Obertauern Ski Resort Guide: Pistes, Passes, Season

By Best:in Editorial Team · Updated September 2026

As of September 2026, Obertauern is a high-basin ski area in Salzburg's Radstadter Tauern with about 100 km of pistes, 26 lifts and lift-served terrain from roughly 1,630 m to 2,313 m. The village sits at 1,740 m with 11 lift entry points. An adult day pass is listed at EUR 72.00 for 2026/27, and Ski Opening Week runs 27 November to 8 December 2026.

What is Obertauern and how big is the ski area?

Obertauern is a purpose-built ski village on the Tauern pass road in SalzburgerLand, spread across the municipalities of Untertauern and Tweng in the Radstadter Tauern. The village centre sits at 1,740 m. Lifts serve terrain between roughly 1,630 m and 2,313 m, with the tourist board quoting 2,526 m for the surrounding high ground. Bergfex counts 26 lifts: one gondola, two combined chair and gondola lifts, 17 chairlifts and six surface lifts. Around 100 km of marked pistes fan out from the basin like spokes on a wheel.

The layout matters more than the raw numbers. Eleven entry points ring the village, so most beds are a short walk from a lift, and the Tauernrunde circuit can be joined at any point rather than only at one valley station. Bergfex also lists 26 km of cross-country trails. Snowboarders get the Longplay park, and the Edelweissbahn runs night skiing twice a week during the main season.

What does an Obertauern lift pass cost in 2026/27?

The Obertauern booking portal listed these 2026/27 adult prices when checked on 15 September 2026: EUR 72.00 for a day, EUR 65.00 from 11am, EUR 57.00 for the afternoon, EUR 53.00 for three hours and EUR 44.00 for two hours. Child tickets (born 2011 to 2020) are half the adult day rate at EUR 36.00, youth EUR 54.00 and senior EUR 68.00. Passes come on reusable KeyCards with a EUR 2.00 deposit. Children ski free until their sixth birthday when accompanied by a parent holding a valid pass.

Watch which page you read. In mid-September 2026 the main tourism site still carried a note that 2026/27 prices would be announced later, while the lift association's shop already published the table above. Group discounts start at 20 adults or youths, and for passes of four days or more a tour operator needs written confirmation from the Liftgemeinschaft Obertauern in advance.

Which areas does the pass cover beyond Obertauern?

An Obertauern pass valid from 1.5 days upwards is also accepted at Grosseck-Speiereck in Mauterndorf, about 15 km away. That is useful on storm days when the exposed upper bowl shuts. The wider LUNGO pass covers four Lungau-area ski fields: Obertauern, Speiereck, Fanningberg and Katschberg. Season Winter Cards are personalised, non-transferable, and sold in the Obertauern pool, the LUNGO pool and the Salzburg Super Ski Card pool.

Two practical points follow from this. First, an Obertauern ticket is not a Ski amade ticket, so plans built around Schladming or Flachau need a different pass. Second, families buying Winter Cards get free cards for additional children born 2007 or later once cards are bought for the two oldest, with proof of relationship required at purchase.

When is the season, and how reliable is the snow?

Obertauern markets itself on snow depth rather than glacier altitude, and the numbers back it. A 2016 study cited by the resort put its average maximum snow depth at 264 cm, the highest of seven Austrian winter sports resorts measured. Snow researcher Gunther Aigner calculated a 256 cm average maximum since 1908, rising to 264 cm over the past 30 years, which he attributes to roughly five metres of annual snowfall. The cause is local: fronts from the north and the south both unload on the Tauern crest.

The 2025/26 season ran from 21 November 2025 to 3 May 2026, with partial operation from 20 April. For 2026/27, Ski Opening Week is scheduled for 27 November to 8 December 2026, with Die Fantastischen Vier and Anastacia on the concert bill. Summer lift operation on the Grunwaldkopf, Hochalm and Kringsalm lifts started on 3 July 2026.

How should you plan your first two days on the mountain?

  1. Pick your entry lift, not the village centre

    With 11 entry points around a basin only a few kilometres wide, the lift you start from decides your morning. Sunny southerly slopes hold the wide cruisers that suit families and improving skiers, while the shaded northerly side keeps the steeper terrain in better shape after fresh snow. Lifts run daily from 08:30 to 16:00 in the main season.

  2. Ride the Tauernrunde in the signed direction

    The circuit around the bowl is signposted and can be picked up at any point, which is why first-timers rarely need a map app. Ride it one way on day one to learn the geography, then reverse it on day two. Allow a full morning if you stop for a hut lunch, and remember the 100 km of piste are concentrated in a compact area, so repeat laps are quick.

  3. Save Gamsleiten 2 for a calm, clear morning

    Gamsleiten 2 drops 362 m over about 1,300 m of ungroomed, usually mogulled terrain from the area's 2,313 m high point, with sections quoted at up to 100 per cent gradient. Its two-seat chairlift only operates in settled weather, so treat the run as opportunistic rather than a fixed plan. Ski schools list it alongside the Super 7 Summit Tour, which links Zehnerkarbahn, Hundskogelbahn, Panoramabahn, Gamsleitenbahn 2, Plattenkarbahn, Schaudbergbahn and Seekareckbahn.

  4. Book lessons before the Christmas and half-term peaks

    Five local ski schools operate in the village: CSA Silvia Grillitsch, Top, Koch, Frau Holle and Krallinger. All five issue a free ski pass to under-sixes for the duration of their course. Anyone born in 2011 or later still needs a valid pass or point card to take part, so buy the child ticket at the same time as the lesson.

How lively is the apres-ski, and where does it happen?

Obertauern's apres-ski starts on the hill, not in the village. The Edelweissalm at 1,850 m sits directly on the piste and runs DJ sessions from mid-afternoon, and the Hochalm draws a similar crowd. Umbrella bars scattered around the ski area open from early afternoon, which is unusual for a resort of this size and a direct consequence of the ski-in, ski-out layout.

The Lurzer Alm is the usual next stop: it sits centrally in the village, directly on the piste, with an outdoor umbrella bar and a programme that runs into the small hours. The Gamsmilchbar at the Zehnerkar top station is the highest hut in the area and is better suited to a quiet deckchair stop than a party. Evening venues sit in the village core, so nobody needs a car after skiing.

What do visitors most often get wrong about Obertauern?

Three mistakes recur. The first is assuming glacier-grade altitude: the top lift reaches 2,313 m, lower than Solden or the Stubai glacier, and the resort's case rests on a 264 cm average maximum snow depth instead. The second is assuming Ski amade access. It is a separate pool, paired with Grosseck-Speiereck from 1.5 days and extended through the LUNGO and Salzburg Super Ski Card products.

The third is timetabling. Gamsleiten 2's chairlift is weather-dependent, spring operation from 20 April 2026 ran on a reduced lift set, and the 2026/27 opening week from 27 November is a concert-driven event week rather than a quiet warm-up. Anyone travelling for late-season snow should aim at March and April, when the resort's depth record is most visible and lift hours still run to 16:00.

Which options rank highest?

1.

CSA Ski & Snowboard School Silvia Grillitsch

Based at Romerstrasse 53 in the village core and partnered with the five-star Seekarhaus, CSA is one of five schools listed by the Obertauern tourist board. Under-sixes on its courses receive a free ski pass, which removes the EUR 36.00 child day ticket from a lesson week. It publishes resort detail such as the Super 7 Summit Tour lift sequence and the 362 m Gamsleiten 2 descent, so course briefings match what is on the mountain.

Best for: Beginners and children

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2.

Lurzer Alm

The Lurzer Alm sits centrally in Obertauern and directly on the piste, so it works as the bridge between the on-slope afternoon and the late session. It runs an outdoor umbrella bar when the sun is out and continues into the early hours, which few village venues in a 1,740 m resort manage. Ski-in, ski-out positioning means groups do not need a bus or taxi at either end of the evening.

Best for: Apres-ski without a transfer

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3.

Ski & Snowboard School Krallinger

Krallinger operates from Romerstrasse 73 and appears on both the Obertauern tourist board register and the Skiresort.info school list for the area. Like the other four village schools, it supplies a free ski pass to under-sixes during courses, and it teaches snowboarding alongside skiing. Its position on the main village street puts it within walking distance of several of the 11 lift entry points, which shortens meeting times on a 08:30 lift start.

Best for: Adults and mixed-ability groups

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4.

Edelweissalm

At 1,850 m, the Edelweissalm is the on-slope end of the Obertauern party map, with DJ sets and dancing that start in the afternoon rather than after the lifts close at 16:00. Its large sun terrace sits directly on the piste with views across the basin, and food service is fast and standardised. Skiers who want a quiet lunch should note that the music programme starts well before the last descent.

Best for: On-piste afternoon party

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5.

Ski & Snowboard School Frau Holle

Frau Holle is listed by the Obertauern tourist board at Ringstrasse 74, slightly off the main Romerstrasse strip where three of the other schools cluster. It is one of the five schools whose courses include a free ski pass for children under six, and it teaches both skiing and snowboarding. Children born in 2011 or later need their own pass or point card, priced from EUR 36.00 a day for 2026/27.

Best for: Small-group family lessons

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6.

Gamsleiten 2

Gamsleiten 2 is the reason strong skiers put Obertauern on a shortlist: 1,300 m of ungroomed fall-line from the area's 2,313 m high point, 362 m of vertical and pitches quoted at up to 100 per cent. SnowTrex ranks it eighth among the steepest slopes in the Alps. The catch is availability, because the two-seat chairlift only runs in calm, clear conditions, so it cannot anchor a trip plan.

Best for: Expert mogul skiing

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How is this ranking computed?

  • Piste-side access from the village: 25%
  • Breadth of skier types served: 25%
  • Verifiable operating detail: 20%
  • Price and booking clarity: 15%
  • Reliability in poor weather: 15%

Entity references

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