Obertauern, Ski Resort on another planet
While forzitions, daffodils and magnolia are blooming in our country, the Austrian ski resort in the federal land of Salzburg is still in deep winter. Last weekend, a new 36 -centimeter snow blanket fell on 160 centimeters, and by the end of April, excellent skiing was provided, which despite climate change is not a little surprising.
The place, which lies at an altitude of 1740 meters, and the highest cable car rises to 2300 meters, is only two and a half hours away from Slovenia, and a hundred kilometers to Salzburg. Nevertheless, it seems as if Obertauern lies on another planet, as climate change is hardly detecting. Among all Austrian ski resorts, this is famous for its most beautiful snowfall, and measurements have even shown that the thickness of snow blankets has not changed on average in the last hundred years.
“The main reason for the popularity of Obertauern is good snow conditions, even in such winters as this year, when there is not much snow in the Alps. Another reason is that you do not need a car here. As soon as you step out of the hotel, you can already go straight to the ski slope, « says Mario Siedler, director of the Obertauern Tourist Association.
In March this year, they celebrated six decades since the week, when Obertauern also captured Beatlomania. It still reminds her of the mark in front of the Edelweiss Hotel, where they were housed. Photo: Urša Izgoršek
Skiers of all levels are available one hundred kilometers of tracks, the highest rise at 2300 meters, and the magnificent views are covered by 2500 meters high Mountains Radstädter Tauern. The season usually starts in late November and lasts until early May, and one of the highlights is Easter, which is quite late on the calendar this year. And yet, there are climate change there, says Siedler, explaining that this year they had an incredibly long, almost ten -week sunny weather that attracted many skiers.
They cannot complain about the lack of snow. It is usually about 80 percent natural on the ski slopes, only the base is made of artificial or machine -made, repaired. The concerns that the use of chemicals would pollute the environment are pointless: “For the snow made by machines, we only need water, pressure and low temperatures. No one uses chemicals, this is an old story they invented in the 80s. «
A place that came from scratch
The oldest hotel in the place is Perner, which lies completely along the main road and is owned by the Perner family. “One of the first people in this place was my grandfather Bernhard Perner, a very well -known mountaineer and mountain rescuer from Dachstein. Because he was prominent, they allowed him to take over the management of the mountaineering club here, which he did for 30 years. There were no cable cars at the time, but people from Vienna were already coming here. The grandfather bought the land, set up a small inn with accommodation, and so began our hotel story, « summarized the current director Lukas Perner, who dedicated a tradition in which the whole family, both mother and father and his wife, is involved.
Lukas Perner continues the family tradition and runs the oldest hotel in the place. Photo: Urša Izgoršek
They have three children and the oldest will enroll in tourist school next year. The 90 -room hotel is one of the three largest in the place, and as best, it is distinguished by a pleasant interplay of tradition with modernity. For the time being, Perner’s summer season is ignored, they prefer to try to make their winter guests as comfortable as possible, provide a pleasant atmosphere, good and healthy food, quality wine, great wellness, in short, that the whole offer is at a high level.
The place, which has been created from scratch, now has about 10,000 bed capacities, listing a million overnight stays in winter, or 105 to 110 days, when all accommodations are occupied.
Because it is surrounded by high mountains, there is not much chance of expanding capacities. “Hotel and cable car owners have found that they would invest in quality if they could not invest in capacity. They strive to have good restaurants, comfortable rooms, wellness centers, many hotels have built an extra spa, so one is intended for adults and other families with children, « Siedler explains. Tourists come from many countries, 25 percent are Austrians, 45 percent of Germans, seven percent from Benelux, about ten from the Middle Eastern countries, as well as Croatia and Poland.
Beatles were there
60 years ago, in March 1965, Obertauern wrote in popular music. Popular Beatles chose him as a scene of shooting his second film HELP! Instead of worshiped musicians who had no idea about skiing, their duplicates went to the snowy hills. They spent ten days there, and there are still some venues to commemorate them. In front of the Edelweiss Hotel, where she spent the night, there is their statue, there is also a memorial room with their photographs and newspaper articles. At the Grünwalkopf cable car station, the piano on the ski slope is reminiscent of them. Siedler says no one has changed for this story for decades, and finally celebrated their 40th and 50th anniversary. In March this year, when six decades have passed, they have prepared a rich program that culminated with an outdoor concert called the Beatles Symphony Gift. It featured symphonies from Salzburg and Monica Ballwein, the Austrian Queen of Pop, Soul and Jazz, with the performances of their songs. Of course, even then it was snowing.
They are holidaying both families with children and young people who are eager to have fun in the huts and enjoy Apres ski. “A very diverse mix of guests comes to us. The fact is, however, that we do not want to define ourselves as a destination for a particular type of tourist. We just don’t want to be a choice for families or for tour skiers. We want to take care of every guest as it suits him. «
And what kind of guests are Slovenians who can come there for only one day? “You are very relaxed. You decide to arrive spontaneously, according to the weather forecast, you usually stay two or three days. You love the good traditional Austrian food, such as Viennese steak and the like, nothing special. You like to sit in the cottage, drink some beer and just eat. You are good guests, relaxed and unpretentious. Quite a few Slovenes always return to us and to the same hotels. «
Summer occasions
In Obertauern, no one is thinking about giving preference to a summer season, which is very short. When winter is finally business, about half of the hotels close its doors until late fall. « Last winter was a record after visiting, this year it will obviously be even better, » Siedler announced on the day when all -day snow was announced. « We want the winter season to remain as it is, and at the same time we are also increasingly promoting the summer, which begins in mid -June and ending in September. » Some hotels are already open in the summer, as they are encouraged in the tourist association to make the most of both seasons.
Eleven mountain lakes are created by the Summer Panorama Obertauern. Photo: Shutterstock
Just as they have their charm with snow whitewashed peaks, in the summer on hikes, mountain running and mountain biking invite green meadows and rocky peaks. Particularly picturesque is Obertauern’s surroundings due to eleven emerald green mountain lakes, where you can also bathe, if you can of course be able to dive into water, which has 10 to 15 degrees. Mario Siedler also reveals local interesting things: at 2000 meters there is a lake, only two meters deep, which can be heated to 22 degrees on hot days. But the first rain from it makes the glacier again.
The province invites mountain bikers and runners, hikers, and there are many opportunities for children. “We are aware that there is still a lot of work to do, so let’s go step by step. But progress is obvious. Ten years ago, we listed about 35,000 overnight stays in the summer season, now we have 100,000, and our goal is to reach about 300,000 overnight stays in ten years, « says Siedler.
The advantage of Obertauern is also in its light access to the highlands. « While you have to climb elsewhere by 1300 to 1500 meters, you have only three hundred meters and already experience a real mountain atmosphere and beautiful views. »
Obertauern is considered to be white or winter eldorado, but has all the conditions to become summer.
