Oetz, Austria
Introduction
At the head of the Ötztal valley, perched high above the small town of Oetz is the small resort of Hochoetz. Oetz is the place that you drive through on the way to Sölden and Obergurgl and think that it’s quite pretty , and then turn your attention back to the job in hand, however its worth making the effort for a day or two.
It’s very much a family orientated resort and with plenty of facilities to store the little ones while you go off for the day. The 34km of pistes are very much beginner and intermediate level with only one short but steep black run to speak of, and although most of the runs are pretty short, they are generally wide and very well maintained.
The Hochoetz area was joined with Ochsengarten back in 1999, and it’s in the Ochsengarten side of the resort where you’ll find the steepest terrain and the best open powder runs. Around Hochoetz you’ll find a number of drops off cat tracks, some rocks and a few short chutes which are great fun on a powder day.
Being family orientated means that the hard core shredders usually go elsewhere, so you should find it gets less tracked out than other resorts, although being only a 30 minute drive or train from Innsbruck, it can be pretty popular with the locals.
New for season
2007/8: 700k euros spent on snowmaking equipment
Resort Statistics
Resort Type:
Alpine
Winter: mid Dec to mid April
Lifts
Total Lifts: 11
Gondolas: 2
Chair lifts: 5
Drag lifts: 4
Max people per hour: 13,860
Board Leashes required: No
Mountain
Total pistes/trails: 11
Total ride area: 34km
Longest run: 3.65km
Top lift: 2200
Vertical drop: 693
First lift: 1507
Piste suitability
Green runs: 38%
Red runs: 50%
Black runs: 12%
Lift Passes
Lift Passes:
Day pass 28.5 euros
6 days 139 euros
Half day 25 euros
Season 359 euros
Lift times:9.00am to 4.30pm
Snowfall
Artificial snowmaking coverage: 80%
Facilities
Night Riding: :
No
Heliboarding: :
Not available
Snowmobiles:
Not available
