Obergurgl

We were in Obergurgl first week in Jan. Not been a good season for snow for Austria to date, but Obergurgl is a high resort, so no problems when we were there. There was a lot of snow already and we had a good heavy fall all day Sunday 5th Jan, then another day of heavy snow on Fri 10th Jan. Lots of snow in the town (but as the town is on the slope, not surprising).
Overall nice resort, not very large but as it's linked to Hochgurgl by both the top express gondola and a very good bus service the area does expand a bit. However you can still get a bit bored after 2-3 days. You can buy a 1 day lift pass extension to cover Solden for 10 euros if you buy it at the time of buying your lift pass (otherwise it's 48 euros for a day). There is a good bus service from Obergurl & Hochgurgl to Solden (trip takes about 30 mins). Last bus back from Solden is about 8.30pm, so plenty time for a bit of Apre in Solden if you want. The Solden area is much bigger with some more challenging runs.
Obergurgl lifts are good and no queues. We were often the only people on the top express between Obergurgl & Hochgurgl. Plenty of good ski huts on the slopes. Ski runs are ok for Starters and early intermediates, but not really challenging (apart from when you do them in a total white out!). The resort is quite expensive in comparison to the likes of Soll, Kaprun etc. Large beer was about 5-7 euros, coffee/hot choc 5 euros, pizza/pasta 11-12 euros. Apre is a very quiet affair, with the best apre bar being the nedderhutte, which is up the slope. Problem here is that Insurance Companies are increasingly touchy about drinking and skiing and as you would most likely ski down from the nedderhutte it's a bit risky. That said, you can get the gondola down if you don't want to ski. Only issue then is that if you are staying at far end of town, it's a long walk back to your hotel in ski boots etc. Most of the ski huts have free wifi, although you will need to ask for a password at most of them.
I don't board, but it looked like a good resort for boarders with lots of off piste with quite easy access.
You can tell the resort is up market and expensive by the number of British plate Range Rovers parked at the hotels! Shopping is expensive also, Lohmans which is the largest shop in the village seems to be the equiv of Harrods. My skis and boots were for sale in that shop at 3 times the price I paid in the UK!
Would I go back? Possibly, but only if I either could not get into Solden or there was only snow high up so options were limited. That is not to say it's a bad resort, or we did not like it, but cost is a priority for us as we like to do as many trips as we can, so paying twice the price for a beer eats into the money for the next trip.

Sorry for the thread hijack. We're going first time to Obergurgl coming from a trip last year to Zermatt. We chose it for being quite and small. I don't know if anyone can help me. I have to buy a new ski jacket, and in my country there's none available (no ski tradition). So or I buy it online and pray that it arrives in time or buy it locally. I have this thing for Helly Hansens but I don't seem to find any store in the way from Innsbruck to Obergurgl. I checked for websites but the info is limited. Thanks in advance!

DougR, interesting observations about Obergurgl and very interesting you mention a white out. I thought it was downright dangerous in a white out such was the inadequate and idiosyncratic piste marking. Solden had a lot more terrain and a lot more variety and the rather up-market British clientele gave Obergurgl a cliquey air. Despite my reservations, it's still on my shortlist for April 20!

I have been to Obergurgl both of the last two seasons. Last year, I took a sizable head hit in a white out ~ fortunately I had chosen, because of the white out,to wear a helmet. At many resorts of the height, skiing in a white out is a questionable decision, and I should have known better.

Ober and Hochgurgl offer good skiing, many good runs, and I really enjoyed the night skiing.

Tstoff,
there are several ski shops in resort where you can buy HH clothing. Not cheap though. You would be better off buying in Solden as it's slightly cheaper.

I stayed in Obergurgl for a season. I am a ski instructor although did not teach there but did not get bored with the slopes there at all.Plenty of variety and skiing is as difficult as you want to make it. The quality of the accommodation here is beyond criticism. 5 - 7 euros (£4 to £5.50) for a large beer is not expensive; Tignes is 5.50 euros for a small beer. The apres ski in Obergurgl was the best I have encountered anywhere, good fun but not over the top. Solden by contrast has a busy road running through the middle of it. It is a much younger and boisterous scene with a large Dutch apres ski contingent. They are both good resorts but different types and set up for a different type of clientele. I have skied in over 70 resorts and Obergurgl remains in my top 5.

Horses for courses mate, we found it a nice resort, but not very challenging, not very big and in terms of Austria, very expensive. If you are comparing to France, then maybe not expensive, but compared to Soll, Kaprun, Kitzbuhel, Solden, Saalbach, Ischgl and many others, then it is the most expensive resort we have been to. Soll beer price is about 3 euros for a large one. Apre again is subjective, the Lederhosen in Kaprun in my opinion is one of the best Apre bars around, but it's only busy from about 3.30pm until about 6pm, so depends on what your pref is. Ours is a good days skiing then a few beers before dinner. Others like to party until the small hours. If you are an instructor then I would assume you only get to ski the area 1 full day per week or for a few hours after work. If, like us you skied it all day, every day, it does become a bit repetitive. Have to agree about the accom though, really good quality hotels and even the Pensions are the best we have encountered.
Like I said, we would go back, but as we like to do as many trips as we can, price is important to us, so I would rather go to one of the cheaper, larger resorts so that we can afford more than one hol a year.

As I said in my post I did not teach in Obergurgl and skied there for the whole season 6 days a week. Skiing is as difficult and varied as you want to make it and so 90kms of piste is more than sufficient for 6 days' skiing. If you seriously got bored after 2 - 3 days there then you are in the wrong sport.
With regards to price of beers, I have skied at all the resorts you mention with the exception of Kaprun and I cannot not say I noticed any significant difference. Of course in each resort some bars are more expensive than others.
With regards to apres ski my favourite place was the Josl Kellar which for all I know might not be there anymore. Having said that there were many people who visited Obergurgl and didn't find it.
Skiing holidays are very subjective, you put your view and I was just balancing things a bit as my experience there was different from yours.