When winter falls and easy beach trips are off the cards, where better to go than up the slopes? Fantastic skiing can be found all around the world; from the French Alps to the Scottish highlands, some stunning scenery can provide perfect piste conditions for a week of snow sports.
This post will focus exclusively on the Bavarian Alps, where I have been skiing several times over the past few years. Unfortunately work commitments have meant that I’ve been unable to get a week in this year, however I hope to be able to get away for at least a long weekend in Scotland.
Bolsterlang
Intermediate
Bolsterlang is a great resort with several long red runs and a couple of steep blacks. There is one long chair lift to the top of the resort and several T-bars at various locations around the resort. At 1665m, the resort sits fairly high and the snow levels were fairly decent. The long runs lead to respectable speeds, clocking up to 42.8mph over a total distance of 14.5 miles, for me a good day of skiing!
Parking is bountiful in the little village at the foot of the lifts, however can fill up pretty quickly in the late morning. Lift passes are €39 for adults and €18 for children each day and the lifts run until 16:00. A good introduction to skiing and some good slopes for the novice/intermediate to develop some more confidence.
Steibis
Beginner/Intermediate
Unfortunately here I was unable to really experience a variety of skiing, as when I visited I was in a group working on technique. Due to a lack of snowfall on this day, we chose Steibis due to peaking at only 1,338m, it wasn’t as affected by the weather as other local resorts, which is definitely a bonus. The runs at Steibis aren’t as varied as Bolsterlang, with only several steep reds and many greens, but it can still give enough variety for intermediate skiers. That said, over the 10.4 miles skied, 45mph was hit.
Passes here cost €37 for adults and €19 for children, running until 16:30. A majority of the site is more technically difficult, hence us using it to work on technique. Most lifts are T-bars that go up the steep runs and there are predominantly 2 sides to the ridge to go down.
Baad
Intermediate
The Bavarian Alps cover both Germany and Austria. Heading over to the second country can bring you to the resort of Baad. Despite the name, this resort was one of my favourites in the area. This large resort spreads over quite a distance, with the need to lift up and ski across to several lifts, to actually reach the summit. There was a great variety of runs at Baad, with blacks and technical reds to cater for the more advanced, to long blues and some greens for the beginner. Due to time constraints, however, we only managed to get 12 miles of skiing in. This was likely due to the time spent having to take lifts up/across the resort. A great resort if you have a lot of time or multiple days, however in a single day it’s difficult to get a lot of actual skiing done.
Oberstdorf
Intermediate/Advanced
This resort lies on the German/Austrian border and offers the opportunity to ski in both countries. The resort is predominantly red runs, with a few blues to cater for the less technical skiers. We first went to Fellhorn where we managed to get in a lot of skiing; over 16.7 miles I managed to get up to 47.2mph, whilst still maintaining control. This resort leads itself to greater speeds over the steep, yet long red runs.
Nebelhorn is another of the sites within Oberstodrf, located just over the ridge from Fellhorn. Here led to fantastic views from the very top, which required 3 cable cars to reach the 2,224m summit from the car park! The only way to reach the foot of the resort was, if you don’t cheat and take the cable car down, via a very steep black. With the weather conditions unsettled, we had to ski through thick, low cloud to reach the foot of the resort. This led to, towards the end of the day, me chipping my tooth by coming off at just over 30mph down the black and my ski catching my mouth as it came off; so take care! That said, the resort leads to being able to accumulate some fast speeds (I recorded 57.5mph), along a sweeping red to the car park.
Oberjoch
Beginner/Intermediate
This was the first resort I ever skied at and I can certainly recommend it for a beginner. It can get very busy, especially during holiday periods, however it has many red runs and a few slopes for the novice skier.
Après-Ski
When people head out skiing, especially the younger cohort (myself included) we want more than just the day on the slopes. Personally, I’m not one for mixing a skiing week with a party week, however some people prefer combining the two. Bavaria has plenty for the travelling Brit (or anyone for that matter) to get involved with whilst visiting the area.
Drinking
It’s Germany, what would you expect? Compared to the price of pints in any town or city in the UK, Bavaria is very cheap. On my visits, I was fortunate to be staying in places heavily subsidised by the military, where drinks were a Euro each. That being said, venturing out to little local pubs in the evening proved that prices weren’t actually far from this! We found it best to explore any local pubs in the area instead of trying to find any big ‘clubs’, as these had the most authentic experience.
Air Rifle Shooting and Bavarian Leg Wrestling
This one was a real gem to stumble across, and yes you heard it right. The Untergassen Rifle Club in Salzburg hosted us for a fantastic evening. Located in the foothills of the mountains, and difficult to navigate in the dark, the rifle club has a very Bavarian feel to it. There is some well-priced local beer on offer, as well as basic food (from what I remember you could pretty much only order fries) which can be enjoyed whilst competing in the Bavarian sport of leg wrestling! Between rounds, you can have a go at air rifle shooting and attempt to join the names on the hall of fame! A quaint little discovery and definitely an après-ski activity to recommend.
Swimming
Don’t worry, I’m not talking lengths at a swimming pool! The Wonnemar water park in Sonthofen is a great way to unwind in an evening with a host of facilities. There’s a sauna area and spa, as well as a host of water slides and pools. Although ideal for families, couples can also enjoy the indoor and outdoor pools; there’s something quite therapeutic about relaxing in a bubbling hot tub area, surrounded by snow looking up at the pitch black sky and seeing the backdrop of snow-covered mountains. There are a host of ticket options, which provide access to some or all of the facilities. We only stayed for the water park, where a 4 hour adult pass is €13.90. A complete day pass for an adult, with access to everything, only costs €27.90, which if you have time to spend there is good value for money.
I’ve been absolutely gutted to not get a chance to go skiing this season. Due to work commitments, 2019 is going to have to be a year of putting money aside to kit myself out instead of actually skiing. That said, I will hopefully get another post published on some of the places I’ve managed to be able to ski at in the next few years. That’s skiing for now, but standby for some more in depth reviews in the winters to come.