Skiing in Obertauern

Obertauern: a ski bowl round the village, the Tauernrunde both ways and Gamsleiten 2

Obertauern ski guide: 83 numbered pistes, the red and green Tauernrunde, Gamsleiten 2, 2026–27 pass prices, Radstadt train and bus 280, and where to stay.

Kilometres of slopes per the tourist office (61 blue, 35 red, 4 black)

100

Cable cars and lifts around the village

26

Numbered pistes in the live slope data (41 blue, 33 red, 9 black)

83

Highest point of the ski area, Gamsleiten 2 (m)

2313

Adult 1-day pass 2026–27, all season (EUR)

72

Skiing & terrain in Obertauern

All 83 numbered pistes and the one numbered ski route (4d) in Obertauern's live slope data (Intermaps, linked from obertauern.com, checked 18 October 2026), in number order, followed by the four official ski connections. Each run's official name is its number plus the lift it belongs to (for example '26a Gamsleiten 2'); the data has no separate sector field, so every row carries the one label 'Obertauern'. Added at the end and not counted: five official circuits (both Tauernrunde directions, Super 7 and the two children's rounds) and three area rows.

Numbered pistes in the live slope data

83

Numbered ski routes in the live slope data

1

Official ski connections (A–D)

4

Tourist office's slope total (km)

100

Easy (blue) slopes per the tourist office (km)

61

Intermediate (red) slopes per the tourist office (km)

35

Difficult (black) slopes per the tourist office (km)

4

Cable cars and lifts

26

• Blue (easy) numbered pistes in this table: 41
• Red (intermediate) numbered pistes in this table: 33
• Black (difficult) numbered pistes in this table: 9

The live data gives every piste a number and a colour but no length, and the operator does not publish per-run lengths, so the length column is empty. Two official figures for single runs appear in the descriptions instead: about 1.5 km for the floodlit Edelweissbahn night slope and 1.3 km for Gamsleiten 2 (SalzburgerLand Tourismus). The 100 km total (61 km blue, 35 km red, 4 km black) is the tourist office's own figure and cannot be checked against this table. The same feed also lists an unnumbered duplicate entry '3e Plattenkar' (marked red, while the numbered 3e is black) and an unnumbered night-skiing line; both are left out. The red and green Tauernrunde are signposted directions, not difficulty grades, and no official length is published for either. Ski routes are marked but not groomed or patrolled like pistes. Status changes daily — use the live map.

Obertauern pistes: the Tauernrunde in both directions, the Super 7 peaks and Gamsleiten 2

Obertauern is a ski bowl on the Radstädter Tauern pass, with the village at 1,740 m in the middle and 26 cable cars and lifts on the slopes all around it. The tourist office gives about 100 km of slopes — 61 km blue, 35 km red and 4 km black — between 1,630 and 2,313 m, with eleven access points from the village. The live slope data lists 83 numbered pistes (41 blue, 33 red, 9 black), each named after its lift (from 1a Zehnerkar to 26b Gamsleiten 2), plus one ski route (4d Hundskogel) and four official connections; no per-run lengths are published.

The signature is the Tauernrunde, a circuit right round the village that you can start from almost any lift and finish where you began. It comes in two signposted versions: the red Tauernrunde runs clockwise and the green one anti-clockwise — the colour shows the direction, not the difficulty. The tourist office expects the full circuit to stay open until mid-April 2027. Along the way, the Super 7 marks the seven highest lift stations (Seekareck, Panorama, Hundskogel, Plattenkar, Schaidberg, Gamsleiten 2 and Zehnerkar), each with a challenging run signed S7.

Gamsleiten 2 is the run with the reputation. The tourist office calls it one of Europe's steepest; it is groomed only at irregular intervals because of the weather and turns into one long powder run after fresh snow. SalzburgerLand Tourismus gives up to 100% gradient (45°) over 1.3 km and notes that it becomes a mogul field during the day. You reach it on the old two-seater Gamsleiten 2 chairlift to 2,313 m, the area's highest point; in the live data the black run is 26a and the red alternative from the same lift is 26b.

Obertauern for beginners: the Edelweissbahn sunny side, Kehrkopf blues and practice lifts

With 61 of its 100 km graded blue, Obertauern is easier than its steep reputation suggests. Several lifts serve only blue runs in the live data: the Kehrkopf chairlift (7a–7d), Monte Flu (6a, 6b), the Kirchbühellift (25a), the Schrotteralmlift (24a), Sonnenlift 3 (23a, 23b) and the 19 Übungslift magic carpet (19a). Blue does not mean flat everywhere, so ask your ski school which of them suit your first days.

Ski schools teach beginners at the village practice areas. Skischule Krallinger gathers its children's groups on the sunny side of the Edelweissbahn, where its own nursery area has a magic carpet and a practice lift; Skischule Frau Holle has its own practice area with a magic carpet and rope tow, and its adult beginners meet outside the school office. Its slope is also the floodlit night-skiing run on Monday and Thursday evenings.

The tourist office lists seven ski and snowboard schools, plus a snowbike school and a snowkite school, offering small-group and private lessons. Because the Tauernrunde needs some confidence, beginners usually keep to the lifts nearest their hotel for the first days and add the green or red circuit once they can manage red runs.

Getting to Obertauern: Salzburg airport, train to Radstadt and Postbus 280

Obertauern has no airport. The tourist office lists Salzburg as the nearest at about 90 km, then Klagenfurt (about 140 km), Ljubljana (about 200 km), Munich (about 220 km) and Innsbruck (about 270 km). Airport shuttles from Salzburg to Obertauern are run by Bacher Reisen and Habersatter Reisen, and the tourist office's fly-and-shuttle page also covers Klagenfurt; local taxis take transfers too.

By train, the nearest station is Radstadt, 20 km away on the north side of the pass; the last leg is Postbus line 280 or a taxi. Line 280 runs from the Radstadt area through Untertauern and up to Obertauern, then on to Tweng and Mauterndorf in the Lungau. The 2026/27 winter timetable had not yet been published when we checked; the tourist office posts it in autumn. In winter, a valid ski pass (not season or point cards) gives free bus travel from Obertauern to Radstadt and throughout the Lungau during lift hours, 08:00–18:30.

Overnight guests in Obertauern, Untertauern or Tweng get the Guest Mobility Ticket, valid on all Salzburg Verkehr public transport during the stay (introductory phase to 30 April 2027); with a pre-check-in at your accommodation, the arrival by train or bus from the Salzburg state border is free as well. By car, leave the A10 Tauern motorway at Radstadt (exit 63) and follow the B99 over the pass, or from the south use the St. Michael exit (104) via Mauterndorf. Seven car parks are free, but overnight parking (22:00–07:00) there is not allowed.

Obertauern with kids: Bobby Land, Bibo Bear, the ghost train and ski schools

The children's areas are spread around the bowl. Bobby Land at Schaidberg has a magic carpet, an igloo, funny figures, a wave track and Bobby's Slalom; next to it, in the fairy-tale park at the Schaidbergbahn, the ghost train is a 30 m wooden tunnel you ski through, for children who are already confident. The Bibo Bear Family Ski Park at the Edelweissbahn has three specially designed slopes with waves, small jumps and slalom, and Bobby's Mountain of Animals runs along slopes 7a and 7b at the Kehrkopfbahn.

Two children's circuits mirror the Tauernrunde: the easy Bobby Round for young beginners and My Track, with fun slopes and a speed track, for confident kids and teenagers. Among the schools, Skischule Krallinger takes children from age 4, meets on the sunny side of the Edelweissbahn, runs courses Sunday or Monday to Friday (10:00–12:00, full days also 13:30–15:30) and offers supervised lunch on full days. Teaching languages are not listed for every school, so confirm the group's language when you book.

Children under 6 ski free with a parent who has a pass, and the lift companies give under-6s a free ticket while they attend a course at the local schools named on the pass page (CSA, Top, Koch, Frau Holle and Krallinger). Non-skiing parents can ride the Grünwaldkopf, Plattenkar and Zehnerkar lifts up to the mountain restaurants; the tourist office also lists winter walks and a night toboggan run at the Gnadenalm.

Where to stay in Obertauern: ski-in/ski-out in the village or Untertauern, Tweng and Radstadt

Obertauern village is the obvious base. The tourist office says that at most hotels and other lodgings your ski day starts at the door — you slide a few metres to the piste and ski back in the evening — and the car can stay parked all week. There are more than 60 hotels, mostly family-run, plus guesthouses and apartments; eleven access points around the bowl mean most hotels sit close to one of them, and the free Village Shuttle links the Schaidberg and Felseralm ends of the village. The centre also has a lively après-ski scene, so light sleepers may prefer a hotel towards either end of the village.

Untertauern (1,009 m) lies down the valley on the north side, towards Radstadt, and Tweng (1,233 m) on the south side in the Lungau. Both are quieter and on Postbus line 280, and their overnight guests also get the Guest Mobility Ticket — but you depend on the bus or a car for every ski day.

Radstadt, 20 km away, has the railway station and a valid ski pass gives free bus rides to Obertauern during lift hours; it suits travellers arriving by train or combining several areas, less so families who want to ski back to the door. When booking in Obertauern itself, check which lift is closest and whether the hotel is on the piste or across the road.

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Obertauern ski pass 2026–27: its own lift pass, Grosseck-Speiereck, Lungo and Super Ski Card

Obertauern runs its own lift pass — it is not part of Ski amadé. Prices checked 18 October 2026 for winter 2026/27: an adult 1-day pass costs €72 all season; children (born 2011–2020) pay €36, youth (born 2008–2010) €54 and seniors (born 1962 or earlier) €68. Season A runs 26 December 2026 – 8 January 2027 and 23 January – 2 April 2027, with a 6-day adult pass at €368; season B (20 November – 25 December 2026, 9–22 January and 3 April – 2 May 2027) has the same day price but a cheaper 6-day pass at €331.

Passes of 1.5 days or more also cover Grosseck-Speiereck in Mauterndorf/St. Michael, about 15 km away; passes up to one day are valid in Obertauern only. Children under 6 ski free with a parent who has a pass. Hourly and point cards are also sold, the adult Winter Card costs €771 in pre-sale until 3 December 2026 and €811 afterwards, and you can buy online or at the lift ticket offices at the access points.

Obertauern is also part of the LUNGO pass (Lungau – Katschberg – Obertauern) and the Salzburg Super Ski Card. Night skiing (Monday and Thursday, 19:00–22:00) is open to Obertauern or Lungo pass holders with 1.5 days or more and to point cards (21 points a ride), but not to the Super Ski Card; an adult evening ticket costs €20.50 from 19:00.

Best time to ski in Obertauern: snow history, 2026–27 dates and forecasts

For the best snow, aim for February and March, with January next for the most fresh snow and April as a strong late-season choice. In a SkiPair calculation from GeoSphere Austria's official monthly records for the Obertauern station (1,772 m, close to village level; the months with records between 1994 and 2020, about 15–16 winters per month), the average maximum snow depth climbs from about 94 cm in December to 141 cm in January and 156 cm in February, and peaks at about 177 cm in March, still about 148 cm in April. New snow is heaviest in January (about 200 cm a month on average) and December (about 149 cm). From January to March there are 50 cm or more on the ground almost every day. December is the shoulder month while the base builds; May is the tail end. The tourist office also cites a study by Günther Aigner of Austrian Hydrographic Service data giving Obertauern an average maximum snow depth of 264 cm. Historical averages do not guarantee a given season.

For 2026/27 the season is expected to run from 20 November 2026, weather permitting, to 2 May 2027, and the full Tauernrunde is planned until mid-April. On Wednesdays, the Gamsleiten 1, Achenrain and Zehnerkar lifts open at 8:30, half an hour before the rest.

Before you go, check the live lift and slope status for what is open and the avalanche bulletin if you plan to leave the pistes; on the day, look at wind on the high lifts and visibility in the open bowl.

Find ski partners in Obertauern for the Tauernrunde or the Super 7

Obertauern suits a solo trip: the village is compact, the lifts ring it, and the Tauernrunde gives strangers an easy shared plan. On SkiPair, add your dates, level and the direction you like — red clockwise or green anti-clockwise — and match with someone in the village the same week, for a Super 7 day ticking off the high stations, or for an early Wednesday start on the 8:30 lifts.

Agree on the plan first: where you meet, which direction you ski and which lift brings you back to the village before closing. For Gamsleiten 2 or anything off-piste, never go alone; the tourist office's freeride rules ask you to ride in a group with avalanche equipment and to check the freeride checkpoint boards first.

Ski pass prices for Obertauern

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Weather and snow

A clearer view of the snow in Obertauern: recent snowfall, what is forecast next, and an outlook for your dates.

Snow and temperature are model estimates. They do not confirm that lifts or pistes are open. Further-ahead dates show seasonal patterns rather than a weather forecast.

Flights & getting to Obertauern

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Recommended airport for Austria: Innsbruck (INN).

Obertauern is better with your kind of people

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A glimpse of Obertauern

Archive photos · cropped for display

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