German Ski Areas Report Positive Interim Results

The German Cable Car Association (VDS) has drawn a positive interim conclusion for the current winter season: The early start in November and the bitter cold from the end of December onwards, accompanied by mostly sunny weather, provided excellent conditions. The cold spell offered ideal conditions for artificial snowmaking, and ski resorts with good snowmaking infrastructure are recording increases or are at the very good level of the previous year. Purely natural snow resorts are currently benefiting from the snow conditions and are following suit.

Particularly pleasing is the high demand for ski courses, primarily among young people, and the large number of sunbathers who, in addition to winter sports enthusiasts, are drawn to the mountains by the fantastic winter weather.

The winter season was opened by the Söllereck, a family-friendly mountain in Oberstdorf, with the six neighboring ski resorts in the Allgäu region following suit. The area is delighted with the excellent slope conditions, satisfied guests, and ideal winter sports weather.

The Zugspitze opened with a 60 cm layer of natural snow on the slopes: In the Garmisch-Classic area, the winter season began with perfect weather and the opening of the renovated Kreuzwankl, which has been expanded to include an 8-seater chairlift. Thanks to the good weather, the Zugspitze repeatedly reached its daily peak of 4,500 visitors between Christmas and New Year's. The Garmisch-Classic area even recorded 9,000 guests during this period.

The Großer Arber ski resort in the Bavarian Forest also kicked off its winter season in November. Initially, the Sonnenhangbahn lift and two slopes were open. In the following days, further lifts and runs were gradually opened, allowing for a continuous expansion of the offerings. Thanks to natural snow and the persistently cold temperatures, conditions were optimal for snowmaking and ideal for winter sports.

In the Black Forest, the Herzogenhorn cable car, the Feldberg cable car, the conveyor belts at Seebuck, both Grafenmatt lifts, and the Zeiger cable car are currently in operation. Snow conditions are generally good here as well, with a combination of natural and artificial snow.

The Sauerland winter sports arena is enjoying ideal conditions: up to 80 ski and toboggan lifts and around 300 km of cross-country ski trails are available to guests. With snowfall reaching even the valley floors and persistent frost, the snow conditions are optimal and stable, the likes of which haven't been seen for years. Visitor numbers increased significantly towards the end of the year and remain at a high level.

Fresh snow and good weather also led to high activity in the Alpen Plus areas Brauneck-Wegscheid, Spitzingsee-Tegernsee, Sudelfeld and Wallberg during the Christmas holidays.

“We are delighted by the continued demand for winter sports in our local mountains and by the consistently positive mood among our guests, and we look optimistically towards the coming weeks, which we hope will be rich in snow,” said Birgit Priesnitz, Managing Director of the Association of German Cable Cars (VDS).