Obertauern ski resort is located in the federal state of Salzburg, 90 kilometers from the city of the same name, and is considered one of the highest in Austria. The abundance of natural snow and complex terrain trails attract experienced skiers with a high level of skill here every year. For beginners, there are several excellent schools with experienced instructors who can put even the laziest and untrained amateurs on skis in a short time. However, the limited number of training slopes and Obertauern’s fame as a haven for professionals somewhat discourages beginners, who prefer the wide and gentle slopes of Kirchberg.

Obertauern evokes only positive associations among snowboarders and freeriders. An excellent snow and fun park, equipped in accordance with the strictest requirements, is a favorite place for training among fans of these sports. Modern comfortable hotels are presented here for every taste and satisfy the wishes of all guests depending on price preferences, and a developed infrastructure and a wide selection of entertainment make vacations in these places as rich and interesting as possible.

Obertauern Ski Resort, Austria

Unlike most Austrian ski resorts, Obertauern does not have the usual trail markings. Only the lifts and the directions of the circular routes are marked with numbers. In terms of its structure, the resort is divided into two halves, located to the left and right of the village itself, which runs through the middle of the entire valley. In the upper part of the Radstädter Tauern slopes, almost all the slopes, a significant part of which are virgin, are covered with natural snow, while the foothills and skiing areas at the lower ski stations are more oriented towards artificial surfaces, which are stably provided by snow cannons. The Hamsleiten route is considered one of the favorites for real “pros”. It consists of hard hills and is intended exclusively for confident skiers with a certain level of skill. In the same area, wonderful virgin slopes descend. The slopes of the Seekarek mountain are good for their variable descents with a variety of terrain. The eastern skiing area, located north of the central road, is ideal for beginners. All areas are connected by modern lifts that operate on a schedule, from early morning to late evening.

For fans of cross-country skiing, the resort has about 25 kilometers of trails with small elevation changes and high-quality fluffy snow. All of them run through the highlands and invariably delight fans of this type of skiing discipline. Connoisseurs of natural beauty have almost 20 kilometers of well-groomed hiking trails for leisurely walks through picturesque mountain areas. Fans of carving and freestyle in Obertauern are also not deprived of attention, for them, as well as for snowboarders and freeriders, special skiing areas are equipped. For “boarders” at the resort, schools have been created to teach beginners this difficult winter discipline. Therefore, those who previously only admired the art of experienced professionals from the outside can try to learn to own a board with the active assistance of an experienced mentor. For those who want to ride a sled from steep mountain slopes, 6 kilometers of sled runs are equipped. There is a children’s ski school for children from three years old.

For those who want to take a break from the ski slopes, the Obertauern resort area has an excellent sports and recreation complex, equipped with a swimming pool, saunas, tennis courts, a bowling alley, billiards and table tennis tables. You can have an interesting evening in numerous nightclubs, bars and restaurants. Every year, in December, the village hosts a festival called the Snow Countdown Festival. It is timed to coincide with the opening of the season and is a large-scale open-air disco. On such days, a large number of people gather here and Obertauern turns into a kind of seething cauldron of music and light, where young people who have come here from different countries of Europe circle in an endless dance rhythm.

Obertauern became known to the world in 1965, when the famous musical group “The Beatles” came to the local mountain slopes to film their film “Help!”. The problem for the musicians was that their musical instruments held much better in their hands than ski poles, and skis were generally objects from another era for them. As a result, the film required stunt doubles to play the roles of the Liverpool Four in those episodes where they were required to demonstrate their skiing skills. In the end, the film was made, and the celebrities barely learned to stand on skis. This historical moment in the life of the resort has become a cult event over the years of the village’s existence, and some of the locals who witnessed those events are happy to tell about them today to visiting tourists.

Obertauern is not the most popular ski resort in Austria, but, nevertheless, it is well known to experienced skiers. Due to its high-altitude location, the resort has snow from December to mid-May, so the season here is a little longer than in other “ski resorts” of the country. A large number of sunny days and pleasant climatic conditions allow guests to feel comfortable throughout their vacation, and the magnificent natural landscapes and clean fresh air contribute to cheerfulness and good mood.

How The Beatles got up to ski

The Beatles, like many famous people, not only worked, but also, sometimes, rested somewhere in the mountains. British journalists from TheTelegraph found photos of the famous foursome taken during winter filming in the Alps in 1965. As it turned out, the Beatles were also fascinated by skiing.

It is known that The Beatles visited the Austrian resort Obertauern in 1965 to film a scene from the film Help!, as well as to record a video for the single Tiket To Ride.

In the photo from left to right: John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr.

By the way: last season Obertauern celebrated the 50th anniversary of the group’s filming – there is even a monument to The Beatles there.

The scenes shot in the mountains allow us to see the band members in those moments when they enjoy their vacation, despite the danger that awaits them (according to the film’s script, if it even had a script) at every turn – here they are sledding. In the photo from top to bottom: Ringo Starr, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney.

George enjoyed sledding in all his free time …

But he soon joined the others in trying on a large scarf. From left to right: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon.

John and Ringo with brooms: curling!

They soon took up skiing seriously. From left to right: Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, George Harrison.

Although very soon they preferred a picnic in the snow. From left to right: Ringo Starr, John Lennon, George Harrison, Paul McCartney.

And then John took up skiing again.

And not just John. And soon they’ll all be together again. From left to right: John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney.

Then they ditched their skis and all got into these wingsuits.

John Lennon loved to hike in the mountains, for example, he went to St. Moritz in Switzerland with his first wife, Cynthia.

John, by the way, looked like an experienced skier.

At least until your next fall.

 

Well, that’s about it, I guess. We like to think that this was the Beatles’ heyday, when they could combine alpine skiing with their great music.

The Beatles in Obertauern. “Help!”

Half a century ago, in 1965, a young woman began kissing the road leading from Salzburg to the Obertauern ski resort.

Why? The answer lay in a special charter flight organized by the British airline BEA, which landed at Salzburg’s Maxglan Airport on March 13th with four famous people on board – the Beatles, the most famous band of all time, for a week of skiing, or rather, to film scenes for their upcoming film “Help!”.

Richard Lester, an expert in comically absurd performances, was the film’s director, and Beatles fans from all over Europe (not to mention the band’s opponents, who claimed that their rise to fame heralded the end of Western civilization) accompanied the magnificent four on their journey to the center of Salzburg. The guys held a strange press conference upon arrival at the Osterreichischer Hof Hotel – now the Sacher Salzburg Hotel – before heading to Obertauern for skiing.

Obertauern was a tiny ski village, and the producers thought it would be perfect for the film for two reasons: first, there would be plenty of snow, and second, it was far enough away to prevent the avalanche of hysterical Beatles fans who might show up during filming. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison and Ringo Starr stayed at the Edelweiss Hotel, in rooms 501 to 507 (more precisely, the Beatles themselves occupied rooms 502 to 505). Another interesting fact is that the Beatles first heard their famous “Yesterday” on record at the Edelweiss.

If you want to retrace the footsteps of the Beatles today and see exactly where the film scenes were filmed, the best thing you can do is talk to a local who was Paul McCartney. When the Beatles arrived in Obertauern, John Lennon was the only one who had ever skied (he had a few hours of lessons in St. Moritz).

So four young village boys became the Beatles’ stunt doubles and continued their cinematic ski adventures. It was then that Herbert Lurzer became Paul McCartney, and photographs from that time certainly show more than just a superficial resemblance between them.

After a week on the slopes, the Beatles were strong enough skiers to stand upright and climb the ropes. But they preferred to leave the downhill skiing to their backups –

The Beatles used White Star skis to hobble down the slopes of Obertauern. Eyewitnesses recall that they were constantly fooling around during filming –

Today, the Lutzer family runs hotels, restaurants, bars and clubs in Obertauern (including the Hotel Edelweis).

Herbert has a lot to tell. The film had only a rudimentary plot, most of the scenes were improvisation and nonsense, and Herbert says that none of the stunt doubles had any idea what was even happening.

He remembers how helpless the musicians were in the snow and at the same time how friendly and approachable they were. Herr Lurtzer remembers that the women who accompanied the band everywhere were not to his and other locals’ taste, remembers how many were annoyed by the Beatles’ shoulder-length hair, and how they could only find one single record of the group – in the nearby village of Radstadt.

He is happy to talk about the legendary evening of March 18th, when the Beatles played their first (and only) concert in Austria – in the Schistall bar of the Marietta Hotel for the birthday of one of the film’s assistant directors, Clive Reed.

They played for two hours straight until some of their instruments broke, the bar was so full that people couldn’t move anymore, and the guests upstairs started complaining that the concert was making too much noise and they wanted to go to sleep. Despite all this, it was a very memorable evening. There was no set schedule for the concert, and the Beatles’ manager Brian Epstein did something completely unique – it was the only Beatles concert that was probably never recorded. Ask Herbert if he likes the Beatles’ music and he’ll give you a diplomatic answer: “Well, I like the Alpine folk music more.” Lutzer and his neighbors had a great time with Paul, John, George and Ringo. “They were really cool guys, easygoing,” he says. “They especially liked the fact that we really didn’t want anything from them, not even autographs.”

These days, the Edelweiss Hotel offers its guests “Beatles rooms.” The Seekarkaus Hotel is another hotel in the area that still keeps the memory of its most famous guests. It not only displays photos and other memorabilia, but also has a Beatles Bar.

“Help!” ultimately turned out to be an incredibly interesting film and a successful performance for the group. It continues to please to this day. “Help!” was also the most commercially successful Beatles film with 29 million viewers in the first 6 months.

Interestingly, in the 80s and 90s, Soviet students had a kind of ritual associated with the song “Help!” It was believed that if one listened to it standing up straight just before an exam (e.g., leaving the house), then passing the exam was practically guaranteed.

The Beatles finally left Obertauern on March 21st and spent one night at the Osterreichischer Hof Hotel in Salzburg before flying back to London and the snowless world for which they were definitely more suited.

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