Obertauern is a tourist destination which is located in the Radstädter Tauern in the Salzburger Land of Austria. The winter sports resort is separated in two communities: Tweng and Untertauern.
Obertauern lies in the southeast of the state of Salzburg in the Radstädter Tauern mountains at heights of between 1,630 and 2,526 metres above sea level. The village is near to the highest point of the Radstädter Tauern Pass over which the Katschberg road (Katschberger Straße, the B 99) runs. Obertauern belongs to two districts: St. Johann/Pongau and Tamsweg, hence why the community is separated into the two municipalities of Untertauern (Pongau) and Tweng (Lungau). The municipal boundary runs at the height of the pass and hence through the centre of the village.
Skiing is the most popular sporting activity in Obertauern, followed by snowboarding. The ski region has around 100 kilometres of prepared pistes and 26 lifts that are capable of transporting 48,000 - 49,000 people per hour. The area is served by 1 gondola, 19 chair lifts and 6 drag lifts, and has 100 km of runs. The pistes are graded using a colour scheme: blue (61%) for easy runs, red (35%) for runs of medium difficulty and black (4%) for difficult pistes, the piste alongside the Gamsleiten 2 lift being the second steepest run in Austria. All the lifts will take non-skiers to the top as well, but only the Zehnerkarbahn and Grünwaldkopfbahn will take passengers down again. Daytime visitors may park on the 24,000 m² of car parks in the vicinity of the slopes. The Liftgemeinschaft Obertauern (LGO) is responsible for all the lifts.
In summer, Obertauern is a popular base for numerous hiking trails because the village lies on the Central Alpine Way (Zentralalpenweg). The two Alpine huts, Oberhütte towards Styria and the Südwiener Hütte in the direction of Flachau may be reached in 2 hours on foot.
In August and September, motorcycle gatherings take place.
However, Obertauern is mostly a winter resort and many hotels and businesses are closed in the summertime.
|