The highest mountain villages in Austria – Obergurgl, 1930 m and Hochgurgl, 2150 m, located at the end of the Ötztal valley (in which Sölden is also located), are the starting points of the united region, which is rightly called the diamond of the Alps.

This resort attracts fans of alpine skiing, snowboarding and travel, primarily with a variety of slopes, of which there are 110 km, guaranteed snow, glacier skiing and a long winter season (from mid-November to early May). But the Gurgl valley is famous not only for its slopes, but also for its first-class hotel and restaurant service and a lot of leisure opportunities.

In the 19th century, the miniature Alpine village of Obergurgl was visited only by artists captivated by the local landscapes. World fame came to Obergurgl quite by accident in 1931, when the famous Swiss physicist Auguste Picard made an emergency landing on the local glacier.

Now the Austrian Obergurgl in the Oetztal region is a place for connoisseurs and lovers of alpine skiing and snowboarding, for those who like to relax in peace and quiet, enjoying the splendor of pristine nature. Obergurgl is the complete opposite of its cheerful and never-sleeping neighbor Sölden. The many-kilometer ski region is divided into two parts: Obergurgl itself and Hochgurgl, connected by a horizontal gondola lift. Both beginners and experienced skiers will find both parts of this region interesting, while professionals should head to the Hohe Mut (Top of Courage) in Obergurgl, as well as the Top-Wurmkogl II mogul run in Hochgurgl.

High-altitude Obergurgl

Austrian Obergurgl is one of the highest ski resorts in the entire country. The ski season here starts in mid-November and lasts until early May. The lifts start directly from the town center, and most of the ski area lies above the forest line. This resort is popular with beginners and those with little experience. More experienced athletes usually choose off-piste skiing here.

In Obergurgl, the skiing area is located at an altitude of 1,800 – 3,080 meters, so the difference in altitude between the lowest and highest point is 1,280 meters, which is quite a good indicator for Austria. Today, the resort has 110 kilometers of slopes (together with neighboring Hochgurgl), of which 35 kilometers are “blue”, i.e. designed for beginners, 55 kilometers are “red”, i.e. of medium difficulty, and 20 kilometers are extreme and dangerous “black”. Beginners are recommended to choose the Gaisberg lift, Mahdstuhl lift or those located on a special training slope. More experienced athletes choose Festkogl in Obergurgl and the route along the Schermerspitze ski area. The longest route in the resort is Wurmkogl, 8.5 kilometers long with a height difference of 1,260 meters.

Two runs in the Obergurgl area are especially impressive: at the highest point, the black and red runs start almost in parallel. From the side, it seems that skiers are going down these runs slowly and even impressively – the width allows. However, as soon as you get to the start yourself, your head starts to spin from the slope. And none of the unprepared people risk going on these runs, realizing what the speeds are really like there. Even the instructor honestly and with a sigh says: “Very difficult runs.”

In addition, Obergurgl offers cross-country skiing trails, as well as a modern snow park with a half-pipe and numerous snowboarding figures. The slopes of this resort are served by 24 lifts, with a total capacity of 39 4750-0_bgblur_00 people per hour. There are 12 chairlifts, 7 tow lifts and 4 funiculars in Obergurgl.

Thus, the main characteristics of this region, in addition to the amazing silence and picturesque landscapes, are the location of the resort high in the mountains, the spaciousness of the slopes and the skiing season until May. However, it is worth bearing in mind that this resort is quite expensive even in low season.

Prices in Obergurgl

All ski passes in Obergurgl are issued in the form of special plastic cards. They are contactless, that is, they do not need to be inserted into the control machines – the turnstiles open automatically. The deposit for each card is 2.5 euros and is returned in exchange for an undamaged ski pass.

The cost of a one-day ski pass in Obergurgl is 46-48 euros (depending on the season) for adults, 32 euros for children, 37 euros for teenagers and 42 euros for pensioners. You can also buy ski passes for several days. For those tourists who do not have their own ski or snowboard equipment, the resort has rental points: Lohman, Scheiber Sport, Intersport Riml. One day of rental of a ski set for adults is from 22 to 36 euros, depending on the category of skis and boots. Children’s sets will cost 8 euros for children under 8 years old, 14 euros for children under 14 years old. A set of snowboarding equipment for one day costs 30 euros for adults and 22 euros for children.

Especially for beginners, as well as for those who want to hone their skills and perhaps learn a couple of new tricks, Obergurgl has ski schools with certified instructors. One of the most popular is the Skischule Obergurgl, which is over 90 years old and has 120 instructors (including Russian speakers). In addition, the Skischule Exclusive Obergurgl, Alpin Sport Obergurgl and the one-instructor school Swal Ski with a local operate on the slopes. The cost of group lessons is on average 55-65 euros for one day (4 hours) and about 230 euros for 6 days. Personal lessons with a coach are more expensive – from 145 euros for two hours and 249 euros for the whole day. Group snowboarding lessons will cost about 60-70 euros per day. In addition, some schools offer their students discounts on equipment rental at the resort.

The above-mentioned schools offer training for the youngest athletes. Children from the age of four are accepted for classes, and two Bobo Miniclub training grounds are prepared for three-year-olds. The cost of classes is from 65 euros for one day or 35 euros for two hours. In addition, these schools offer a childcare service for children from three years old for a period of from one hour to the whole day. The kindergarten is located next to the ski slope, so the boys can both ski and play in the heat. The cost of kindergarten is from 25 euros for 2 hours.

Accommodation and Après-ski opportunities in Obergurgl

On the territory of Obergurgl near the slopes there are about 4,000 places to stay in hotels, guesthouses and apartments. The most expensive and fashionable is the Top Hotel Hochgurgl 5 * – one of the best mountain hotels in the whole country. The cost of accommodation there is 180 – 490 euros. Of the four-star hotels, you should pay attention to Alpen Hotel Schone Aussicht, AlpenLand, Crystal, Gotthard Zeit (from 110 euros per night), while of the “threes” the most popular and comfortable are Alpenhotel Laurin, Ideal, Mathiesn (from 68 euros).

Despite the fact that Obergurgl is considered a quiet and peaceful resort, this does not mean that everything closes here with the onset of darkness. The city has about 30 restaurants, there are excellent bars, as well as several nightclubs. Gourmets and lovers of Italian cuisine should definitely visit restaurants such as Romantik and Belmonte, try authentic Tyrolean dishes at Gamper or Grüner and enjoy a delicious fondue at Hubertushof. In Obergurgl, the après-ski program starts in the morning, with live music and dancing. In the evening, you should visit the cheerful Edelweiss bar at the bottom station of the Gaisberg lift, and then move to the Joslkeller or Hexenkuch’l at the Hotel Jenewein, Krumpn’s Stadl or Austria Keller at the Hotel Austria. The average check in restaurants is about 17 – 19 euros, while in establishments at expensive hotels it will be slightly higher.

Almost every large ski lift has a chalet, inside which there is a restaurant or bar, and outside there are verandas with comfortable chairs for relaxing. Among them, Top Mountain Crosspoint stands out in particular. Firstly, because of its location: Top Mountain Crosspoint is one of the stopping points on the high-altitude Timmelsjoch Alpine road. Secondly, the complex has a modern look, but at the same time there are obvious references to traditional chalets. Against the backdrop of the Alps, such a structure looks unusual, but extremely pleasant.

Inside the complex are the Kirchenkarbahn Sektion I lift, a restaurant with Italian and Tyrolean cuisine, and most importantly – the highest motorcycle museum in Europe. At an altitude of three thousand meters, you can see a collection of 230 motorcycles from more than 100 manufacturers. There are Italian Ducati and Vespa, Japanese Suzuki and Yamaha, as well as BMW, Indian, Brough Superior and others. And for car lovers, there are retro Porsche and Ferrari models in all their glory. By the way, visiting the museum is also free for owners of the Öztal Super Skipass.

Those who want to diversify their ski vacation with sightseeing should visit, for example, the water mill, which is over 150 years old and now houses a museum, or the church of St. John of Nepomuk, built in 1726. By the way, this church is considered the highest in all of Europe.

How to get there

Obergürgl can be reached from Innsbruck airport (100 kilometers), Munich (205 kilometers), Friedrichshafen (225 kilometers) or Salzburg (280 kilometers). Those who want to get here by train should know that there is no rail service in the valley, trains only go to the Oetztal Bahnhof station, where you will need to change to a bus to Sölden. Those heading to the resort by car should take the A12 Inntalautobahn to the Oetztal exit, and then drive through the valley for about 48 kilometers.

Also reading now: