Oberstdorf ski resort is conveniently located between Münich, Stuttgart and Lake Constance and rivals Garmisch-Partenkirchen as the top ski resort in Germany. Oberstdorf encompasses the ski areas of Söllereck, Nebelhorn and Fellhorn/ Kanzelwand, the latter being the principal ski area, with good beginner and intermediate runs. Like Garmisch, Oberstdorf is a cosmopolitan ski resort with attractions outside the sport of Alpine skiing.
Oberstdorf town (815m) is compact and convenient, with much of the centre being semi-pedestrianised. Oberstdorf has a lot to offer - from the picturesque village scene with its close-knit timber houses, cattle sheds and multicoloured rustic gardens, to the well-kept health-resort garden. Oberstdorf also boasts a variety of shops in the centre, and a museum.
Oberstdorf offers a full range of accommodation options, with 18,000 guest beds available in over 300 hotels, lodges, pensions and apartments. Après-ski and night time entertainment is more laid-back than in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, with afternoon-tea dancing, folklore evenings, theatre performances, and cosy wine bars all popular. Oberstdorf also has a good complement of bars and discos.
There are 38 pisted runs at Oberstdorf ski resort, mainly suited to intermediate skiers, but with some quality beginner and expert slopes also. There are 44kms of slopes with a longest run of 7.5kms. Twenty-six ski lifts, including two gondolas, five cable-cars, eight chairlifts, and 11 T-bars, have a capacity for 31,000 skiers per hour.
For some alternative skiing, those with cars may be tempted to seek out some of the other smaller skiing areas further along the valley. Another worthwhile excursion is to the gorges of the Breitachklamm, some six kilometres southwest of Oberstdorf; these are best seen in late winter when draped with ice.
The ski season runs from December to April; the low season is in the last three weeks of January. The most common and practical way to get to Oberstdorf ski resort is to fly to Münich and hire a car; transfer by train involves three connections.
