9.000 guest beds are located directly on 1.740 meters of altitude and promise to be the first at the lift in the morning or to start the ascent at your doorstep. We have tried it and needed from the last sip of coffee at the breakfast table to the slopes only 13 minutes – well some may slip faster into his ski clothes.
Winter sports enthusiasts appreciate the 100 kilometers of slopes, which can be started from any slope as the Tauern Round in both directions. The "Super Seven" ski circuit is a highlight for demanding skiers, as it leads to the seven highest peaks around Obertauern.
Speaking of challenging: the "Gamsleiten 2" slope with a gradient of 45 degrees in places gives adrenaline junkies a kick and would-be pleasure racers respect – because moguls don't give way. And even for us the "Gamsleiten 2" presented itself jet black, not for nothing is it one of the steepest mogul slopes in Europe, which is worth incorporating into one's Tauern circuit.
Close your eyes and swing – freeriding for every level
"There it's too faded, but over here we can still find a few untracked passages," tells our freerider Patrik Schwaiger from the "NAC Ski School on the Tauern". If you want to go freeriding, you are well advised to go with a guide who knows Obertauern off-piste inside and out. Patrik knows every spot and encourages us to ski between the trees. "Close your eyes and swing" is the motto.
We are enchanted by the silence, the uplift and the many possibilities to explore Obertauern off-piste. No matter if postcard weather or not, caution and respect for the mountain always wag along. Patrik is still doing avalanche awareness and rescue exercises in deep snow with us. Because snow, lots of snow, is rarely lacking here.
Obertauern is really snow-sure
When a winter sports resort advertises with the slogan "We are snow", then behind it are 100 km of slopes with the officially largest snow depths in Austria. Six months of snow sports are quite something. The current study by ski tourism researcher Gunther Aigner also proves that snow depths have remained statistically unchanged within the last 108 years. So we can breathe a sigh of relief, because there are no indications of a trend towards decreasing snow amounts at 1.740 meters above sea level.
For Maria Hofl-Riesch Obertauern makes
always the race
Three-time Olympic champion alpine skier Maria Hofl-Riesch is Obertauern's "snow ambassador. During her active career she often came here for training, "there was always enough snow, the conditions were best."Today she likes to come here with her husband and family. Less for the best times, but for the fun.
Obertauern – photo shooting with Maria Hofl-Riesch Photo: Anika Giese
On four skids down the slope
For the mega fun on the slope you need a device and good slope, that is clear. If now two boards are added, this is the fun on the snowbike. Obertauern has its own snowbike school and it only takes half a day to ride down the slopes on a snowbike. The technique of turning starts with the head and then strength and skill help to maneuver yourself on four boards into the valley.
Herrmann Koch from the Koch Ski School tells us the tricks of the trade in no time at all and we can't stop laughing and keep coming back to the bottom. Especially for groups it is a hell of a party. Before the last descent we drink a legendary Gamsmilch at the Gamsmilchbar and slide back down to the valley.
This article was written with the collaboration of Anika Giese.
More information about the Obertauern region:
tourism association
A-5562 Obertauern
Tel.: +43-(0)6456-7252-16
Fax: +43-(0)6456-7252-9
e-mail: [email protected]
www.obertauern.com
www.future-skisport.at[:en]Click left, click right. This is the last sound skiers hear before they surrender to their element of snow. Then there is only the rattle of boards over groomed slopes or the fluffy silence of the terrain. In Obertauern, both are right on the doorstep.
9.000 guest beds are directly on 1.740 meters altitude and promise to be the first at the lift in the morning or start the ascent from the front door. We tried it out and needed only 13 minutes from the last sip of coffee at the breakfast table to the slopes – well some people like to slip into their ski clothes faster.
Winter sports enthusiasts appreciate the 100 kilometers of slopes, which can be started from any slope as the Tauern Round in either direction. The "Super Seven" ski circuit is a highlight for demanding skiers, as it leads to the seven highest peaks around Obertauern.
Speaking of challenging: the slope "Gamsleiten 2" with a gradient of 45 degrees in parts gives adrenaline junkies a kick and would-be-pleasure racers respect – because humps do not give way. And even for us the "Gamsleiten 2" presented itself jet black, not for nothing is it one of the steepest mogul slopes in Europe, which is worth including in one's Tauern circuit.
Close your eyes and swing – freeriding for every level
"There it's too faded, but over here we can still find a few untracked passages," tells our freerider Patrik Schwaiger from the "NAC Ski School on the Tauern". If you want to go freeriding, you are well advised to go with a guide who knows Obertauern off-piste inside and out. Patrik knows every spot and encourages us to ski between the trees. "Close your eyes and swing" is the motto.
We are enchanted by the silence, the buoyancy and the many possibilities to explore Obertauern off-piste. No matter whether postcard weather or not, caution and respect for the mountain always wedeln along. So Patrik makes with us still avalanche awareness and rescue exercises in deep snow. For snow, lots of snow, is seldom lacking here.
Obertauern is really snow-sure
When a winter sports resort advertises with the slogan "We are snow", then behind it there are 100 km of slopes with the officially largest snow depths in Austria. Six months of snow sports are already something fine. The latest study by ski tourism researcher Gunther Aigner also proves that snow depths have remained statistically unchanged over the last 108 years. So we can breathe a sigh of relief, because there are no indications of a trend towards decreasing snow amounts to 1.740 meters above sea level.
For Maria Hofl-Riesch makes Obertauern
always the race
Three-time Olympic champion alpine skier Maria Hofl-Riesch is Obertauern's "snow ambassador". During her active career, she often came here to train, "There was always enough snow, the conditions were perfect." Today she likes to come here with her husband and family. Less for the best times, but for the fun.
Obertauern – photo shooting with Maria Hofl-Riesch Photo: Anika Giese
On four skids down the slope
For mega-fun on the slopes you need equipment and a good slope, that's for sure. If now two boards are added, that's the fun on the snowbike. Obertauern has its own snowbike school and it only takes half a day to ride down the slopes on a snowbike. The technique of turning starts with the head and then strength and dexterity help to maneuver oneself on four boards into the valley.
Herrmann Koch from the Koch Ski School tells us the tricks of the trade in no time at all and we can't stop laughing for joy and always arrive at the bottom again. Especially for groups it is a great fun. Before the last descent we drink a legendary Gamsmilch at the Gamsmilchbar and slide back into the valley.