Obergurgl v Hinterglemm/Saalbach

A snowHead

For 3 out of the last 4 family ski trips we've been to S-H and I would happily return every year for the remainder of my life Very Happy

We take our kids who are 23,20 and 17 and all great skiers. They are now at the age where they love the cheesy apres you get in Austria, and S-H really ticks all the boxes in that regard. We have gone with 2 or 3 other couples who also enjoy the apres and this year was definitely up there with the best trips of all time for us.
One of the couple's was mentioning Obergurgl as an alternative this year assuming we can go and assuming apres will not be the same this year coming.
I've always fancied Obergurgl but as we go in January, quite often we are skiing 4 days in whiteouts and 2 days in sunshine. S-H has a major advantage in that all runs are tree lined, so in whiteout conditions, at least you have some definition.
Would be interested to hear the snowheads collective feedback on Obergurgl.
Ta

A snowHead

@boabski, cheesy après is likely to be table service only, socially-distanced and without loud music next season. So don't base any decisions on that.

I've never been to Obergurgl, but 'ober' means 'over/above' so is unlikely to offer much in the way of tree-lined skiing in the event of bad weather, much like Obertauern.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@boabski, I've been to Ogergurgl once ( when the kids were much younger ) so Apres wasn't a huge factor for me back then - but, from what i can remember, that was probably a good thing as short of the famous Nederhutte - which is still a short ski back down to the resort - there didn't seem to be loads to choose from. The resort seems to focus on upper end hotels, so i suspect any apres is based around hotel bars. In terms of the skiing, it is a cracking area - not huge in terms of size, but loads of potential, and linked to Hochgurgl via a long gondola. You can upgrade to the Otztal pass as well to include Solden which is a few kms down the valley. Queenie is right about the tree cover, there's next to none as it's all pretty high and open, which is great for snow conditions across a long season, but i can imagine it's pretty miserable if the weather socks in. Obergurgl doesn't really bear any resemblance to Saalbach-Hinterglemm.

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@boabski, I've never been, but as it ranges from 1900m in the town to almost 3000m at the top lift, January could be very cold, and more than half of the days are likely to be either windy or whiteout conditions. If like me you prefer to schuss down through tree-lined avenues and have somewhere to play even when the tops are lost in a whiteout, Obergurgl is not the place to be. On the other hand, on a clear day it will have very good snow conditions.

If you're looking for an alternative to S-H, our second choices are usually the SkiWelt and Flachau, and in January both are excellent options with trees but also offering great conditions and long runs. Both are also closer to the airports - SkiWelt in 90 minutes from Munich by car or train, or Flachau in 45 minutes by car from Salzburg.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Skiwelt asides - I've had enough experience in all other mentioned resorts (Ski Amade aka Flachau: 6-7 times; Solden-Obergurgl 3 times; S-H only once, but I'll correct that). The range of dates is from November to April.
Jan. has always been a sure bet snow-wise. Can't say the it was extremely snowy.
Flachau is the most connected - all the way to Alpendorf. Typical Austrian, so most skiing is in tree line. Another big advantage - all the way from Munich is on the highway. No single-lane mountain roads like the way to S-H.
Most of Solden and Obergurgl is above tree line - sometime above the clouds as well...
Most of the ski runs in S-H are quite short.
So the bottom line - as usual - is there is no distinct advantage to any of the resorts. Go with your personal taste.

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Thanks for all the info folks.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

I think if you like to ski distance then you may get a little bored in Obergurgl. The pistes are excellent and some nice runs on both mountains. The gondola between the two is fairly reliable. Most of the skiing is high with only a couple of tree lined runs on both sides. So weather in Jan could be an issue.

With smaller kids or a group of mixed skiers (or those who dont need km) it is great. It’s Pretty much skiable in one day but it’s quite varied.

Yes it’s mainly hotels but Obergurgl has a nice vibe. No significant apres except the one hutte anyway. The hotel at the bottom of the last piste in Obergurgl often has live bands outside.

We have had a couple of nice weeks staying in SC in Obergurgl (Gletscherblick) too if that’s what you prefer.

After all it is free

Thanks all. Think I'll leave Obergurgl for another time.

@boabski, Admit it, it was only the name that appealed wink

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@tatmanstours, yeah. Due diligence done. S-H it is again then Toofy Grin

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

@boabski, it’s the fish that John West rejects that make John West the best! wink

snow reports

If you’re looking for an alternative to S-H with good apres and a decent range of pistes then I’d recommend Ischgl. For good skiers it’s got more challenging pistes than S-H. Mostly above the tree line but that doesn’t bother me much.

You know it makes sense.

@Valkyrie, cheers. Have been a few times to ischgl but prefer S-H. Thanks though

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Obergurgl v Hinterglemm/Saalbach

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