Skied Obertauern on a day that started with enthusiasm ranged into disappointment, then ended in joy.
ENTHUSIASM - it was a powder morning. 15cm+ had fallen & things were looking good for a great day in early March. Start with no lift lines on a comfortable combi chairlift/gondola. Chose to sit warm in the gondola.
DISAPPOINTMENT– low visibility in the morning had me skiing low angle, short vertical, wind-affected snow in the Seekarspitz area. Multitudes of humans on the interconnecting pistes only increased my level of disappointment. Regardless of the number of skiers on the piste, the ultra-modern lift system dealt with the volume superbly. Lift lines were non-existent & some seats are heated for your posterior pleasure.
Fortified by an overpriced coffee at the intriguing ‘après ski oriented’ Edelweisshütte, I continued the quest. As the gloom evaporated, I could see where I needed to be.
JOY – as I dropped into some steep off-piste amongst the avalanche fences off the Schaidbergbahn. Minimal people, good, though softening snow, on true advanced pitch & interesting terrain. With my blood up it was then an ascent to the top of the Gamsleitenbahn double chair. This signature chair & peak (Gamsleitenspitz) features on the Obertauern symbol. With visibility & some local knowledge, this should have my initial point of departure as the gloom lifted. As it was, after scoping out the terrain on the way up via two other chairlifts, I still skied powder all the way to the valley.
JOY CONTINUES below Zehnerkarspitz where the high alpine includes some challenging couloirs, bowls, trees & steeps that end back at the gondola base (& my starting point!). This area clearly doesn’t get the early traffic of the Gamsleiten, probably due to its more challenging entry points & complex exits. Another great appeared before me on one of these descents. The backside of the Seekareck chairlift has a solid 600m vertical descent to the lowest lifted point in the resort near the Kehrkopfbahn.
SURPRISE at the end of the day was the ‘fun slope’ on trail 7b off Monte Flu. The trail is rated blue (beginner) but is anything but towards the back end of the day. It features some wonderful jumps, berms rails & other features on the winding descent. Even with my creaking knees, leaping off a few well-made jumps is always a bit of fun & a very pleasant surprise at the end of the day in the lowest part of the resort.
Obertauern is perfectly geared for families & groups looking to ski beginner & intermediate groomed trails. A vast array of après ski bars indicates what else it geared too! Accommodation in the resort is almost 100% ski-in ski-out or close enough to it.
As mentioned earlier, the lift system is fantastic, but almost over the top. A new combi lift replacing a quad chair (Plattenkar) in 2018/19, doesn’t add much to the ski area. We didn’t even ride it! There are no lift lines, but the on-piste trails feel incredibly busy.
The piste trails do suffer quickly from the high traffic volume, whereas the broad off-piste & freeride terrain is largely empty.
Given its geographical position, impressive snow record, standard of lifts & skiable vertical, I expected Obertauern to be as good as, if not better than, one of our Powderhound’s Europe favourites, Kühtai. The similarities are certainly there, but Obertauern fails to match it with Kuehtai for several reasons.
In the cold hard light of day I could see all of Obertauern’s positives; which in the morning gloom seemed to be fantasy. Funny how a day can wax & wane. Worth a look for a few days on a road trip or longer on a family snow holiday.