Like Sestriere, but in Austria: the height is on the hill, not at the door
The Ski Snug teamUpdated 12 October 20265 min read
You love Sestriere, and this winter you want to try Austria. Sestriere's own list says why people go: snow sure, a big area, value. It is a purpose built high resort on the Milky Way, high and practical by our read, and modern. The village sits at 2,035 metres, the fourth highest of the 55 resorts we cover, and 91 percent of the piste we measure is at or above 1,800 metres, the ninth biggest share of the 55 resorts we cover. The skiing reaches 2,788 metres, so it is snow sure on our measure.
Around the village we measure 160 kilometres of piste, the most of the 10 Italian resorts we cover. It is steep in places, with 30 percent steeper than one in four, 17.9 kilometres of black and 10.8 of marked itinerary, and kind in others: the blues average 12.0 percent, the second gentlest of the 55 resorts we cover. The Via Lattea is quoted at 400 kilometres, but that counts Montgenèvre, which needs the International pass; the standard pass gives you roughly 305, our own subtraction.
The honest headline: no Austrian village we cover comes near Sestriere's height. The highest of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover is Obertauern, at 1,740 metres, 295 below. None of our three picks is modern by our tags, either. What Austria can match is the snow sure call and the size, with the height up the mountain rather than at the door, and Ischgl matches both.
| Resort | Village | Top of the skiing, measured | Piste we measure around the village | Steeper than one in four | At or above 1,800 m | Season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Your benchmarkSestriere | 2,035 m | 2,788 m | 160 km | 30% | 91% | December to April |
| Ischgl | 1,377 m | 2,868 m | 152 km | 34% | 90% | Late November to May |
| Lech | 1,450 m | 2,440 m | 175 km | 33% | 61% | December to April |
| Obertauern | 1,740 m | 2,304 m | 74 km | 29% | 61% | Late November to May |
Ischgl: the closest on the snow and the size
- VillageVillage
- 1,377 m 658 m lower
- Highest liftTop lift
- 2,872 m 32 m higher
Ischgl: 152 km of piste we measure. 43 km blue and easier 28%83 km red 54%27 km black 18%
Plus 11 km of marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste total.
Ischgl keeps the thing Sestriere lists first. Ninety percent of its piste is at or above 1,800 metres, the tenth biggest share of the 55 resorts we cover, against your 91, and 79 percent is above 2,000, against 75. The skiing reaches 2,868 metres, measured, 80 above your top, so it is snow sure on our measure, and the season starts in late November and runs into May. Big, snow sure skiing and legendary nights out is our one line on it.
The size and the hard end carry over too. We measure 152 kilometres of piste around the village, about 8 fewer than around Sestriere, and marked itinerary is level, near enough: 10.6 kilometres against 10.8. The steep end is bigger. Thirty four percent of the piste is steeper than one in four, the tenth biggest share of the 55 resorts we cover, against your 30, and there are 26.8 kilometres of black, the fifth most of the 55 resorts we cover, against 17.9.
The trade is the base, the kind end and the mood. The village is at 1,377 metres, 658 below yours, so the height is up the hill rather than at the door. The blues average 15.8 percent against 12.0, with 42.6 kilometres of blue and easier against 50, so a nervous skier has less room. And our read on Ischgl is high energy and snowy, with nightlife first on its list and lively the trait we give it, where Sestriere is high and practical. Our matching also puts Lech a little closer to Sestriere than Ischgl; on our measure, Ischgl is the one that keeps the snow sure call.
Lech: the closest on the size and the off piste
- VillageVillage
- 1,450 m 585 m lower
- Highest liftTop lift
- 2,811 m 29 m lower
Lech: 175 km of piste we measure. 79 km blue and easier 45%70 km red 40%26 km black 15%
Plus 56 km of marked off piste itinerary, kept out of the piste total.
Lech is the closest Austrian resort to Sestriere on our matching, on the size of the area and the share of steep piste. Our read on it is refined and snowy, with understated luxury and families on its list.
It is bigger, and it goes much further off the piste. We measure 175 kilometres around the village, the tenth most of the 55 resorts we cover and 15 more than around Sestriere, on an Arlberg it shares with St Anton and Zürs. There are 56.1 kilometres of marked itinerary, the second most of the 55 resorts we cover, against your 10.8, and 26 of black, the sixth most of the 55 resorts we cover. Thirty three percent of the piste is steeper than one in four, against 30, and there are 79 kilometres of blue and easier against 50, though the blues average 17.0 percent against your 12.0.
The trade is height, on the hill as well as at the door. The village is at 1,450 metres, 585 below yours, and the skiing tops out at 2,440, measured, 348 below your top. Sixty one percent of the piste is at or above 1,800 metres, against 91, and the top is close enough to the line of our snow sure test that we make no call either way. We class Lech as upmarket and family, where Sestriere lists value.
Obertauern: the closest on the village and the mix
- VillageVillage
- 1,740 m 295 m lower
- Highest liftTop lift
- 2,313 m 527 m lower
Obertauern: 74 km of piste we measure. 41 km blue and easier 56%29 km red 39%4 km black 5%
If what you love is waking up high, Obertauern has the highest village of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover, at 1,740 metres. It is high and snowy by our read, a neat skiable loop, with ski in ski out and the circuit on its list. On the measurements its mix is the nearest of the three to yours: 29 percent of the piste is steeper than one in four, against 30, and 36 percent is gentler than 15 percent, against 35. Its blues average 14.5 percent, the softest of our picks.
The catch is scale, and the top. We measure 74 kilometres of piste, the least of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover, with 4 kilometres of black and no marked itinerary. The skiing stops at 2,304 metres, measured, 484 below your top, and 61 percent of the piste is at or above 1,800 metres. Its one line and its list call it snow sure; on our measure it is not, because the skiing does not reach high enough for our test. The blacks it has are few and steep: they average 37.8 percent, the steepest of the 55 resorts we cover.
Snow sure is first on Sestriere's list, and Ischgl is the only one of the three we can call snow sure on our measure, with 90 percent of the piste at or above 1,800 metres against your 91 and a top 80 metres higher. It comes close on size and itinerary and adds steep and black. Go knowing the village is 658 metres lower, the blues less soft and the evenings louder. If you want more off piste than anywhere else on this page, Lech.