Trail map
Published by Liftgesellschaften Gurgl (Liftgesellschaft Obergurgl and Bergbahnen Hochgurgl); this copy via Ötztal Tourismus / Liftgesellschaften Obergurgl-Hochgurgl. The current official map is at Liftgesellschaften Gurgl (Liftgesellschaft Obergurgl and Bergbahnen Hochgurgl).
Routable 3D map
The whole lift and piste network of Obergurgl-Hochgurgl is routable in the app: difficulty limits, live lift and piste status, alternative ways to the same place, and a 3D view of the terrain.
Open in SkiAllDayThe verdict
Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, marketed as Gurgl, is two linked ski areas at the head of the Ötztal valley, running from 1,800 to 3,030 m with no glacier. The operator counts 112 km of piste, just over half of it graded easy, and our own OpenStreetMap measurement finds 65 km. It suits beginners and intermediates and has snow from mid-November, but it has little steep terrain and the two halves are joined by one gondola, the Top Express.1234567
Goes well for
- Beginners and cautious intermediates: the operator grades 60 of its 112 km easy, and 59% of the measured network can be reached from the base without skiing anything harder than an easy piste
- Early-season skiing without a glacier: the operator opens in mid-November, 34% of the measured piste lies above 2,500 m and 61% of it faces north, north-east or north-west
- Long continuous descents: the operator lists an 8 km run from Wurmkogl down to Pill with 1,260 m of vertical
Goes badly for
- Experts: only 15 km of the operator's 112 km is graded difficult, and the hard descents it names are piste 1, the mogul ski route 1A and piste 28 below the Top Mountain Star
- Skiing in strong wind: the two halves are joined by one gondola, and a snowheads thread on the area flags the Top Express as wind-sensitive
- A full week for strong piste skiers: posters in a September 2024 r/skiing thread and an April 2026 Alpinforum post estimate two or three days of on-piste variety, and the operator's own ticket becomes the valley-wide Ötztal pass from three days
Key facts
Every card opens. The headline number is the answer; underneath is how it was measured and where it came from.
Elevation 1,230m vertical · 1,800–3,030 m
| Village | 1,930 m3 |
|---|---|
| Lowest piste | 1,800 m1 |
| Highest lift-served point | 3,030 m1 |
| Vertical drop | 1,230 m |
Obergurgl village is at 1,930 m and Hochgurgl at 2,150 m, both from the operator's ski-area page. The same page gives 1,800 m as the lowest point and 3,030 m, in Hochgurgl, as the highest point reached by a lift. The operator's printed 2026/27 piste brochure reads 1,800 to 3,080 m, and its panorama labels the Wurmkogl summit at 3,082 m; 3,030 m is used here because the ski-area page ties it to the lift-served point. Skiresort.info gives 1,793 to 3,030 m.
Pistes 112km 65.3 km measured from the network
- Easy 60km 56%
- Intermediate 33km 31%
- Difficult 15km 14%
Plus 4 km of marked ski routes, which are neither pisted nor patrolled to piste standard.
Marketed vs measuredThe operator markets 112 km, and its brochure splits that as 60 km easy, 33 km intermediate, 15 km difficult and 4 km of ski routes. It also says the two halves have about 56 km each. Skiresort.info measures 112.2 km (60.2 easy, 33.2 intermediate, 18.8 difficult) plus 4.5 km of ski routes. Our measurement of the OpenStreetMap network finds 65.3 km of piste in a single connected network, 58% of the marketed figure, which is a wider gap than at most resorts we have measured. The longest descent agrees closely with the operator's (8.1 km and 1,250 m measured, against 8 km and 1,260 m), so the main runs are present; we have not traced which of the operator's pistes are missing or mapped as ski routes in OpenStreetMap. Treat 112 km as the operator's marketed figure and 65 km as a floor.
Lifts 25 3 types in the fleet
- Gondola 11
- Chairlift 7
- Drag lift 6
The operator counts 25 lift installations and says they carry over 43,000 people an hour. Its own list of named lifts, with each numbered section counted separately, gives 11 gondolas (Roßkarbahn I and II, Kirchenkarbahn I and II, Hohe Mut Bahn I and II, Schermer 3000, Hochgurglbahn I and II, Top Express and Festkoglbahn), 7 chairlifts and 6 drag lifts. Skiresort.info shows counts of 11, 7, 6 and 1 without labelling the types, and the operator's piste legend lists a lift type called Snow Cab, which its lift list does not name. Six gondolas and chairlifts leave from the villages (Hochgurglbahn, Festkoglbahn, Hohe Mut Bahn, Roßkarbahn, Große Karbahn and Kirchenkarbahn). The Top Express, built in 1997, is 3.6 km long and takes about 9 minutes.1
Season November – April winter season
| Winter season | mid-November – late April |
|---|---|
| Lift hours | 09:00–16:00 |
Day pass EUR 70 adult, main season
| Adult | EUR 708 |
|---|---|
| Youth | EUR 568 |
| Child | EUR 398 |
| Multi-resort passes | Passes of one or two days are valid only in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl. Passes of three to fourteen days are the Ötztal Super Ski Pass, valid in all open ski areas of the Ötztal; the operator describes it as six ski areas, 90 lifts and over 360 km of piste. The three-day adult price is 246.50 in the Hauptsaison. The operator's price page does not mention the Epic, Ikon or any other multi-resort pass. |
Prices are the operator's 2026/27 list for the one-day pass valid in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, in the Hauptsaison band (5 to 18 December, 7 to 29 January and 27 February to 18 April). The Vorsaison band (19 November to 4 December) is 64.00 adult, 50.00 youth and 34.50 child; the Topsaison band (19 December to 6 January and 30 January to 26 February) is 75.50, 60.50 and 42.50. The operator lists these as 'ab' (from) prices and says buying earlier online is cheaper, so a ticket bought later may cost more. Youth means born 2007 to 2011, child born 2012 to 2018. Children born 2019 to 2022 (Snowkids) pay 2.00 a day plus a key-card deposit, sold only at the lift ticket office, and skiers aged 75 and over pay the child tariff. Part-day tickets start at 39.50 for a 14:00 start in the Vorsaison. The operator lists no season pass prices and says passes of 15 days or more are on request.
The mountain
These figures come from measuring the resort's actual piste and lift network rather than from its brochure. Measured from the SkiAllDay routing graph on 17 October 2026. Where the resort publishes a figure of its own, that figure is the one shown.
Piste km per lift km
1.20
Piste km opened by each kilometre of lift line. It measures how sparse the lift network is, not how good it is: a high figure means long runs off few lifts, so more skiing between rides but more traversing and more people funnelled onto each lift; a low one means dense lift service, quick laps and short waits, at the cost of repeating the same runs.
measuredLift minutes per ski hour
96 min
Time riding up for every hour spent descending, from the graph’s own traversal times.
measuredLongest continuous descent
8.0 km
The longest run of linked pistes that never rides a lift.
officialReachable on easy runs only
59%
Share of piste a skier can reach from the base without ever descending something harder than an easy run.
measuredNorth-facing terrain
61%
Piste facing N, NE or NW, from the bearing of each descent. Shaded aspects hold snow longest.
measuredVertical on that descent
1,260 m
officialUphill on surface lifts
13%
Share of climbing served by drag lifts and platters, weighted by vertical rather than by lift count.
measuredPiste above 2,500 m
34%
measuredMedian piste altitude
2,383 m
Half the piste length lies above this height and half below, weighted by length.
measuredMean piste gradient
22%
Length-weighted across every piste. Comparable between countries in a way that piste colour is not.
measuredPiste measured
65.3 km
measuredLift length measured
54.2 km
measuredHow steep is it, really
Piste colour is set by each resort under its own rules, so a red in one country is a blue in another. Measured gradient is comparable everywhere.
- 9% 0–10%
- 37% 10–20%
- 33% 20–30%
- 15% 30–40%
- 6% 40%+
Guide
Gurgl is two ski areas of about 56 km each, Obergurgl and Hochgurgl, in the operator's description. The Top Express gondola joins them, and our graph reads the pair as one connected network. This page covers both halves as one area; Sölden, further down the same valley, has its own lifts and is a separate page.
Two areas joined by one gondola
The Top Express runs 3.6 km over the Königstal and Ferwalltal in about 9 minutes and joins the Obergurgl and Hochgurgl sides; it opened in 1997. Hochgurgl, at 2,150 m, has the highest lift-served point, 3,030 m, and Obergurgl sits at 1,930 m. The whole network measures as a single connected component in our routing graph, from 1,779 m to 3,024 m.394
Mostly easy, with a long way down
The operator's brochure grades 60 km of its 112 km easy, 33 km intermediate and 15 km difficult, with 4 km of ski routes. Our graph finds 59% of the measured piste can be reached from the base without skiing anything harder than an easy piste, and a mean gradient of 22%. For beginners the operator points to the flat slopes at Gaisberg (piste 6), the practice lift and Mahdstuhl lift (piste 15) and the many blue pistes in Hochgurgl. The longest descent it lists is Wurmkogl to Pill, 8 km with 1,260 m of vertical, over pistes 29, 26, 24, 32 and 33; we measure 8.1 km and 1,250 m.234
The steep terrain is short
The operator names two hard descents in Obergurgl and one in Hochgurgl: from Hohe Mut Alm down to Gaisberg (piste 1), the mogul ski route 1A, and piste 28 from the Top Mountain Star to the Wurmkogl mid-station, which it marks as steep. For skiers who want red terrain it recommends the Festkogl pistes (6A/6 and 12) in Obergurgl and the Schermerspitze descent (piste 30) in Hochgurgl. Only 6% of the measured piste has a gradient of 40% or more, and 15 km of the operator's 112 km is graded difficult.324
High, cold and snow-made
The median piste sits at 2,383 m and 34% of the measured piste is above 2,500 m. 61% faces north, north-east or north-west by the bearing of each descent, which is where snow lasts longest. The operator says more than 90% of its pistes can be snow-made and describes Gurgl as one of the first non-glacier ski areas in the Alps to open in mid-November. There is no glacier here, so the season is a winter one, ending in late April.41
| Skier | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Intermediate skier | excellent | 33 km of the operator's piste is graded intermediate. The 8 km descent from Wurmkogl to Pill runs most of the height of the area, and the operator names the Festkogl pistes and the Schermerspitze descent as the places to carve.23 |
| Early or late season skier | excellent | The area opens in mid-November without a glacier, 34% of the measured piste is above 2,500 m, 61% faces north, and more than 90% of the pistes can be snow-made.14 |
| First-timer | good | The operator grades 60 of its 112 km easy and names flat practice slopes at Gaisberg (piste 6) and at the Mahdstuhl lift (piste 15) in Obergurgl, and our measurement finds 59% of the network reachable on easy pistes alone. The base is at 1,930 m.234 |
| Families | good | The operator lists a winter playground at the Festkoglbahn, the Funslope in Hochgurgl, a family park at the Bruggenbodenlift and a 3 km natural toboggan run, with the toboggan run included in the ski pass.2 |
| Expert | fair | Only 15 km of the operator's 112 km is graded difficult, and it names just three hard descents. A measured 6% of the piste is 40% steep or more.234 |
| Strong skier on a week-long trip | fair | The operator's 112 km is its marketed figure and we measure 65 km. One- and two-day tickets cover only Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, and passes of three days or more become the Ötztal Super Ski Pass, which includes the neighbouring areas.84 |
By car
The road runs through the Inntal into the Ötztal and up the valley to Gurgl. Hochgurglbahn I at Pill (the first base station reached from down-valley), the Top Mountain Crosspoint and Hochgurgl have free car parks, and the Hochgurglbahn one bans overnight parking. The Festkoglbahn garage in Obergurgl costs 7.00 for 08:00 to 20:00 and 16.00 for 24 hours, and the village-centre garage 2.00 for the first hour, then 1.00 per half hour. The Timmelsjoch road to Italy is closed in winter, so access is from the Ötztal side.
By train
Trains run daily to Ötztal-Bahnhof at the valley entrance, and buses leave from there up the valley at a half-hourly interval. Guests staying in the Ötztal receive a Guest Card that makes the valley's line buses free in winter. Innsbruck airport is about 50 km from the valley entrance, and the same line bus runs from the airport to Gurgl.
Where to base yourself
| Obergurgl | Village at 1,930 m with the Festkoglbahn, Hohe Mut Bahn, Roßkarbahn and Steinmannbahn; the operator describes its pistes as suited to relaxed skiers and families |
|---|---|
| Hochgurgl | Hotel settlement at 2,150 m with the Kirchenkarbahn, Große Karbahn and Wurmkogl lifts; reached from Obergurgl on the Top Express, which takes about 9 minutes |
| Pill | Valley station of the Hochgurglbahn, with a free car park, and the end of the Wurmkogl descent |
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Hohe Mut Alm
A mountain restaurant with a sun terrace that the operator says looks out over 21 peaks above 3,000 m. A hut evening is held on Thursdays from mid-December, starting at 18:30.210
-
Festkogl Alm
A Tyrolean-specialities hut with a large sun terrace and a Schirmbar. The Schirmbar opens on Monday evenings during Obergurgl night skiing, 18:30 to 21:30.2
-
Top Mountain Star
A viewing platform with a panorama bar and selected dishes, at the highest lift-served point of the area.2
-
Top Mountain Crosspoint
A panorama restaurant at the Kirchenkarbahn station with stone-oven pizza. The motorcycle museum is in the same building.2
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Wurmkoglhütte
A self-service restaurant with a tiled stove and a large sun terrace.2
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Skihütte Kirchenkar
The operator describes a hut with an open fireplace, an ice bar and a large sun terrace facing the Gurgler glaciers and the Ötztal.2
-
Nederhütte
A staffed hut with a large sun terrace, listed in the brochure with live music from 16:00 on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.2
What skiers say
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Ski Steinmannbahn early, before ski-school traffic builds around lunchtime.1112
A poster in the snowheads thread 'Obergurgl - Reds for developing intermediates?' recommends skiing Steinmannbahn early. An Alpinforum poster in the 2025/2026 thread (April 2026) recorded waits of more than ten minutes there while most other lifts had little or no queue.
-
On spring melt-freeze days, wait until roughly 11:00 or noon for the main west-facing pistes to soften, then ski them before the lower home runs turn heavy.1314
A First Tracks trip report from 24 March 2022 found the main pistes rock-hard until at least 11:00. A snowheads report from 4 to 11 April describes the low slopes getting slushier later in the day.
-
If starting in Obergurgl but intending to ski Hochgurgl properly, take the first lift or the morning bus rather than spending prime time working across to Top Express.1516
Posters in a r/skithealps thread from October 2022 and a snowheads thread on ski schools describe the move between the villages as slow, even though the gondola ride is about 12 minutes, and the snowheads posters treat Hochgurgl as a full-day trip.
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When Kirchenkarbahn, Wurmkogel I or Steinmannbahn develops a queue, move to Rosskar or Plattach instead of waiting.12
An April 2026 post in the Alpinforum 2025/2026 thread measured waits of three to four minutes at Kirchenkarbahn and over ten minutes at Steinmannbahn, while the Roßkar mid-station pistes and Plattach had effectively no queue.
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Do not assume Gurgl will be empty on a sunny fresh-snow weekend during limited early-season opening; arrive well before 10:00 and avoid the Wurmkogel I convergence once it fills.17
A November 2017 trip report in the Alpinforum 2017/18 thread found both main car parks full before 10:00 and called the narrowed meeting point below Wurmkogl I borderline unsafe, although lift waits mostly stayed under five minutes.
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If Hochgurgl night skiing is on the current weekly schedule, use it for quiet laps on freshly groomed snow but expect only part of the descent to be floodlit.18
A February 2026 r/skiing reply recommended the night session and a later poster found the run nearly empty. The same thread warns that the lit section is short with tight hairpins and that piste numbers can change.
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For a morning bus from Sölden to Gurgl, board before Gaislachkogl if possible rather than relying on a downstream stop.126
A December 2025 post in the Alpinforum 2025/2026 thread says the 08:43 bus was already full at Gaislach and drove past waiting passengers. The same post gives a 30-minute interval, while a September 2024 r/skiing thread mentions a shorter one, so check the timetable.
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For a driving day trip from Sölden, enter at Hochgurglbahn I in Pill, the first base station reached from down-valley, and aim to park around 08:30.1712
The Alpinforum 2016/17 thread calls Hochgurglbahn I the logical gateway for a day trip from Sölden. A March 2026 post in the 2025/2026 thread found its car park almost empty at 08:30.
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If a powder-and-bluebird day coincides with limited opening, do not arrive at either Hochgurglbahn or Festkoglbahn around 10:00 expecting normal Gurgl parking availability.17
The November 2017 trip report in the Alpinforum 2017/18 thread describes a bluebird powder morning on which both areas filled and late arrivals parked beside the road near Kirchenkarbahn.
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For cheaper lodging, prefer Zwieselstein if you want practical access to both Gurgl and Sölden, but buy groceries before arrival; avoid Umhausen if you will depend on the ski bus.19
A July 2026 r/skiing thread on budget lodging notes that Zwieselstein has no supermarket and that Umhausen can mean about an hour each way to Hochgurglbahn by bus, which makes driving from there far more workable.
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Warm up from Pill on pistes 23–27, then ski red 30 under Schermerbahn while it is still grippy.2021
Alpinforum posters in a November 2019 thread single out piste 30 as a favourite. An April 2022 post in the Ötztal trip thread found it hard and slippery, with several skiers visibly struggling.
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Make Plattach a deliberate session from about 10:00, using blue 6a and pistes 7, 8 and 8a rather than just crossing the sector.2012
The November 2019 Alpinforum thread praises the whole Plattach sector, including 8a and 11 as approachable blacks. An April 2026 post in the 2025/2026 thread calls it among the best skiing of the day.
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Treat the black piste beside Wurmkogl II as a real black and check its surface before committing.20
The November 2019 Alpinforum thread describes several Gurgl blacks as only lightly black but picks out the piste beside Wurmkogl II as steep and often icy.
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For a controlled intermediate progression in Hochgurgl, link blue 26 to 24 and 32, then finish on red 33 to the umbrella bar.11
A poster in the snowheads thread on reds for developing intermediates describes red 5 from Steinmannbahn as the easiest red and red 7 from Plattach as a manageable next step.
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Prefer the Roßkar mid-station pistes and Plattach when the upper Hochgurgl grooming feels corrugated.1212
A March 2026 post in the Alpinforum 2025/2026 thread found the high Hochgurgl pistes smooth to look at but full of small waves. Posts from March and April praise the conditions at Roßkar and Plattach.
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Use quattro Festkoglalm for a relatively inexpensive small lunch, and pay the premium at Hohe Mut Alm mainly when its terrace panorama matters to you.20
The November 2019 Alpinforum thread calls quattro at the Festkogl Alm worn but comparatively cheap, and Hohe Mut scenic with good food but expensive. A later poster disliked the Kaiserschmarrn and found the service cold.
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For a calmer hut stop choose Hohe Mut, Zirbenalm or Kirchenkar, while treating Nederhütte as the lively afternoon-après option rather than a quiet lunch.22
A March 2026 thread on Gurgl huts at alpinfans.com calls those three relaxed, describes the Nederhütte as busier but good later in the day, and reports disappointment with the Wurmkoglhütte.
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Self-cater in Obergurgl rather than Hochgurgl if you want a usable supermarket and evening choice within walking distance.2324
An August 2023 r/skiing thread on Obergurgl or Hochgurgl for a family, and a snowheads trip-report index entry, describe Obergurgl as having a Spar and several restaurants, and Hochgurgl as a road, hotels and a base station with few independent facilities.
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Reserve Obergurgl dinner tables early, particularly on chalet staff nights, rather than walking into the central pizzerias around 19:00.25
A snowheads self-caterers' thread reports a 20 to 25 minute wait at Pizza Romantika at 18:45 and much fuller restaurants by 20:00, and says advance bookings at PicNic and Grauer Stüberl avoided the wait.
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Before buying separate Sölden days, check whether your chosen multi-day product already becomes the valley-wide Ötztal pass.2627
A May 2026 r/skithealps thread and an October 2024 r/skiing thread disagree: one says a Sölden day is included, the other that passes become valley-wide from three or four days. The operator's own price page says the three-day pass is the Ötztal Super Ski Pass.
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Know that red 12 is the only piste from the Festkogl side down to the Top Express; if anyone cannot ski it, ride the gondola instead.11
A poster in the snowheads thread on reds for developing intermediates says red 12 is the only piste from the Festkogl side down to the Top Express, wide but steep at the end, and that a cautious skier can return from Hochgurgl on the gondola instead.
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Do not judge Gurgl difficulty solely by piste color, because several mapped blues ski like reds while the black Wurmkogel II and unpisted routes are substantially more serious.1520
A r/skithealps thread from October 2022 and the November 2019 Alpinforum thread both say some blues ski like reds, and that the blacks are real blacks despite the area's generally intermediate character.
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Snowboarders and skiers who dislike poling should carry speed onto the resort's blue connecting roads and study the home route before crossing sectors.14
A snowheads trip report from 4 to 11 April (Crystal Ski) found many of the blues between the sectors were roads, had to herringbone back up part of blue 6 after returning by red 12, and found one route to the lodging only via 10a, Roßkarbahn and 6.
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Do not treat ski routes 2 Hohe Mut and 9 Dorfmitte as ordinary marked pistes.11
A poster in the snowheads thread on reds for developing intermediates says ski route 2 is consistently unpisted, narrow and steep, and route 9 is milder but has narrow sections and is poor when icy.
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Do not book Hochgurgl expecting the shops, restaurant choice and evening life of Obergurgl.2328
The August 2023 r/skiing family thread and a snowheads thread titled 'Hochgurgl vs Obergurgl' describe Hochgurgl as ski-in and ski-out but a small hotel settlement, with the Spar and most independent options in Obergurgl.
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A strong piste skier staying a full week should plan at least one Sölden day instead of expecting Gurgl alone to provide seven days of fresh terrain.67
A September 2024 r/skiing thread and an April 2026 Alpinforum post estimate two or three days for the on-piste terrain, though some posters prefer Gurgl's quieter, more varied fall lines to Sölden's bigger area.
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After a strong northwesterly storm, inspect Hochgurgl's exposed upper pistes before committing to repeated Wurmkogel laps because wind can strip them back to hard snow or ice.2930
A March 2026 r/skithealps thread on Sölden against Obergurgl names northwest wind as a Hochgurgl weakness, and a snowheads trip-report index entry describes exposed pistes scoured to ice.
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When high wind is forecast, pick your sector at the start of the day and keep the road bus as the way back, because the Top Express may close.5
A snowheads thread titled 'Obergurgl Pros & Cons' flags the Top Express as wind-sensitive, so the link on the piste map does not guarantee a way back on the snow.
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In fog or flat light, descend to the lower Obergurgl terrain around Steinmannbahn and the lower Hohe Mut/Rosskar sector instead of persisting above the treeline.1212
An April 2026 Alpinforum post found visibility usable below the Roßkar mid-station while the upper mountain was featureless, and a March 2026 post found the broad lower forest pistes quiet and skiable.
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Treat a severe wind warning as a possible no-ski day rather than assuming Gurgl's modern lift system will keep useful terrain open.12
A 26 March 2026 post in the Alpinforum 2025/2026 thread says a storm shut the ski area except for the small Wiesenlift and Mahdstuhllift beginner lifts.
History
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1948
The first ski lift in the Ötztal opens in Obergurgl on 14 March, a button lift of about 300 m built largely by hand.9
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1949
Hans Falkner, Angelus Scheiber and other Obergurgl families found the Liftgesellschaft Obergurgl; the Gaisberg chairlift is built the same year.9
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1954
The Hohe Mut lift reaches 2,669 m and is, in the operator's account, the highest lift in Austria.9
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1961
Hochgurgl is started by the Scheiber family as a planned combination of hotels and lifts; Großes Kar is its first lift.9
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1987
The first snowmaking system in the Ötztal is built at Untergurgl, according to the operator.9
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1997
The Top Express opens and joins Obergurgl and Hochgurgl directly for the first time.9
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2015
A 10-seat gondola replaces the Kirchenkar drag lift, and the Top Mountain Crosspoint is built.9
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2021
A 10-seat gondola replaces the Roßkar chairlift.9
Nearby and comparable
- Sölden
Further down the same valley on its own lift network, higher and with a glacier. No lift joins it to Gurgl, and the Ötztal Super Ski Pass covers both from three days.
More guides in Austria
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis · Ischgl · Ski Arlberg · Mayrhofen · Zillertal Arena · Hochzillertal-Hochfügen
Questions
How big is the Obergurgl-Hochgurgl ski area?
The operator markets 112 km of piste and 25 lifts, with about 56 km on each of the two halves, Obergurgl and Hochgurgl. Its brochure splits the 112 km as 60 km easy, 33 km intermediate, 15 km difficult and 4 km of ski routes. Our measurement of the OpenStreetMap network finds 65.3 km of piste in one connected area.1234
Are Obergurgl and Hochgurgl connected by lift?
Yes. The Top Express gondola joins them over the Königstal and Ferwalltal, a 3.6 km ride of about 9 minutes, and has done since 1997. The operator describes Obergurgl and Hochgurgl as two ski areas of about 56 km each that this gondola links into one.39
When is the ski season in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl?
The 2026/27 season runs from 19 November 2026 to 18 April 2027, according to the operator's price page, and the operator says the area skis from mid-November to the end of April. It is not a glacier ski area and has no summer skiing.81
How much is a day pass in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl?
A one-day pass for Obergurgl-Hochgurgl in 2026/27 costs from EUR 69.50 for an adult in the main-season band, EUR 64.00 in the pre-season and EUR 75.50 in the top-season weeks. Youth (born 2007 to 2011) pay 56.00 and children (born 2012 to 2018) pay 38.50 in the main-season band. These are the operator's 'from' prices and it says buying earlier is cheaper.8
Is Obergurgl-Hochgurgl good for beginners?
Yes, within limits. The operator grades 60 of its 112 km easy and names flat practice slopes at Gaisberg and Mahdstuhl in Obergurgl, and 59% of the measured network can be reached from the base on easy pistes only. The base is at 1,930 m, and Hochgurgl, with many blue pistes, is a gondola ride from Obergurgl.234
Is Sölden connected to Obergurgl-Hochgurgl?
No lift joins them. Sölden is further down the Ötztal with its own lifts, and our routing graph of Gurgl does not reach it. Both are covered by the Ötztal Super Ski Pass, which the operator sells for passes of three to fourteen days, while passes of one or two days are valid only in Obergurgl-Hochgurgl.84
What is the highest point and the longest run at Obergurgl-Hochgurgl?
The highest point reached by a lift is 3,030 m in Hochgurgl. The longest descent the operator lists is Wurmkogl to Pill, 8 km with 1,260 m of vertical, and our graph measures 8.1 km and 1,250 m for the longest continuous descent.134
References
Every claim on this page carries a numbered marker linking here, and every reference links back to the passages that used it. Numbers not yet checked against a source are marked like this.
- 1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Skigebietsinformationen Obergurgl-Hochgurgl
- 2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Pisteninfo Gurgl 2026/27 (folded brochure)
- 3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Skigebietsplan, Lifte & Pisten
- 4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m SkiAllDay routing graph, computed from OpenStreetMap
- 5. ^ a b Obergurgl Pros & Cons. Advice Please
- 6. ^ a b c Obergurgl
- 7. ^ a b Obergurgl-Hochgurgl 2025/2026
- 8. ^ a b c d e f g Skipasspreise Obergurgl-Hochgurgl, Saison 2026/27
- 9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Geschichte der Liftgesellschaften Gurgl
- 10. ^ Liftgesellschaften Gurgl: Facts
- 11. ^ a b c d Obergurgl - Reds for developing intermediates?
- 12. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Obergurgl-Hochgurgl 2025/2026
- 13. ^ Hochgurgl-Obergurgl, Austria, March 24, 2022
- 14. ^ a b TR Obergurgl 4-11th April (Crystal Ski)
- 15. ^ a b Tips for Obergurgl/Hochgurgl trip in January
- 16. ^ Obergurgl or Hochgurgl Ski School?
- 17. ^ a b c Obergurgl/Hochgurgl 17/18
- 18. ^ Obergurgl, Austria
- 19. ^ How to find budget accommodation for Austria - near Obergurgl
- 20. ^ a b c d e Obergurgl/Hochgurgl
- 21. ^ Ötztal 10. - 15.04.2022 (Vent, Gurgl, Sölden)
- 22. ^ Hüttenempfehlung Gurgl
- 23. ^ a b Obergurgl or Hochgurgl for family with kids 6 and 8
- 24. ^ Resort / Trip Reports - Alphabetical index (6)
- 25. ^ Obergurgl evening meal options for lazy self-caterers - info please!
- 26. ^ Obergurgl-Hochgurgl December skiing
- 27. ^ Austria ski/snowboard
- 28. ^ Hochgurgl vs Obergurgl
- 29. ^ Sölden vs Obergurgl. Which one do you prefer in that area?
- 30. ^ Resort / Trip Reports - Alphabetical index
Page last updated 17 October 2026.