TL;DR
Obertauern has issued a blanket ban on uphilling within resort boundaries for 2025-26, citing safety concerns after years of conflict. The decision adds the Austrian resort to a growing list implementing outright bans rather than managed access, despite local guides questioning the safety rationale.
Another Austrian Resort Chooses Outright Ban Over Managed Access
Obertauern has announced a complete ban on uphilling within its boundaries starting with the 2025-26 season, abandoning earlier attempts at finding middle-ground solutions. The resort claims years of conflict between uphill traffic and downhill skiers have resulted in accidents, though the specifics of these incidents remain notably absent from their announcement.
The ban extends beyond slope access. Car parks will now be restricted to guests holding valid lift passes, and overnight camping is prohibited—moves that effectively eliminate not just uphill access on groomed terrain but also backcountry touring that uses resort infrastructure as a staging point. It's a comprehensive shutdown that suggests the resort has decided the administrative hassle of managing uphill traffic outweighs any goodwill from the ski touring community.
What's missing from Obertauern's statement is any data quantifying the safety issues they reference. Local guiding companies have pushed back, with Bergsteigen.com noting they're "not aware of any accidents of ski tourers and skiers in Obertauern" and pointing out that operations have run without major incident for decades. That disconnect between the resort's stated rationale and observations from professionals who work on these slopes daily raises questions about whether this is genuinely about safety or about controlling how people use the mountain.
