• Send visual report
Ski Austria

Obertauern Resort Reviews

Obertauern Forecasts
Users Viewed Next:(Advanced)
Users Viewed Next:(Live)
Popular Obertauern Pages
Users Viewed Next:(Maps)
Popular Obertauern Pages

Visitor reviews for Obertauern Ski Resort

Obertauern Ratings

Overall: 4.2. Based on 18 votes and 21 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 4.8

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Obertauern is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.5

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Obertauern has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 4.0

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.4

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 4.6

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Obertauern.

Public Transport: 4.1

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Obertauern, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 4.6

(1) No places to stay in/near Obertauern, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.5

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 4.7

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Obertauern.

Ski in/Ski out: 4.9

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 3.9

(1) There are no child care facilities at Obertauern, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 4.2

(1) Obertauern relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 4.8

(1) There are no snow groomers at Obertauern, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Obertauern are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.6

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Obertauern is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.8

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Obertauern, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 4.9

(1) Obertauern usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.5

(1) The staff at Obertauern are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Obertauern are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 4.4

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.6

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.9

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.0

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.7

(1) No intermediate terrain at Obertauern, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.3

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.5

(1) Not even a kicker at Obertauern, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 3.7

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Obertauern, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 2.7

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Obertauern has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 4.7

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 4.6

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 4.6

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 4.0

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.3

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.7

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 4.4

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.5

(1) Overall, Obertauern is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 4.1

(1) Overall, Obertauern is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

Oldest
Latest
Most useful
Top rated
Lowest rated
November 26, 2003
Kell from Ski South Africa South Africa
I have been snowbaording for years and have never experienced better off piste terrain. Having worked there I have explored all of it and recommend this resprt both for the best atmosphere ever experienced, great night life and bars. The snow is EXCELLENT, and only an hour or so from Salzburg. Can you get any better.
November 18, 2004
paul from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I agree with the previous post (kell).Absolutly amazing resort,Really long and wide shallow blue run for learner skiers and boarders called edelweiss run.lots and lots of varied pistes,mogul runs,but best of all,off piste powder is amazing.spend some cash and hire a guide to enjoy the local secret spots. great food,friendly locals,party nightlife.Wish i was there now!
January 04, 2005
Eddie from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Obertauren is a small friendly resort, in the run up to Christmas the slopes are extremely quiet at some points you can be the only person on the slope. Fresh snow on the 27th and 28th of December. A good destination for the improving skier.
November 23, 2005
David Pomeroy from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We visited Obertauern on a day trip from Salzburg. It was great day. The snow was fantastic and there were no queues. There are some great runs for beginners and there is enough intermediate skiing for a day or two. I would highly recommend the resort especially as it is not one of the well known resorts accessed by British tour operators.
December 09, 2005
masa from Ski Slovenia Slovenia
Obertauern doesn’t seem to boast great ski runs if you happen to drive through in the summer but the number of hotels and apartments gives you an idea it’s a very busy town in winter. And it is for a reason – skiing is good. It is our favorite destination for a day’s trip. If you stay for a week you might run out of pistes but you can also check some of the other resorts in the Lungau valley. There are also a lot of concerts and other happenings in the town to keep people active. Obetauern normally has good snow conditions from early December until April. In fact, often there is too much snow and the pistes get bad in the afternoon with heaps of snow shoved aside by skiers. The specialty of Obertaern skiing is Tauern runde. Meaning you can circle around the resort clockwise (follow the pink signs) or CCW (turquoise signs). Zehnekar-bahn is used by both ways and this used to be annoying bottleneck. With new cable cars there are no queues anymore. The most frequently used photograph for advertisement of resort uses the Gamsleitenspitz. This run should be avoided by inexperienced skiers since it’s not prepared and is steep and bumpy. But chair lift Gamsleitenbahn 2 quite often doesn’t run anyhow. There are also extensive cross country tracks around the resort. The nicest scenery is probably from the pass to the Kringsalm. Unfortunately this depression has to be crossed on the Tauernrunde as well and it is annoying to push your way along, I hope they will install some better connections here someday. Going CCW we actually rather ski down to Zentralbahn and ski some more on the Sonnenlifts and eat at Sonnhof – this is truly the sunny part of the resort and lying a bit lower than the upper runs also more sheltered in windy weather.
January 20, 2006
Andrew from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I've been going to Obertauern for several years as part of a school trip (sorry for those of you who don't enjoy being behind a group of beginners, but you have to learn somehow), and can only confirm what every other reviewer has said - great snow from November to the first week in May, both on and off piste (according to our adventurous colleagues), variety, good lifts, few queues, and few English (if that's your bag). Slopeside restaurants and bars are good (eat a Tiroler Gröstl while you're there - I know it's not Tirol, but what the hell) and while the town doesn't have the scenic appeal of somewhere like Saalbach, it's pretty functional. The only downside I can find is that it doesn't have a huge drop, so you don't get those huge long runs that turn your legs to jelly. There again, that's not all bad...
February 06, 2006
james straker from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
This was my first time skiing in Austria and it won't be the last. Obertauern is great in every way.
March 27, 2006
Julie Smith from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
I have been going to Obertauern for 3 years with my 14 and 16 year old children and we think it's great. The ski school is excellent and the nightlife is really lively. The slopes are great for beginners. Advanced skiers can try some of the mogouled blacks and the off-piste is great if you know the right parts!
April 02, 2007
Matt Carr from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
Obertauern is a good all-round resort with great snow. The night skiing on the "Eidelweiss" piste was fun, but get there early to avoid the crowds. There are enough blue and red runs to keep most intermediate skiers or boarders happy for a few days. The inter-linked lift system means you can do a circuit of the whole valley in a few hours and ski a varied mix of runs. The night life is not extensive but provides everything you need: for a chilled out beer find the Nanu Bar on the main street. We stayed at Pension Weinberger, a traditional and very friendly guesthouse in the centre of town with a great breakfast and relaxing sauna/solarium. With budget flights going to Salzburg, Obertauern is a little-known gem!
October 13, 2007
Ronald Oerlemans from Ski Netherlands Netherlands
Obertauern; I've been to this place in January 2006 and it is not yet discovered by the large crowd, so you rarely have to wait for the lift. I stayed in a Pension. The people there were very nice and pleasant. The part of the ski-area left above the town is the best. Also in the sunshine. The right part lies most of the time in the shadow. When snowfall is limited the slopes on this part get very hard. The area is not for beginners. The most part of the slopes are red. So if you are an experienced skier you will love this area. Due to its high altitude the snow at the bottom is good most of the time. The area is also big enough to have fun for a week.