Yes, I know it’s flat as a board here, and no, I’m not crazy.

Even in the Harz and Erzgebirge mountains, the winter has gotten off to an early, snowy start, and while this week has warmed up, another round of snow is predicted for next week. So this begs the question: how can I ski for a day or weekend without having to fly to the Alps?

There are a few options.

Day tips relying on trains and busses:
The Schöneswochenende Ticket gets up to six people unlimited travel on regional trains for €33 for a day. An 8:00 departure on Sunday got us to Schieke in Harz, at the foot of the Brocken mountain (northern Germany’s highest) at around noon. There’s a great cross country network there, and decent downhill skiing in the next village over, Braunlage. A 6:00 departure would likewise get you there around 10:00. I think there is a 7:00 departure as well, but don’t quote me on that.

Or you can head to Altenberg on the Czech border. Better cross-country, in my opinion, but the downhill consists of a single t-bar (although with a half day ticket costing €7.50, what the hell). The train connections are little more severe, though, requiring a slightly earlier departure.

These travel times can be cut by taking IC/EC/ICE trains, but the Schöneswochenende Ticket is no good and it gets expensive.

Weekend trips relying on trains and busses:
Pretty much the two mentioned above, although with a caveat. If you are looking for a late evening Friday departure (say 6:00 or later), you may need to stay Friday night in Wernigerode or Dresden, respectively. It’s a fairly easy trip in the morning from either of those two locations up the mountain, though, especially in the case of Wernigerode. Another option is Goslar in central Harz, which has good train connections later on Friday.

The trouble is that you cannot use the Schöneswochenende Ticket on Friday, so the train can end up costing you more. Advanced booking can mitigate this somewhat, though.

Car:
Obviously, if someone has a car the above options are possible but with shorter travel times. Additionally, Oberwiesenthal becomes a possibility. It’s actually Germany’s highest village and is reputed to have the best downhill skiing in northern Germany as well as good cross country. I don’t have a car, but if somebody does that person is a hero.

Ski Rental:
You can obviously rent on site. Alternatively, there is a very good ski shop in Kreuzberg between Schlessisches Tor and Treptower Park that also rents equipment: http://www.bergruft.de/

So that’s it. Who wants to hit the slope (especially those with a car)? Consider this a standing invite, as I’m always potentially up for it. We hit up Schierke on Sunday, and it was a nice start to the season. And to be honest, the long train journey wasn’t really that bad. A few pics from the day are here: http://www.flickr.com/gp/48566742@N00/589i9y

Great post!

Two points of detail

It's only valid for up to 5 people. Also, €33 is if you buy it at a ticket machine; €35 over-the-counter.


On weekdays there's the "Brandenburg Ticket" (€26 / €28), which is similar to the SWT, but only valid after 9am and only for Brandenburg (and usually over the Brandenburg border to the next major-ish station): http://www.s-bahn-berlin.de/aboundtickets/...nburgticket.htm

You can also get similar tickets for other Bundesländer and combine them.

And for those who don't need real snow and want to stay in Berlin you could go to "Der Gletscher"

Thanks for clarifying those points Koffer. With multiple people, stringing together a Brandenburg ticket with a Saschen or Saschen-Anhalt ticket wouldn't be too pricey.

MichiS, I think I'll give Der Gletscher a miss.

You're keen, I'll give you that.. would almost be easier just to arrange to move to Munich

Believe me I've given the idea some thought. My better half is somewhat less enthused, however. Berliners seem to hold Bayern in fairly low regard.

I grew up near the mountains, and winter in Berlin therefore gets pretty depressing. As you can see, desperate situations call for desperate measures.

The Berliner's are just jealous..

I second the moving to Munich... Berlin is way too flat.

Thanks for the "local" ski details I will have to check that out. Do you know of any really good skiing in Czech or maybe Poland? I'm think it's almost as easy to fly to the Alps but it's something I've always wanted to try but I don't really know where to go...

I’ve thought about the Czech Republic and Polish options, but to be honest it seems easier and possibly even cheaper to get a cheap Air Berlin flight to Munich; TuiFly flight to Salzburg or Innsbruck; EasyJet flight to Geneva; or Air Berlin, Swiss or Lufthansa flight to Zurich.

In Poland, you’ve got Zakopane, which I’d love to visit, but that means getting to Krakow and then getting to the mountain. Spindler Müle (or however that’s spelled) seems to be the biggest in the Czech Republic, but also not exactly straightforward to get to. It just seems like a lot of effort to go to for skiing that is probably not massively better than what you get in Harz or the Erzgebirge. And local options I mentioned are at least doable as day trips.

We’ve booked flights this winter for Geneva (ca. €50), Munich (€57) and Zurich (€89). I don’t really see how you get to Poland or the Czech Republic cheaper than that, and you certainly don’t do it as quickly.

Having said that, I’d like to go there for cultural reasons, especially Zakopane. But from a skiing perspective it doesn’t seem to make much sense.

EDIT: Having said that, there are small areas just over the border in the Czech Repubic from Altenberg and Oberwiesnthal. I read somewhere there was even talk of creating a linked ski area in Oberwiesenthal. That seems rather unlikely, but with the Czech Republic joining the Schengen Agreement it at least becomes theoretically possible.