Down from approximately the middle, Germany is a pretty hügeliges (hilly) country. There are some Mittelgebirge (low mountain ranges) and close to the southern boarder, Germany joins the European alps. The Zugspitze (2.962 m) is the highest mountain of Germany. Though in Austria, Switzerland and France the Alps are even higher (up to almost 5.000 m), the heights of Germany are pretty impressive compared to Nachbarländer (neighboring countries) like the Netherlands, Belgium or Denmark. I know, I know: For most of you this might sound ridiculous because almost every Kontinent (continent) has higher altitudes to offer.

But anyway: There´s enough space to go skiing!

Skifahren (skiing) as well as snowboarding has become a very popular sport in Germany in the last Jahrzehnten (decades). And at the same time the Skigebiete (skiing regions) expanded as well. Even the lower mountain ranges have a lot of small lifts and pistes to offer although they often have bad luck with the Schneeverhältnisse (snow conditions). You can find the bigger and more snowy ones down south. In the west, there are some nice places in the Schwarzwald (Black Forest). The most famous one there is called Feldberg. It´s named after the highest mountain of the Schwarzwald which is quite close to the skiing region.

If you go east from there, you´ll find yourself in a region that is called Allgäu. This a beautiful hilly and mountainous are with a lot of cows, farms and picturesque landscapes. When you go deep into the Allgäu you will reach a “blind alley” that ends in the village of Oberstdorf. There you have two nice skiing regions called Nebelhorn and Fellhorn.

Even more east there is a village called Garmisch-Partenkirchen. There you can find the skiing region that reaches up the Zugspitze. One lift goes up almost to the Gipfel (summit). But there are no pistes to ski. I´ve never been there personally, but I guess you have a beautiful view up there.

So if you come to Germany in winter, why not spending a day in the snow? Borrowing skis and other equipment is no problem. At least in the bigger skiing regions.

If you want to go skiing for a longer time, for example a week, it might be better to go to bigger areas in Austria, Switzerland, France or Italy. There are just more possibilities to keep things abwechslungsreich (varied).

Another hint: If you have the possibility to choose, don´t go during the school holidays or on weekends, because then the skiing regions are way more crowded and more expensive as well.

Here´s an overview of German skiing regions. Click on them to learn more:
http://www.skigebiete-test.de/skigebiete/fullscreen/deutschland

Vocabulary:
Hügelig – hilly
Das Mittelgebirge – lower mountain range
Das Nachbarland – neighboring country
Der Kontinent – continent
Skifahren – skiing
Das Jahzehnt – decade
Das Skigebiet – skiing region
Die Schneeverhältnisse – snow conditions
Der Schwarzwald – Black Forest
Der Gipfel – summit
Abwechslungsreich – varied