Posted by 6th Day in the Alps…
Hochgurgl is one of the two villages that make up the Obergurgl-Hochgurgl ski resort. It is only a few minutes away from Obergurgl where we based ourselves during our visit to the Austrian Alps.
Hochgurgl sits at an elevation of 2150m and its slopes are up to an altitude of 3080m above sea level (that’s one of the highest in the region!). Apart from skiing, it is also known for Top Mountain Star, a futuristic-looking restaurant on one of its peaks at 3030m.
But we visited Hochgurl twice, not for the slopes or its famed apre-ski but for the promise of a thrilling toboggan run. We’ve done it one summer in Switzerland but this was going to be our first on the snow.
Hochgurgl has a 3-km-long natural toboggan run that starts from the top of Hochgurgl Bahn lift I all the way down to the base of the mountain.
The first time we did it was in the evening. The run seemed endless but it was the coolest thing ever. There were frequent unexpected turns, some of which I found unnerving but most were ‘totally cool’ according to our kids. We initially planned on visiting either Solden or the Aqua Dome the following day, but we unanimously agreed to just head back to Hochgurgl and do tobogganing again.
Tobogganing is not without risks but it was one of the most exhilarating things that we’ve ever done in the snow. My hubby and I allowed our kids to do it a couple of times without us. Quite daring (for me and my hubby to agree to this) but it was all worth it after seeing the proud, brave smiles of our kids as they reached the base.
Here’s a video of our toboggan run. Sit tight guys, you’re in for a thrilling ride!
At the end of our toboggan runs on both days, we stopped by Downhill Grill for food. It was conveniently located at the foot of the run. They have good food I must say, we had steak and burgers and I especially loved their apple strudel.
Here are other blogs on our Bavaria and Austrian holiday:
- Munich: Start of our family’s tales from last winter
- Munich: Viktualienmarkt Biergarten
- Munich: BMW Museum and BMW Welt
- Munich: Theatine Church and Odeonplatz
- Munich: Christmas Markets
- Munich: Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall
- Munich: City Aparthotel München
- Salzburg: Birthplace of Mozart and Silent Night
- Salzburg: Hohensalzburg Fortress
- Salzburg: Residenzplatz Christmas Market
- Salzburg: Salzburg Cathedral
- Salzburg: Silent Night 200 at Salzburg Museum
- Salzburg: Silent Night Tour by Bob’s Special Tour
- Salzburg: Silent Night at Oberndorf and Laufen
- Salzkammergut: Road Trip to Hallstatt
- Salzkammergut: Christmas Market at St Wolfgang
- Salzburg: Krampus Run at Hellbrunn Palace
- Salzburg: Imlauer Hotel Pitter Salzburg
- Obergurgl: A Week in the Austrian Alps
- Obergurgl: Chalet Obergurgl Luxury Apartments
- Obergurgl: Hohe Mut Alm Mountain Restaurant
- Obergurgl: Snowstorm on Christmas Eve
- Obergurgl: Day After the Storm
- Obergurgl: Snowshoeing
- Hochgurgl: Tobogganing
- Hochgurgl: Hochgurgl Cable Car Ride
- Vienna: First Impressions
- Vienna: Hofburgkapelle and Imperial Armoury
- Vienna: Schönbrunn Palace
- Vienna: Imperial Treasury and Hofburg
- Vienna: Prater
- Vienna: New Year’s Eve Fireworks and Waltz
- Vienna: Hilton Vienna Plaza
- Stuttgart: The Mercedes-Benz Museum
- Stuttgart: The Porsche Museum
We Travel Happy 
The rush of the chilling, fresh air …ah I can almost feel it though I have never tobbogan-ed. Looks very tempting. And as usual, fantastic photos. I can feel the glee radiating from them. xx
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Oh you’d love the winter toboggan, A. I could picture you and Adi racing! My pants broke during the night tobogganing though, right where it shouldn’t hahah
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Ahahaha. Then this holiday is memorable in more ways than one. 😀
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Hi. I hope you got to the Top Mountain Star and Wurmkogel summit whilst in the vicinity of Hochgurgl, a part of the Otztal that is otherwise completely closed during the summer season. It was in effect purpose-built for the ski season, with the snow conditions considered to be an untapped improvement on what can be found above Obergurgl. The Top Express lift is spectacular but once again, only open during the winter. Regards.
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Hi there Charlie, that was the plan on day two at Hochgurgl but we only managed to ride up to the 2nd cable of Hochgurglbahn. The 3rd lift that would take us to Top Mountain Star was very difficult to access. The snow was too deep we couldn’t reach the lift station. We gave up after getting stuck and when we saw that the snow was up to my younger son’s waist.
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Hi. I recall walking down from the Top Mountain Star, in the summer of course, instead of taking the chairlift back to the gondola station. A steep path but a pleasant walk, albeit littered with large rocks that had fallen from higher elevations which explained the “danger of death” signposts, suggesting the chairlift might be the safer option!
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Oh wow yes it looked really steep. If we had snowboard or skis it would have been possible to move from the 2nd gondola station to the 3rd chairlift. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Charlie. 🙂
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Never been tobogganing. It looks so much fun! I love the “how do you turn? How do you stop?” wondering AFTER setting off 😂! If I don’t comment again before hand, I hope you and your family have a lovely Christmas 😊
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Hahaha i also laugh whenever I watch that video. Thank you and merry Christmas as well to you and your family. 🙂
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