Obergurgl:Obergurgl-Hochgurgl ski guide

What is Obergurgl like?

Obergurgl sits at the end of the Ötztal valley in Tyrol, at 1,930 m, below the Timmelsjoch High Alpine Road. The Ötztal is 65 km long, and the tourist office calls it the longest side valley in the Eastern Alps.

The village is compact. The tourist office says that over 90% of guest beds are less than 250 m from the slopes, and that from any accommodation you are on the snow within four minutes. Restaurants, sports shops, supermarkets, a bakery, a doctor's surgery and the Gurgl Carat congress centre are all in or near the centre. A ski bus runs every 10 minutes in the season for the longer hops, such as out to Pill and Angern at the edge of the village.

Hochgurgl, about 200 m higher, is a small hotel settlement up on the slopes. The two share the ski area, the tourist office and the name Gurgl. Obergurgl has the shops and the centre; Hochgurgl has hotels on the piste.

Obergurgl suits you if you want snow-sure skiing from the hotel door at the head of the valley, rather than a large linked circuit.

Skiing in Obergurgl

Obergurgl's skiing is half of the Obergurgl-Hochgurgl ski area, which the lift company and tourist office market together as Gurgl. It has 112 km of pistes and 25 lifts, with runs between 1,800 m and 3,030 m. The lift company breaks that down as 60.2 km of blue, 33.2 km of red and 14.3 km of black, plus 4.5 km of ski routes.

It is a separate ski area from Sölden, further down the Ötztal: the Ötztal Super Skipass lists them as separate areas with their own seasons. You can ski both on that one ticket, but you travel between them by road or ski bus.

Obergurgl ski area

The two halves each have roughly 56 km of pistes. The Top Express gondola joins them: a 3.6 km ride over the Königstal and Ferwalltal valleys that takes nine minutes. Hochgurgl, at 2,150 m, has the highest lift-served point, 3,030 m, at the Top Mountain Star.

For beginners, the lift company points to the flat slopes of the Gaisberg (run 6), the practice and Mahdstuhl lifts (run 15), and the many blue runs in Hochgurgl. Intermediates are sent to the Festkogl in Obergurgl (runs 6A, 6 and 12) and the Schermerspitze descent in Hochgurgl (run 30). The longest run goes from the Wurmkogl to Obergurgl and Pill: 8 km and 1,260 m of vertical. The steep one is run 28, from the Top Mountain Star to the Wurmkogl middle station.

Night skiing is included in the lift pass. At the time of writing the Rosskarbahn runs from 6.30 pm to 10 pm, and the Hochgurglbahn from 6.30 pm to 9.30 pm.

Obergurgl piste map

The lift company publishes an interactive piste map with live lift and slope status. Check it for closures before planning a day across both halves.

Obergurgl lift pass

The Gurgl lift pass covers Obergurgl and Hochgurgl. For 2026/27 the lift company prices it in three bands, pre-season, high season and peak season, with the first band starting on 19 November 2026 and the last ending on 18 April 2027. Day, multi-day and season passes are sold, and prices are on the official ski pass page.

For three days or more you can buy the Ötztal Super Skipass instead. It is valid in every Ötztal ski area: Vent, Niederthai, Gries, Hochoetz, Sölden and Gurgl. The valley's ski bus is free with it.

Obergurgl ski hire

The tourist office lists rental shops in the village that take online reservations and fit equipment on site. Ski depots with boot drying sit at the cable car valley stations and are free with rental equipment, and shops can arrange a lift pass and lessons. Guests whose hotel is not on the slopes can use the shops' shuttle service.

Ski schools in Obergurgl

Gurgl has all-round ski schools, specialist schools and one-person schools, and the tourist office says children can start from the age of three. The Obergurgl Ski School has taught there since 1922 and has more than 100 instructors. It runs two children's areas, Wiesental and Pirchhütt. Lessons and freeride guiding can also be booked through the tourist office's online shop.

Where to stay in Obergurgl

Almost everywhere in Obergurgl is close to a piste: the tourist office puts over 90% of guest beds within 250 m of the slopes. The choice is between Obergurgl itself, with the shops and restaurants on foot, and Hochgurgl, a small cluster of hotels at over 2,100 m with the runs outside. The tourist office counts more than 100 places to stay across the two and runs its own booking platform.

Read the full guide: Where to stay→

Obergurgl for families

The beginner slopes are close to the village: the Gaisberg and the practice and Mahdstuhl lifts are the lift company's picks for first days. The Obergurgl Ski School's children's areas at Wiesental and Pirchhütt keep small children away from the main runs. Away from skiing, the tourist office lists funslopes, playgrounds and, in summer, family hiking and biking. Some hotels run kids' clubs and lend cots and buggies; check with each one.

Things to do in Obergurgl

The Top Mountain Star at 3,030 m in Hochgurgl is a 360-degree panorama bar at the top of the lifts. Also on the slopes, the Top Mountain Motorcycle Museum, which the tourist office calls Europe's highest, has more than 500 exhibits on the slopes, with the Top Mountain Crosspoint restaurant next door.

On the Obergurgl side, the Hohe Mut Alm is a mountain restaurant at 2,670 m with a sun terrace facing 21 peaks over 3,000 m. Check the lift news for the Hohe Mut cable car before going.

South of the village, the Zirbenwald is a forest of Swiss stone pines up to 400 years old, protected as a natural monument since 1963. It is walkable in winter as well as summer. The tourist office also lists night tobogganing, winter hiking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and ice skating.

Eating and drinking

On the mountain, the Hohe Mut Alm serves hot meals from 11 am to 3.30 pm, and the Top Mountain Crosspoint cooks with seasonal, mainly regional produce. The tourist office keeps a full restaurant list and a bars page.

Obergurgl in summer

Summer in Gurgl is hiking from the door, from easy walks to high alpine routes, with glaciers, lakes and the stone pine forest within reach. The Zirbenwald has a themed trail with 15 boards and stations, a view of the Rotmoos waterfall, and beginner via ferrata routes nearby. In summer 2026 the Summer Card gave free use of the valley's public buses, and the Guest Card gave a discount on bus tickets. Bikes ride free on the buses with a valid ticket or Summer Card, using trailers at marked stops. For 2027 dates and the summer lifts, see the hiking page.

How to get to Obergurgl

Innsbruck to Obergurgl is best made by car, or by train to Ötztal-Bahnhof and then the Linie 320 bus up the valley. The routes, the vignette and the timetable are in the full guide.

Weather, snow and webcams

Gurgl's slopes run from 1,800 m to 3,030 m, and the 2026/27 lift pass prices run from 19 November 2026 to 18 April 2027. Conditions change quickly at that height, so check the official sources on the day.

• Obergurgl webcams
• Obergurgl snow report and slope status
• Obergurgl weather forecast

When to visit Obergurgl

For 2026/27 the lifts are priced from 19 November 2026 to 18 April 2027. Pre-season prices run to 4 December. High-season prices apply from 5 to 18 December, 7 to 29 January and 27 February to the close; peak prices from 19 December to 6 January and 30 January to 26 February. The valley lies in the dry inner Alps, and the tourist office gives Gurgl's average annual precipitation as around 830 mm.

Obergurgl vs Sölden

Sölden is a separate ski area further down the Ötztal. Both are on the Ötztal Super Skipass, which comes with the free ski bus, so you can stay in one and ski the other for a day.

Obergurgl sits higher, at 1,930 m, with 112 km of pistes shared with Hochgurgl and most beds within 250 m of a slope. Sölden is lower in the valley. Check Sölden's own official pages for its ski area figures before comparing the two.

Choose Obergurgl if you want to ski from the hotel door at the head of the valley.

Choose Sölden if you would rather be lower down the valley and visit Gurgl by bus.

What's nearby

• Hochgurgl

  The other half of the ski area, about 200 m higher, linked by the Top Express gondola.

• Sölden

  A separate ski area further down the Ötztal, by road or ski bus; also on the Ötztal Super Skipass.

• Vent

  A ski area up a side valley, also on the Ötztal Super Skipass.

• Längenfeld

  A village lower down the Ötztal, on the valley bus route.