A hard day’s skiing

“I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. Help! You know I need someone. Help!” Hurtling down the slopes of Obertauern on a ski bike, it was somewhat inevitable that this song came to mind – particularly when I got stuck in a snow drift.

For Obertauern in the Salzburger Land region of Austria is where the Beatles filmed parts of their, somewhat surreal, comedy musical Help! in March 1965. Six decades on, the town is rightly proud of its link to music megastardom – although the Fab Four hadn’t quite hit their future heights of fame when they filmed here.

Even without its pop music past, Obertauern is a great place to ski as it is basically one big "snow bowl” surrounded by mountains, meaning you’re never far from the slopes. Plus, being at an altitude of 1,740 metres (5,700ft), it is also the region’s highest winter sports resort and therefore confident in guaranteeing snow from November through to May.

I first came here as a 10 or 11-year-old on a school ski trip. I remember that being a lot of fun, and while I don’t recall the Beatles' link being quite as celebrated in the early 1990s, you certainly can’t miss it now.

A massive metal sculpture of the Fab Four dressed in black capes as they were pictured on the Help! film poster is perched on the apex of one of the lower pistes – making it an obvious and popular meeting, and posing, point.

Obertauern’s ski area comprises 26 ski lifts and cable cars and more than 100 km of pistes catering to all abilities, with loads of open space for freeriders – although snowboarders should be aware that there isn’t a snow park.

And it was as good as I remembered some 30 years on from my last visit. My husband and I were rewarded with some glorious sunshine and mountain views; well-groomed and wide runs; and some of the finest alpine hut cuisine that I’ve come across in the Austrian Alps.

However, it’s worth noting that while most of the pistes are easy blues or medium reds, with some blacks, only the most advanced skiers are advised to even consider the Gamsleiten 2 – with a 45º gradient making it one of Europe’s steepest ski slopes.

Perhaps fortunately for (adult) me, it was closed due to poor visibility on the day I was supposed to go – I’m not sure I have the bravado I had as a kid.

Obertauern is divided into three main areas – Grünwaldkopf, Zehnerkar and the lower Gnadenalm – and you can either choose to focus on one for the morning or afternoon, or satisfy your ski legs by doing the loop around the “snow bowl”.

Any fan of the Fab Four has to be sure to seek out the replica silver piano at the top of the Grünwaldkopfbahn, where you can pretend to tinkle the ivories in the snow – just as they did in their video for Ticket To Ride.

Then there’s the Beatles Bar at Das Seekarhaus, a luxury hotel by the Schönalmbahn that is best reached on skis. What does it have to do with the lads from Liverpool? The hotel was set up by George Harrison’s stunt double Gerhard Krings and his brothers – and there are plenty of photos documenting the role Obertauern played in what became Beatlesmania.

But for the best Beatles piste–based experience – and if you don’t do it here, where on Earth will you? – you need to come off skis altogether and get on a ski bike.

For those less familiar with the film, one of the most famous scenes in Help! features the Fab Four pegging it down the piste on these curious contraptions which look like a bicycle frame with two skis instead of wheels.

As someone who was lucky enough to be put on skis at a young age, I thought ski biking may come easily. Rather amusingly, it did not; my other half found it far easier than me while I kept getting stuck, perhaps because he, having first got on skis later in life, found it more intuitive – or less counterintuitive – than I did.

That said, it was a lot of fun – once I got out of the snow drift I’d inadvertently turned into – and Obertauern is the perfect place to learn the art. After all, Skischule Koch’s instructors include Hermann Koch, who has broken numerous world records in the sport. I can’t see myself breaking records any time soon, but I’d definitely give it another go.

A hard day’s skiing definitely warrants a Hard Day’s Night (sorry) and there’s plenty else to do in Obertauern when the pistes shut.

Keeping up with the Beatles theme, you can seek out the somewhat questionable statues of the Fab Four outside the Sporthotel Edelweiss, where avid fans can book to stay in the same four rooms inhabited by the Beatles back in 1965 – although the hotel has undergone several refurbishments since.

Then at the other end of Obertauern is the Places Hotel, then the Hotel Marietta, where John Lennon and Paul McCartney joined an impromptu jam session with Berlin-based band Jacky and the Strangers at a party for a member of the crew, who were staying there.

You can also go on a horse-sleigh ride or try your hand at night tobogganing at the Gnadenalm or sing your heart out at legendary apres-ski bar the Lürzer Alm – although the latter is not for the faint-hearted. Turns out my ability on the toboggan was as good as it was on the ski bike – and I, once again, ended up in a snow drift.

With its wide and beautifully groomed pistes, close proximity to Salzburg airport – a transfer takes just over an hour by road, and easy access to the slopes, I will definitely be returning to Obertauern sooner rather than later. That said, I may stick to skiing next time.

Natalie Marchant was hosted by Salzburger Land and the Obertauern Tourist Office

FACTBOX:

Hotel Alpina, Obertauern. Doubles from €199 (£99) per night based on two people sharing.

Gnadenalm (no longer all-inclusive packages so meals paid as taken) www.gnadenalm.com

● Taxi = €24 / £21 (for 1-8 pax in total)

● Horse-sleigh ride x 1 hour = €90 / £76 for 4 pax; €18 pp / £16 for additional pax (includes schnaps) Tobogganing = €9 pp / £8 (walk up or a Ski-Doo-shuttle = €8 pp / £7)

Ski Bikes - Skischule Koch www.skikoch.at

● Half day hire = €35 / £30; full day = €54 / £46

● Trial course (morning lesson): for 2-5 pax = €109 / £92 (in total)

● Guided tour: for 4-6 pax = €369 / £309 (in total)

Beatles in Obertauern

A series of events commemorating the 60th anniversary of filming will be held in March 2025. www.obertauern.com/en/region/a-tribute-to-the-beatles