Obergurgl Reviews

Having met several people who raved about Obergurgl, it seemed that it was faultless and unbelievable. However, it didn't take long to share their opinion. Snow falls in November and remains until May, as it is one of the highest resorts in Austria there is guaranteed snow throughout. It is has the occasional restrictions due to high winds. There is 112kM of piste which is very well managed. An assortment of runs gives plenty of choice. The town is not littered with the usual shops, only ski equipment and a Spar supplied the necessary. If you want lots of shops, Solden is for you. There are other activities which can be obtained through the tourist information we did snow shoe walk and the "First Line with Breakfast" although not cheap was worth it to have the slopes to oneself from 07:30 to 09:00 followed by a wonderful breakfast at Hohe Mut with tremendous views over the area. We stayed at the Hotel Alpenland which is only a stone's throw from the snow line so were able to ski almost to the door. The rooms were perfect for our requirements. The food was excellent as were all the staff. There is a comprehensive spar in the basement, which we should have start using from day one. Only minor thing was despite turning off the room radiator it was still very warm at night. A lighter duvet would be ideal. Our après-ski was usually at the terrace cafe at Hotel Wiesental late afternoon having a few beers looking up the valley in glorious sunshine. Only other tip is that week 10 is German school half term, which puts the price up for that week. The area operates a no queue policy at the lifts and it works even during school holidays. Obergurgl is one resort I will return to, without hesitation.

Apres-Ski 3/5

Ian Barker

Relatively small and quiet resort which means virtually no lift queues. Couple of not very challenging black runs but mostly red and blues. Gondola link to Hochgurgl which has more runs. Last crossing on link gondola is 4pm, but if you miss that there are buses between the 2 resorts about every 10 mins. You can extend your ski pass for 1 day in Solden for 10 Euros at time of buying, otherwise it's 48 Euros. Well worth doing and fairly good free bus service to Solden and back (takes approx 30 mins). Overall not a bad resort, but in comparison to other Austrian resorts I have been to Obergurgl is expensive. Large beer was anywhere between 5-7 euro, coffee/hot choc 5 euro, toasty 5 euro. Comparable items in Soll or Kaprun are about half the price. Skis and boots in shops were 3 times more expensive than I paid for them in the UK. Hotels tend to be high end and good quality so expensive. Not a great selection of eateries and the apre is virtually non existent unless you want to have a party up the slopes in the Nedderhutte, but you have to ski down afterwards - not really approved by the holiday insurance companies. Enjoyed the experience, but think I would rather stick to bigger, cheaper resorts.

Apres-Ski 2/5

DougR

The small ski area would put some people off, but others may be drawn to the fact that is has kept the resort quiet and very family orientated. Because of this there are very few queues. The resort itself is not overly lively and it has managed to retain it's character and traditional Austrian values. Party lovers often go elsewhere, but if you know where to look there is plenty going on from beer swilling and table top dancing at the Nederhutte from four onward or schnapps and beers in some of the great hotel bars. I think that this resort is ideal for the family holiday and perfect for beginners. Those looking for something steep and deep would be better going elsewhere.

Apres-Ski 2/5

Edward Newman
Iglu Staff

When I first managed to persuade my husband to make the substantial investment required to take a skiing holiday in 1977, I chose Obergurgl and Inghams to have the best chance of him enjoying the experience. 35 years on and about 23 years since we last took to the slopes, we decided to celebrate our ruby wedding with a final fling of one more skiing holiday. Through Igluski, we made a last minute booking for a week at the end of January, again to Obergurgl and again with Inghams, to Pension S'Hoamatl. What a week — it had snowed during the previous week but our week was 'wall to wall' sunshine. Quite a lot had changed, there are now many more gondolas and chairlifts but still the same atmosphere. Our accommodation was first rate, spotlessly clean, everything you could want in the room, including crockery for two, kettle and even a fridge — excellent for saving by making picnic lunches. The sauna suite helped to ease tired muscles after a day on the slopes. As for the breakfasts, self service with a phenomenal choice of healthy food to set us up for the day. As luck would have it, when we booked a skiing lesson, who should be our teacher, but the oldest instructor in the ski school who originally owned Pension S'Hoamatl but has now relinquished the day to day running of it to his daughter and son in law. The location of Pension S'Hoamatl, up an extremely steep road, had concerned me but being alongside the main run back into the village it was possible to ski to within 50 metres at the end of the day. To start in the mornings we just had to ski down the last bit of the run to the ski-school meeting place and main lifts. We had booked bed and breakfast so visited several restaurants for our evening meal. We found prices very reasonable and every meal was excellent — and that the opinion of my husband as well, who normally considers eating out to be over rated, over expensive and inferior to his own home cooking. Going with a tour company made the journeys really straightforward. Shepherded from plane to bus and delivered direct to hotel. After that, no compulsion to join in any activities but help with information if needed. If the health and legs hold out for another year, and snow conditions are good, we'll be surely tempted to have a final, final fling.

Apres-Ski 4/5

Marion Rogers