Ski holidays in Obertauern, Austria

Obertauern is one of Austria's most distinctive ski resorts thanks to its unusual circular layout. Every piste leads back to the village, meaning you never need to take a lift downhill, and you always end up right by your flat or hotel. A ski holiday in Obertauern is an experience unlike any other in the Alps.

The resort sits at 1,740 metres in the Radstädter Tauern, giving outstanding snow conditions and one of the longest ski seasons in the Alps. With 100 kilometres of pistes and 26 lifts, the ski area is compact but extremely well organised. The famous "Runde", the tour around the entire piste system, is a classic that every visitor should try.

Obertauern became world famous in 1965 when The Beatles filmed part of the blockbuster film "Help!" here. The images of John, Paul, George and Ringo skiing their way down and tumbling into the snow have become iconic, and the resort has proudly embraced the Beatles connection ever since.

The apres-ski culture in Obertauern is lively and authentic. Lürzer Alm, Edi's Taverne and Marietta Bar are long-established venues that draw both locals and visitors. The atmosphere is relaxed and fun without ever becoming too intense, striking a good balance for most visitors.

5 tips about Obertauern

1. The circuit loop Ski the full circuit around the village. Obertauern's unique circular layout means you never have to ski the same way back.
2. The Beatles connection Visit the spots where The Beatles filmed "Help!" in 1965. The resort has signposts and a local museum.
3. Snow Ensure Obertauern is one of the most snow-sure resorts in the Alps, with a season that often runs from November to May.
4. Après-Ski Edi's Taverne, Marietta Bar and Lürzer Alm are classic après-ski spots you shouldn't miss.
5. Off-piste If you want guided off-piste skiing in Obertauern, the ski school association offers excellent options, and there is plenty of untouched terrain.

Pistes and lifts in Obertauern

Obertauern's unique circular layout makes this ski area something quite unlike anywhere else in the Alps. With 100 km of pistes and 26 lifts, the system is designed so that every descent leads back to the village, removing the need to take a lift downhill. The pistes stretch from the village's altitude of 1,740 metres up to 2,350 metres, a vertical drop of 610 metres compensated for by the clever layout and the many varied descents around the entire mountain range.

The famous "Tauernrunde" is a classic circuit that takes you around the entire outer edge of the ski area via a network of lifts and pistes. The lift system includes modern gondolas and chairlifts such as Grünwaldkopfbahn and Hochalmbahn, which efficiently distribute skiers across the area. Skiing in Obertauern offers a good mix of difficulty levels: wide blue family runs, medium-length red pistes and challenging black sections. A ski holiday in Obertauern is particularly appreciated by those who like to explore an entire ski area in a logical and connected way, without having to study the piste map in detail.

Piste map for Obertauern

Download the piste map See all piste maps

The map downloads as an image file. On your iPhone it lands in the Files app. Tap the icon at the bottom of the address bar to open the map straight away.On your iPad it lands in the Files app. Tap the icon at the top right of the address bar to open the map straight away.On your phone it lands in the Downloads folder. Tap the download notification that appears to open the map straight away.The file lands in the Downloads folder. You can also look for the icon at the top right of the screen and open the map from there.

Snow reliability in Obertauern

Obertauern is known for its exceptional snow reliability and is often called the "snow bowl of the Alps", thanks to its high altitude of 1,740 metres and a topography that captures weather systems from every direction. The resort receives an average of over 5 metres of natural snowfall per season, making it one of Austria's snowiest destinations. The season typically runs from November to May. A ski holiday in Obertauern offers a virtual reliable snow cover whenever you travel during the winter, and the 100 km of pistes are supplemented by snow cannons to keep the busiest descents in good condition during milder spells.

Best time to travel to Obertauern

The best time for a ski holiday in Obertauern depends on what you're after. January and February bring the coldest daytime temperatures, from minus 7 to minus 6 degrees, and the deepest natural snow, perfect for powder lovers. If you want to experience the Beatles connection and the festival atmosphere, the start of the season in November could be of interest. March offers sunny skiing in Obertauern with milder weather and still excellent snow conditions thanks to the high altitude. April is a hidden gem for those wanting spring sunshine and quiet pistes, when the season has already ended at most lower-lying resorts.

Will there be lift queues in Obertauern?

The lift system in Obertauern carries 51,258 people an hour across 26 lifts. 15 of the 26 lifts are gondolas or high-speed chairlifts and 3 are drag lifts, which take longer to get through when it is busy. The fastest lifts carry up to 3,630 people an hour, for example Plattenkarbahn. That is roughly the same capacity per kilometre of piste as an average resort on this site, so queues only build when it is really busy. The queue you actually notice is almost always down in the valley between eight and half past nine. If you are on the lift before eight you avoid it.

When is Obertauern busiest?

How busy the slopes get is not decided by the English half term but by when the local families and the neighbouring countries are on holiday. These are the weeks that fill Obertauern in the 2026/2027 season.

• Austria: The Semesterferien are taken one week at a time, state by state, during the first three weeks of February.
  1 to 6 February: Vienna and Lower Austria
  8 to 13 February: Burgenland and Carinthia
  15 to 20 February: Tyrol, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Styria and Vorarlberg
• Germany: Germans are the largest foreign group in the Alps and their winter holidays are spread across early February.
  1 to 6 February: Berlin, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia
  8 to 12 February: Bavaria and Saarland
  8 to 19 February: Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
• England: The English February half term is 15 to 19 February 2027 for most councils, with a few areas breaking up a week earlier. The Easter holidays run from 26 March to 9 April.
  8 to 12 February: half term in a few council areas, for example Hull
  15 to 19 February: half term in most of England, including London, the Midlands and the North
  26 March to 9 April: Easter holidays for most English schools
• Easter holidays: Easter 2027 is early, on 28 March. Austria and Germany take their holidays around the weekend, while the French holidays fall after Easter, in April.
  20 to 29 March: the whole of Austria, all states at the same time
  22 March to 3 April: most German states, including Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia
  3 April to 3 May: the French zones, which fall after Easter 2027 and only affect the highest resorts
• Long weekends: Long weekends fill the slopes with day visitors from the nearest cities, even when no schools are on holiday.
  26 December to 3 January: Christmas and New Year, the most expensive period of the year
  6 January: Epiphany, a public holiday in Austria, Italy and parts of Switzerland
  27 to 29 March: the Easter weekend. Easter Monday is a public holiday across the Alps, but Good Friday is a working day in Austria, Italy and France
  1 to 2 May: May Day, a public holiday across the Alps

If you want quieter pistes and lower prices, the weeks in mid-January and late March are clearly the best. Neither the Germans nor the Austrians are on holiday then.

Snow right now. There is no snow cover in the valley or at the top right now. The figures are modelled by Open-Meteo, not measured by the lift company, and were fetched 15 October 2026 at 20:24.

The lift pass included. The stay comes with the Obertauern lift pass, which covers 100 km of piste. The pass is worth around €357.

How to get to Obertauern

Last-minute deals in Obertauern

Last-minute offers, that is late dates the operator still wants to fill, appear from January onwards. Once the season is under way we will show them here on this page.

Obertauern is suitable for

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Frequently asked questions about Obertauern