Worldwide Ski Resorts • Austria • Obertauern
Overview
This fairly modern Austrian, Tyrolean resort is not the usual type of mountain village. It is a recently developed village and consists of not unpleasant chalet style architecture, although it is inclined to be a little spread out without a distinct centre. It does have the full range of shops, bars and restaurants and the village is surrounded by some very pretty scenery. Accommodation in Obertauern is limited almost exclusively to hotels and pensions. The hotels tend to be of the medium to upper categories of comfort and all are reportedly very friendly, comfortable and offer good value for money. When staying in this resort be sure to do a little research as some establishments are more conveniently located for the lifts and the other village facilities than others.
Profile
The village stands at an above (Austrian) average of 1740 m. It provides access to 120 km of pistes that are served by a system of 29 lifts that have been significantly modernised and improved over the past few seasons. The resort has an excellent record for snow cover — the best in Austria in fact. To be on the safe side, the resort boasts 85 km of snow making capability. It is a ski area that has plenty to offer all categories of skier and snowboarder, from the advanced to the raw beginner. Experts will discover that there are some truly testing black runs on the slopes as well as plenty of opportunity to explore a good deal of off piste country with the help of a guide.
Intermediates have virtually the whole of the area at their disposal, with the more confident being able to push themselves in the higher sectors, while the less confident have plenty of suitable runs lower down the mountain. Snowboarders have a well equipped terrain park and a specialist school within Obertauern and cross country fans will find 17 km of centrally located trails. Novices have the benefit of a number of first class nursery slopes within the resort and there are some very suitable progression slopes including one at high altitude followed by a gentle run back to the village. There are a number of very good ski schools here as well as good children’s facilities.
Mountain Information
The ski area surrounds the village with most of the runs being fairly high. The main problem here is that many of the slopes are fairly exposed and can suffer from closure during windy conditions. All the slopes are fully linked and it is possible to complete a circuit of the slopes in either direction in a relatively short time scale. The pistes are predominantly south facing and get very sunny which makes for pleasant sport, although it can occasionally get slushy in late season. Some of the best expert runs are to be found over on the quieter sector of Gamsleitenspitze and at Hudskogel and Plattenspitze opposite. The better intermediates also should try some of the runs available in these areas. There are plenty of good restaurants scattered about the mountain.
Apres Ski
There is a very lively scene to be found when you come down off the slopes in Oberauern. Plenty of bars offer live music and other forms of entertainment including dancing at the Latsch’n Alm and ‘singalongs’ There are a couple of discos in the village and the Rossenhimmel and Romerbar clubs are recommended for late night action.
Austrian Resort Guide
Resort Information • Obertauern
 |
Resort Height | 1740m |
 |
Top Station | 2313m |
 |
Bottom Station | 1640m |
|
Vertical Descent | 673m |
 |
Drag Lifts | 15 |
 |
Chair Lifts | 11 |
 |
High Capacity | 1 |
 |
Opening Dates | Dec - Beginning May |
 |
Rating Expert | 6 |
 |
Rating Intermediate | 7 |
 |
Rating Beginner | 7 |
 |
Apres Ski Rating | 6 |
 |
Snow Reliability | 7 |
