 Poster: A snowHead
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We are there 2-9 April and as always like to find out about the resort prior to.
We are staying at Hotel Muhle with Ski Esprit and doing lessons with skischule 945-1200 and then 130 to 330 daily, as is the norm there.
We are second/third weekers and don't really want to be pushed in terms of terrain.
Never been to Austria so don't know much about cuisine excpet for the reputation for a good bevvie
Tell me what you know about it.
Thanks.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Peter Leuzzi,
Nice Hotel a little walk out of the village.... There is a bus stop right outside but the walk is ok if you have had a few or not too lazy.
Very high resort and the skiing can be gentle and cruisey. Easy to navigate around.
Apre-ski ski is a bit sedate with all entertainment around the larger hotels.
One thing tho' don't go on too many schnapps nights at the Muhle... they are all homemade and the hotelier gets absolutley wasted on them.... I think he a big fan and everyone else bottles out of drinking it..!!
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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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JT, Thanks for that. A coupkle of questions if I may.
How far is the walk in terms of time/distance? What about walk to lifts?
As a resort is there much to do in the village with our 3 year old?
Cheers
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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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Peter, we were in Obergurgl this time last year, here's my report:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewpost.php?p=109339
The village itself is quite strung out along the valley, it is all pretty modern and I didn't get a feeling of there being a huge amount to do apart from ski-ing. The village is pretty well supplied with ski shops.
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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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Peter, you wouldn't want to walk from the Muhle into Obergurgl. The Muhle is between Untergurgl and Obergurgl and the ski school (assuming you are with the Obergurgl Ski School and not the Hochgurgl Ski School) is up at Obergurgl. I don't know the times of the skibus. Don't get off the bus until it reaches the end of its journey where the statue of M Picard stands. It's then only 50-100 m to the ski school meeting place.
Apres ski tends to be around the umbrella bars at the bottom of the slopes or at the Nederhütte where there is live music on, I think, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, dancing on the tables and lots of beer and schnapps.
The ski down afterwards is quite gentle, but don't overdo the schnapps. You need to make sure you don't miss the last bus back or you will need a taxi.
I've not been with a 3 year old, but I don't think there is much to do apart from look around the shops and try to see the Haflinger ponies kept across the road from the Edelweiss hotel. Quite a number of youngsters use the ski school meeting area as a sledging slope.
The snow was still good when I was last in Obergurgl at that time of year. The slopes themselves are generally quite friendly and you shouldn't have too many problems.
Have a great time!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Peter Leuzzi,
Walk to the lifts in ski kit just over 5 mins if I recall although the ski school meeting place might be a bit further.
AFAIRC the ski school, at the bottom of the chair on the map as opposed to the gondola.
Don't know about the 3 yr activities, sorry
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I can't agree that Hotel Muhle is only 5 minutes from the ski school. If you take the ski bus from Obergurgl to Untergurgl the Muhle is well out of town, probably more than half way to Untergurgl. That makes it much more than 5 minutes.
In an effort to be sure, I searched Muhle and Obergurgl on Google and the first entry I tried said 20 minutes by foot. I think even that is optimistic.
Of course, there could be more than one Hotel Muhle.
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Ian Hopkinson, great report thank you. Do you think the skiiing is suitably cruisey?
Derek Jackson, from memory (generally) how often do buses come there? In Chamonix for example, I never got bothered by the wait and they (from memory) were every 10 minutes or so
JT, thanks for your input
Each of you, if I may ask your thoughts:
Food in Austria?
Crowd factor?
Weekend crowd factor?
Punters in general - are we talking Courchevel 1850? Andorra? Nappy Valley? What?
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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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As second/third weekers you will enjoy obergurgl. Get over to Hochgurgl on the gondola for a large (ish) area of wide blues. There is a relatively long red from hochgurgl to untergurgl through the trees to the gondola to take you back up. Last time we went they had enlarged the carpark at untergurgl and the resort was noticably busier, but its never very busy. Some of the clients are noticably up market, the German couple next to us at dinner had purchased their son (about 3 years old) the rolls royce of sledges, steering wheel, pedal brakes! very padded seat etc etc it was a little over the top. We also had an evening trying different schnapps......................my head hurt the next day.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Peter
I've been to Obergurgl a number of times, but now the Topexpress is in place I don't use the skibus very much. My recollection is that it was never a real problem, running every 15-20 minutes, but I can't be sure. We used to catch it from the Hochfirst to the village centre some times.
Food is no problem, you can have anything from cheese and ham toastie, through spaghetti to the gröstl (or bauerngröstl). Most ski school victims go to the Edelweiss of the Jenewein because they are really convenient, but don't hang around when the lunch break starts or you will find it difficult to get a seat. If you go to Hochgurgl, most groups go to the Riml.
Crowd factor is virtually non-existent. We generally have to go in school holidays, but even then queues are minimal except when the ski school groups take off.
Weekends are no different to other days.
You will find Obergurgl a small, friendly place with a high proportion of Brits and a mixture of Germans and Dutch. For the first day or so you will probably be around the beginners area at the top of the Gaisberg or in the woods a little lower down, but after that it should be up the Rosskar (sp?) to Festkogel where the snow is almost always good. There's a long T-bar up there with some gentle slopes or there is a 4-man chair with some steeper slopes at the top. Alternatively, you can go down to the middle station of the Rosskar and back up. After that it is across to Hochgurgl. Instructors like to go for the day because it still takes a considerable time to make the journey, but the slopes at Hochgurgl are really good for relative beginners with wide (most of the time) blues and a couple of reds. The run down to Untergurgl gets rather chopped up as the day progresses, but it has been improved in recent years. I'm sure you will have a great time.
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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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That's all music to my ears! Not sure I want to hang about with the Porsche man or the kid with the super duper sledge but hey, I've been to Val Disere...how bad can it be!!
It doesn't sound super taxing as such, but is there anywhere I don't want find myself skiing? Long relentless reds do nothing for me at this point in my skiing curve.
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Peter
There's nothing at Obergurgl that in my view constitutes a long and relentless red. Personally I would avoid the red run down to the Festkogel gondola. If you are in a ski school group you are unlikely to venture there and if you are skiing on your own it is rather out of the way.
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FAQ
Our hotel used the word 'dumpling' in the description of every evening meal but 'dumpling' covered pasta as well as 'dumpling'
Had to stiffle hysterics when our neighbour at dinner was extolling the virtues of the heated seats in his Porsche to the wine waiter 
