Why you should head to Obertauern, Austria’s snowiest ski resort

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During winter 2022/23, the information was filled with horror tales about a scarcity of snow in winter sports activities locations. In reality, it was largely decrease resorts within the north-west Alps affected, with most ski areas in the remainder of the Alps (and Dolomites and Pyrenees) open as regular, regardless of the gentle climate.

One resort had a selected cause to be cheerful. Obertauern, located within the Radstädter Tauern mountain vary in Salzburgerland, was one of many few ski areas in Austria that final Christmas had a plentiful serving to of snow, not simply on the pistes, however off them too. It’s not shocking, because it has additionally been named the snowiest non-glacier resort in Austria, with such an abundance that it opened on 24 November and can shut on 1 May.

If I’d been anxious about snow, my arrival on the ski-in, ski-out village in mid-December instantly reassured me. Looking out the lodge’s decrease home windows, all I may see was layer upon layer of snow piled up like neatly folded blankets towards the glass.

On the primary carry up, the windblown layers of snow beneath me seemed like a profusion of contour strains on a map. And as regards to contour strains, it’s as a result of this 1,700m-high village, with its pistes discreetly landscaped into the pine-flecked mountainside, is the primary impediment for storms arriving from each north and south that it scarcely ever misses a snowfall.

That’s powerful information for the drivers of piste grooming machines. Clicking on my skis, I concluded that they had gone on strike, because the snow was piled excessive in gentle moguls.

Not a little bit of it, I used to be instructed. Fresh snow is much less dense than the unreal stuff, so a big fall will get minimize up shortly by skiers and snowboarders, and takes longer to be compacted into the corduroy carpets that we regularly see.

So, given all that snow, is Obertauern additionally Europe’s snowiest resort? We do not know – the Austrians are the one nation who’ve stored greater than a century of snow depth information. Over a espresso, I requested Mario Siedler, head of the native vacationer board, why.

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For greater than 100 years, villagers stored data to work out when it might be secure avalanche-wise to enterprise again into the valley and to work out how to make their meals final till then, he instructed me.

Soldiers in Vienna realised this was essential strategic data, and began collating the info. During the First World War, for instance, avalanches have been a key tactical weapon, with Austro-Hungarian troops setting them off over the strains of the invading Italian forces.

One researcher, Dr Günther Aigner, has analysed this wealth of knowledge to calculate that Obertauern’s 256cm common most snow depth since 1908 (sometimes produced from about 5 metres of annual snowfall) makes it the snowiest non-glacier resort in Austria.

Interestingly, prior to now 30 years the determine has risen barely to 264cm, which one can speculate is as a result of international warming has led to extra humid air and higher snowfall at increased altitudes.

Mario’s discuss of yesteryear’s villagers holed up with out meals – and the storm that was looming – was making me decidedly hungry. Fortunately, the lodge I used to be staying in had an abundance of wonderful dishes. It was purchased by the Croatian Valamar lodge chain in 2023 and refurbished within the nick of time for this season in order that the group may grasp on to one of the best cooks from its summer time resorts on the Adriatic coast year-round. Not solely was there cuttlefish risotto and duck for dinner, however oysters and bubbly have been on provide at breakfast each morning.

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Unlike most Austrian institutions, the place employees in conventional gown take orders within the hushed atmosphere of wood-lined parlours, that is very a lot a celebration lodge, with a younger, informal really feel and funky music. Perhaps that is applicable, given it’s the place the Beatles carried out their solely live performance in Austria once they have been filming Help! in 1965.

Following Paul McCartney’s lead, I wished to strive one other Austrian specialty – snowbiking – particularly as Hermann Koch, who runs a ski faculty right here, is a seven-times Guinness World Record holder within the sport.

Strapping two mini skis to my toes, I used to be taught how to steer and cease this “Easy Rider” in simply half an hour – one cause why snowbiking is so standard amongst non-skiers. We whizzed over the bumps and lumps of piste 15b and even swung down “Love Valley”, an attractive adjoining gorge that I might in any other case have missed.

The suspension on the bikes is so good that many skiers who are suffering from dangerous backs, knees or ankles go for snowbiking instead to snowboarding.

However, when Koch took me down the precipitous purple piste from the highest of the Zehnerkarbahn, I had to inform one skier who requested me if snowbiking wasn’t “just sitting” that sure, it was – in the identical method that snowboarding is “just standing”.

Obertauern’s ski space has a sometimes Austrian quotient of difficult, higher intermediate purple runs. Those wanting a neater journey can go for a pleasant anticlockwise spherical tour on largely blue pistes. This is a intelligent method of guaranteeing you discover the total extent of the Obertauern’s 100km of pistes served by 26 lifts. And – pleasure! – the piste map truly consists of arrows to present the route of pistes. A rarity.

Children are additionally nicely catered for, with two shorter excursions that embody slalom runs, igloos, a ghost piste, warm-up routines and numerous different enjoyable stuff.

For extra achieved skiers, a clockwise tour takes you on largely purple pistes between the resort’s sunlit peaks, none extra placing than the Seekarspitz, a dead-ringer for the Matterhorn.

The subsequent day, emboldened by the breakfast bubbly, I attempted one other of Obertauern’s challenges: ticking off the resort’s seven peaks, together with navigating the difficult black ridge run from the Gamsleiten peak at over 2,300m, with its 45 diploma sections. It was after this that I actually wanted the comfort of the lodge’s spa, hurrying to its outdoors saunas hidden behind large cornices of contemporary snow to regular my nerves.

Of course, phrase has acquired out about Obertauern, and the resort is fairly full in peak season. But to me Obertauern’s actual attraction – except you undergo from acute nervousness about snow shortages – is through the so-called “shoulder seasons” from late November to the pre-Christmas weeks and from Easter Monday to 1 May. At different occasions there are numerous different snow-sure resorts thanks to snowmaking, even when they don’t have Obertauern’s enviable snow file. And a good thing about the brand new lodge is that it provides versatile reserving and quick stays if you fancy a sneaky pre or post-season journey.

I ended my pre-Christmas journey with 1.2m of snowfall forecast for the following two days. While this undoubtedly impressed extra horrified information headlines about skiers stranded within the resort, I didn’t get stranded myself – though I do relatively want I had been.

Getting there

British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair, Jet2, Tui and Wizz Air fly direct to Salzburg, which is lower than 90 minutes’ drive from Obertauern, from 11 UK airports.

Reaching Obertauern by prepare takes simply over 17 hours from London, taking the Eurostar to Brussels, boarding the Nightjet to Salzburg, then a native prepare to Radstadt, which is 20 minutes by bus from Obertauern. In addition to sleeper compartments, the Nightjet is at present trialling single individual sleeping pods.

Colin travelled as a visitor of Obertauern, Salzburgerland, Austria and Valamar’s Places lodge, which provides rooms half board from €250 (£213) an evening. The resort is open from late November till early May, and an grownup day cross prices €59 (£50), with week-long passes costing €286 (£244). Passes for greater than someday are additionally legitimate on the 50km of pistes within the Grosseck-Speiereck area situated quarter-hour away.

Snowbiking classes value €99 (£85) per individual for 2 hours. Moonlight excursions prices €39 (£33) per individual together with a drink, with snowbike rent included in each.