Possibly Austria?s only purpose-built resort, Obertauern has grown up along the road through the Tauern Pass in a rather haphazard manner. Its development from 1942 onwards was largely thanks to the realisation that unlike most Austrian resorts, its high altitude meant that skiers could take advantage of the huge snowy bowl on either side of the Pass. It is possible to ski from the top back down to road throughout the season.
For an internationally famous resort, Obertauern?s vertical is rather small but it compensates with over 120km (75 miles) of marked trails, accessed from 9 separate lifts from resort level, providing plenty of access points and big opportunities for slopeside skiing from many of the hotels. The resort also offers marked ski area circuits - green for the easy beginners route and pink for the intermediates. Experts have to make do with a big bowl of powdery off-piste and five black runs, several mean moguls during much of the season.
The resort is also part of the Top Tauern Ski Check Pass which includes more than 30 ski resort areas in the Tauern, some lift-linked to one another, although not to Obertauern. Some of the better known resorts on the Pass (which covers over 700km -- 440 miles -- of trails and nearly 300 lifts) are Altnmarkt, Radstadt, Ramsau, St Johann Im Pongau, St Margarethen im Lungau, St Michael im Lungau, Schladming, Wagrain and the Dachstein glacier lifts.
Obertauern used to be criticized for not having much to do off the slopes but that has changed a great new sports center with indoor tennis, bowling, swimming pool etc. Besides, The Beatles didn?t seem to care when they came here to shoot the famous on-ski scenes in the movie Help back in 1965.
| Vertical Drop: | 2334 ft
| Half Pipes: | 1 |
| Top Elevation: | 7713 ft | Snowmaking:
| 80% |
Skiable Acres:
| 1174 | Total:
| 26km |
| Trails: | 66 | Restaurants:
| 35 |
| Lifts: | 26 | | |
Cable cars:
| 1 | | |
Източник:
www.goski.com 
