 Poster: A snowHead
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Has anyone been to Obertauern in Austria and if so, did you like it? I'm doing my annual hunt for resorts and came across this one which looks really nice. We are a family of nervous (therefore wide blues) and easy reds, so do you think this will fit the bill? Also, I can't seem to find much about things to do. Were you able to occupy yourself well? Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Obertauern has both wide blues and easy reds so wil fit the bill in that respect. There are some narrower blues, but I've found the pistes to be quite quiet so doesn't really matter about the narrower bits. There is also the Grosseck/Speiereck ski area just down the road, linked by free bus which has some lovely views and nice wide pistes. What are you after in terms of things to do? There is night skiing twice a week on the Edelweiss pistes, tobogganing and ice skating offered at Gnadenalm and lively après.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Also, I can't seem to find much about things to do
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Ski all day, eat and drink in the evening, early night. Maybe watch a film, or read a book. Even play a game.
I gave up ice-skating as a "thing to to" after a massive fall on the ice rink in Chamonix which stopped me skiing for two days. 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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This is starting to sound quite hopeful. I was looking on the Web cams earlier and it looks really nice. Good to hear about the bus; hadn't realised that. Ref things to do, cafes are always welcome and a couple of shops. The kids love skating but it kills my arms as I have to haul myself around the edge! Sorry about your accident pam, nightmare. My mum had the tip of her finger sliced off by someone else's boot so I've always treated the sport with respect. Ref tobogganing, the kids have got some inflatable ones which we can take or is it a more formal, paid-for set up? We normally stay in in the evenings and watch dvd's and play our games compendium. We've enjoyed things like village events in the past. There was an awesome ski school display in Ellmau, and a torchlight parade and a village band and dance and there was a family disco at another resort so I wondered if there was anything like it there?
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@bambionskiis, it is ski-in ski-out in the true sense and the Apres is lively if that's what you want. The season is extremely long (mid-November to the end of April/beginning of May), I often have my first and last non-glacier skiing there. It is nice to ski around the sun - The Tauern-Runde means you go one way all around and have the sun in your face all day, do it the other and you don't need your shades!
It is not really on the UK tour operator market but I think some (1 or 2) TOs do have some accommodation there. Mostly people decide which hotel they want and book it direct. Transfers from Salzburg are a doddle and take about an hour if traffic is not too bad. If you want to book a particularly busy, high season week, it is better to book early rather than hope for a Last minute deal. It has a very loyal and knowledgeable continental client base who book the next holidayas they pay for the current one.
It can be a bit of a cloud magnet and in bad weather there are not many tree-lined runs you can retreat too, but the snow is reliable and the variety of slopes would suit your needs. The ski schools are all good and have a good reputation with locals as well as visitors.
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Yeah, agree with all above. It was my usual haunt for a couple of years. Not a huge amount for advanced skiers, but since that's not what you are after you will love it. I discovered it when looking for a late weekend and checked where had the most snow at the time, and it was there.
I can highly recommend CSA ski school - they taught my daughter to ski then gave her a job when she decided she wanted to instruct a couple of years ago  Really nice set up, limited classes, and they have a good demo team too which is fun to watch if you get the chance. There's an annual event near the end of season with literally hundreds of people digging for treasure in the snow, with live music etc but I can't remember what it's called.
http://www.skischule.co.at/skischool-obertauern.html
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Thanks so much for all your feedback. We were thinking of Hotel Groenick as we prefer aparthotels and it has a pool. Thanks for the advice on early booking SS. It looks as though easyjet fly to Salzburgle from our nearest airport, although with it being so early, flights aren't released for a while. Think I'll take a leap of faith, book the hotel and hope that we can get flights. I'm considering going back to ski school to help with confidence so thanks for the link pending. The treasure hunt sounds brilliant; would be great if we could catch it. Cheers.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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If you haven't already done so, look up the Obertauern website as it lists various events. Not sure if next years is up yet (assuming you're booking for next season?) tho. Been quite a bit going on this week with it being the 50th anniversary of the filming of the Beatles' Help! Often other events too, eg one week Grillitsch ski school do a demo show, but like I say, check out the website. Tobogganing at Gnadenalm (and Tweng) is more an organised affair but I have seen people using slopes elsewhere for a bit of fun, eg by Schschule Top's Kinderland behind hotel Wagner.
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We went for a long weekend last January and really enjoyed it. We're a similar standard to you and found some of the slope gradients harder than compared to France, ie hard blues that we would have thought were more like reds. But as we were fine with reds, we stuck with the blues where we could and were very comfortable.
The slopes and lifts were much quieter than in France, and everyone very friendly. We really enjoyed our first experience of Austrian skiing and will definitely return at some point.
The après had a great atmosphere and felt like it was more early evening, straight from the slopes, which suited us perfectly, before going back to the hotel for dinner.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Many thanks again for your comments; they are really useful. I haven't read too many negatives, which is pretty unusual. There are runs on the piste map that look like green which if some of them are a bit more like easy blues I'll be happy with that. To be honest, I suspect I will branch off on my own this time if I don't do ski school, so being able to tootle along would suit me fine (an alien concept to everyone on here I know!). Technically, two instructors have told me, I'm apparently very good but that's not much good if you don't have the stomach. I need wide pistes as I hate going fast and therefore parallel most of the way down, ending up way behind everyone else. I always feel relieved when I do a run and don't get injured whereas the rest of the family have a ball. I'm not giving up though as it's a type of holiday we can all do together (sort of!!!). Ski penguin, do you remember the numbers of trickier blues that I can send the advance party to suss out for me please? It's wierd but when I was faced with a roller coaster blue run in Finland, which had some pretty steep bits, I managed just fine; I just prefer not to. Cheers.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Great compact high purpose built resort, still with a bit of Austrian charm. High so good snow, but also wind affected (a bit more sheltered with some trees on Monte Flu and a great caf Almrausch.) You can circle the resort on mostly blues (some of which were nearly flat when we went a few years ago in early Jan) and a few reds. Plenty of easy blues, but be aware of the crossing pistes. Short runs and hence short lifts as well and some mega busy mountain cafs with full on Euro-cheese apres. Things were about a Euro more than where we've been elsewhere in Austria. Enjoy.
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Obertauern is great you wont be disappointed
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You know it makes sense.
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Obertauern was one of the first places my wife and I skied. Its 4 or 5 years ago now but from memory Blue 1a - the big one from the Gondola - is mostly wide and well groomed but has one slightly steeper section. 21a is a lovely blue served by a fast chair, with a couple of decent huts at the bottom. Definitely my wife's favourite run. From the same area you can also do Red 5a. Don't be put off by the colour, it's a longish and interesting run but it's not hard. Blue 15 is another great run with a good hut - Sonnenhut - half way down.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Sorry I can't remember which were the trickier blues but if you're ok on easy reds then I think you'll be fine. I'm similar to you and it was ok. Always good to challenge yourself every now and again (even if you make a mental note not to attempt the run again!).
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Poster: A snowHead
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The place is brilliant. Don't think the sun record is great but if you do get a sun y week it's superb for the beginner, intermediate. Hard core skiers will find it limited. The off piste is short but can be superb...
Cafes bars n hotels to stop in everywhere. There are a couple of,pinch points late in the day that get chopped up for beginners but you can get a cab back from most places and avoid these. 10 euros . V frdly people there
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hotels expensive but nice.. Beer food cheaper n France but topping for Austria
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Awesome; thank you all so much for your comments. Looks like the deal is sealed!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| CANV CANVINGTON wrote: |
The place is brilliant. Don't think the sun record is great but if you do get a sun y week it's superb for the beginner, intermediate. Hard core skiers will find it limited. The off piste is short but can be superb...
Cafes bars n hotels to stop in everywhere. There are a couple of,pinch points late in the day that get chopped up for beginners but you can get a cab back from most places and avoid these. 10 euros . V frdly people there |
On the contrary, I know many 'hardcore skiers' who return every year to further explore the extensive off piste.
Obertauern has something for everyone .... plus several other smaller resorts just a bus ride away to the south.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I got used to that Kooky in Finland this year. The weather was pretty bad "up top" to the extent that there was a whole row of us stood with our backs to the wind/wind-blown snow at the top of a run, waiting for it to die down enough for us to go down. It reminded me of a documentary I watched on Emperor penguins who did the same thing. Not the skiing bit obviously!
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...and wear your goggles about town when it's blowing, possibly use your poles as well to help stand up  It's the top of the pass so does get windy.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Thanks for the update pc. I've been looking at one set of webcams today which, to be honest, look like someone has breathed on the lenses and they have fogged up. Others show it as sunny and not snowing/snowing too hard. Can't get a handle on it. Are you still there? If so, how's it looking today?
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Nice fall of snow overnight and continued snowing all day. Cold too so the powder is nice (not that I had chance to play in much of it, just little bits off the side of the piste and the 15-20cm or so that had fallen on parts of the. Gamsleiten pistes after they'd been pisted. Downside of having a beginner group!)
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Awesome powder conditions today. Skied red 5a and blue 21a with the children over and over until eventually they shut the panoramabahn lift for high wind, so we headed down and played on blue 10a (short) with the hot chocolate and gluwein in the Hochalm some compensation. On 12a the children were waist deep in powder towards the edges of the piste and generally having a ball. It snowed heavily all day with the sun trying to pop out around midday. Visibility was variable as it snowed heavily all morning only easing up around 2.30pm but the wind was nowhere near as bad as on Monday. We are shocked at the amount of snow that is falling this late in the season. We are v lucky and know it! It is still snowing, so early to bed and to rise for us. 
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Awesome, I'm so jealous. Thanks for the update and keep up the good work!
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FAQ
. Definitely can see why it was a favourite. The chair back up had the added surprise of being heated. 
hoping for some snow tonight to counteract the rain which fell in the resort earlier...
