obertauern

Obertauern has established its reputation despite a maximum skiable vertical that is less than you would expect for such an internationally well known resort. And you can travel 200 times as far in a horizontal direction as you can on the vertical, a remarkable 120km (75 miles) of trails.

The resort is part of tan area pass which includes more than 30 ski resort areas in the Tauern, some of them lift-linked to one another, although not to Obertauern. Some of the better known resorts in the scheme, which opens up over 700km (440 miles) of trails and nearly 300 lifts, are Altnmarkt, Schladming and the Dachstein glacier lifts.

Although Obertauern's terrain is best suited to the all-round intermediate, this is a very good choice for beginners with the wonderful wide nursery slope by the village virtually guaranteed snow through the season. The added bonus then is Obertauern's almost unique and rather ingenious scheme of colour coding circuits around the ski area.

For near beginners this means the 'green circuit' (anti-clockwise, incidentally) which takes in 5 lifts including the Zehnerkarspitz cable car and trails specially selected for their gentle gradients. The Gamskar lift, reached by a chair ride, is a particular favourite for first-times. Oh and the resort has a reputation for seemless grooming of its piste, thanks to a dedicated fleet of 16 trail grooming machines, which means you're less likely to get your skis stuck in a rut as you'e trying to master that first snowplough /pizza pie turn.

Intermediates are spoilt the most by Obertauern's snowy expanse, with two thirds of the terrain graded at that level. The 'Pink Circuit' (clockwise!) takes in a vast amount of blue and red graded trails and its 30km (19miles) can be skied by three different routes, making a total of 90km (57 miles) going around it alone.

Although not famous for its expert level skiing, nonetheless 20% of terrain is graded black and Obertauern's powder bowl skiing is very highly regarded. The five black pistes include testing mogul fields (check out Garnsleiten II). Guides will take you on the many off-piste routes, including the ski excursion down to the nearby town of Untertauern. There is also a self-timed slalom course.

Snowboarding in Obertauern

Obertauern is highly rated by Snowboarders and there is a Snow Park.

Obertauern Aprés Ski

Obertauern's jolly après ski scene begins with a mug of glühwein or jägertee in one of the many local cafés or bars at the bottom of the slopes. Tea dancing at the Latsch'n Stubn or Lürzeralm cafe or tavern is particularly popular and later the Römer Bar or Hotel Edelweiss are normally busy, with live music on occasion.

The Lérzeralm keeps the crowds all night being home to one of the five late-night spots and discothèques which give night owls more choice than the norm after midnight in the Alps.

The liveliest spot in town is reportedly the Gasthof Taverne where a raucous evening is normally had by all.

Obertauern Snow Reports by e-mail

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Obertauern in brief

Obertauern Ski Resort is:-
Ok for Expert Skiers.
Ok for Intermediate Skiers.
Good for Beginners.
Very good for Snowboarding.
Opened : 24 November 2011
Closes : 01 May 2012
Opening subject to Snow Conditions.

Obertauern Snow Forecast

Map of Obertauern