Livigno or Obertauern: the same height at the door, not at the top
The Ski Snug teamUpdated 12 October 20265 min read
Livigno and Obertauern both put you high from the first morning. Livigno's village is at 1,816 metres and Obertauern's at 1,740, the highest of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover, so there are 76 metres between them at the door. Both run from late November to May, and we measure a similar amount of piste around each, 80.9 kilometres at Livigno and 73.7 at Obertauern. Our matching engine puts Livigno closer to Obertauern than any other resort we cover.
Above the villages they part company. Livigno's skiing keeps climbing to 2,767 metres by our measure, and Obertauern's stops at 2,304. Livigno is the steeper mountain, lively by our read, with duty free on its list. Obertauern is gentler, a little smaller, and skis as a loop you can ski in and out of. So the question is whether a high village is enough, or whether you want the skiing high as well, and how much gentle ground your group needs.
The numbers, side by side
| Figure | Livigno | Obertauern |
|---|---|---|
| Village altitude | 1,816 m | 1,740 m |
| Top of the skiing, measured | 2,767 m | 2,304 m |
| Ski area | 115 km, in two sectors with no lift between them | Not yet classified in our data |
| Piste we measure around the village | 80.9 km | 73.7 km |
| Blue and easier | 24.6 km, 30% of the piste | 40.9 km, 55% of the piste |
| Black | 8.9 km | 4 km |
| Piste steeper than one in four | 40% | 29% |
| Piste gentler than 15% | 25% | 36% |
| Piste at or above 1,800 m | 100% | 61% |
| Season | Late November to May | Late November to May |
| Nearest airport | Bergamo or Innsbruck | Salzburg |
Neither has marked off piste itinerary in our data, so that row is gone. Livigno takes the height, the steep and the black. Obertauern takes the easy rows, and the shorter trip from the airport.
Altitude: level at the door, 463 metres apart at the top
The villages are close, but the mountains above them are not. Livigno's skiing reaches 2,767 metres by our measure, 463 metres higher than Obertauern's 2,304. All of the piste we measure at Livigno is at or above 1,800 metres, the joint highest share of the 55 resorts we cover, and 79 percent is above 2,000. At Obertauern, 61 percent is above 1,800 and 15 percent above 2,000. Half of Livigno's piste lies above 2,352 metres; half of Obertauern's lies below 1,835, which puts the middle of Livigno's skiing 517 metres higher.
Our snow sure test asks for more than half the piste at or above 1,800 metres and skiing that reaches 2,500. Livigno passes both halves: 100 percent of the piste we measure is above 1,800 metres, up to 2,767. Obertauern passes the first and misses the second, so on our measure it is not snow sure, high village or not. That is not the same as low. Every piste we measure there is above 1,500 metres, and the lowest is at 1,625. Nobody can promise snow anywhere, but early and late in the season, Livigno has far more of its skiing well up the hill.
Size: close on the piste, different in shape
We measure 80.9 kilometres of piste around Livigno and 73.7 around Obertauern, the least of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover, so Livigno has 7 more. The piste at Livigno spans 954 metres of vertical by our measure, and Obertauern's 679.
The shape matters more than the size. Livigno's 115 kilometre area comes in two sectors facing each other across the valley, with no lift between them. Obertauern's skiing is a circuit, a neat loop, and ski in and ski out is one of the things it does best. We have not classified its total area yet, so we go by the piste we measure.
The skiing: Livigno has the bigger steep share, Obertauern the gentler blues
Italian and Austrian grades do not line up, so compare the measured shares. Forty percent of Livigno's piste is steeper than one in four, the fifth biggest share of the 55 resorts we cover, against 29 percent at Obertauern. Only 25 percent of Livigno's is gentler than 15 percent, against 36 at Obertauern, the second largest share of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover.
25 km blue and easier 30%48 km red 59%9 km black 11%
41 km blue and easier 56%29 km red 39%4 km black 5%
The easy end is where they differ most. Obertauern has 40.9 kilometres of blue and easier, 55 percent of its piste, and its blues average 14.5 percent, kinder than a typical Austrian blue at 16.4. Livigno has 24.6 kilometres, 30 percent, and its blues average 17.8. These are average gradients per run segment, and a run's grade is set by its steepest pitch, so read them as how the week feels rather than a verdict on any one run.
Livigno is a red mountain: 59 percent of what we measure is red, 47.5 kilometres against 28.9 at Obertauern. It has more black too, 8.9 kilometres against 4, averaging 33.2 percent. Obertauern's reds are the steeper of the two: they average 25.3 percent, the third steepest of the 13 Austrian resorts we cover, against 23.1 at Livigno.
Who each one actually suits
Livigno suits a confident group that wants to wake up high and ski high. It is high and lively by our read, with duty free and value on its list. It suits people who are happy on reds from the first day and want plenty of them, and anyone booking early or late in the season who wants all of the skiing above 1,800 metres. It is less kind to a nervous skier, whose blues will be among the steepest of the 55 resorts we cover. The airports are Bergamo or Innsbruck, and it is the longer trip.
Obertauern suits a mixed group that wants a high village and a compact loop it can ski from the door. The gentle share and the kind blues make it the easier place to improve, and a strong skier gets a handful of very steep blacks for a test. Salzburg is the airport, and the trip is shorter.
The bit nobody tells you
Each one's surprise is at the opposite end from where you would look. Our one line on Livigno is about height, duty free and value, and you might expect its easy runs to be easy. Its blues average 17.8 percent, the joint fourth steepest of the 55 resorts we cover, against a typical Austrian blue at 16.4 and an Italian one at 14.4.
Obertauern looks like the gentle one, and mostly is. But its blacks average 37.8 percent, the steepest of the 55 resorts we cover, against an Austrian average of 30.3. There are only 4 kilometres of them, the third least of the 55 resorts we cover, so a strong skier will find the test quickly and run out of it just as quickly. Plan for that before you book, not on the Wednesday.
So, which one
you want the skiing high as well as the village, snow sure on our measure, plenty of red and more black, a lively feel and duty free, and everyone in the group is past the nervous stage.
your group includes improvers or nervous skiers who need gentle blues, you like a compact loop you can ski in and out of, and a shorter trip from Salzburg matters more than height at the top.
A high village is what brought you to both, and Livigno keeps the height going above it: all of its piste above 1,800 metres, up to 2,767, against 61 percent and 2,304 at Obertauern. Obertauern is the right answer when the least confident skier in the group is the one choosing.