Skiing in Germany- Oberstdorf, more than skiing, it’s the ski-jumping

26.03.2019.

South Germany is very sweet as it’s wonder of nature with plenty of places to explore. There are many, many lakes surrounded by the mountains in region Allgäu, it’s such a treasure. Though Garmish Partenkirchen deserves attention with its decorated streets, it’s still quite away from Oberstdorf.

This area is rich with castles and among them the most famous one is Neuschwanstein castle. This little town Oberstdorf near austrian border surprised me quite a lot as it’s full of content and various shops. It’s well known by five ski jumps but not just that.

If you’re in south Germany, don’t hesitate to visit Stuttgart and its awesome parks.

See also: The fairy-tale towns in Germany

The Old town of Oberstdorf

The centre of Oberstdorf will simply delight you with the charm of painted architecture. The colourful caffe shops are so inviting, among which are the Irish pub, Indian restaurant and more. The stage in the park brings seasonal musical events.

The best way to reach Oberstdorf is by train or Flixbus, though everything was covered with snow during my stay.

The five jumps of Oberstdorf

Surprising fact can be noticed in the meadows full of skiers instead of hills. The five ski jumps are near the city centre, little above the town. It’s such a thrill to see the ski jumps, while the cable car connects the city to the highest peak Nebelhorn.

Audi Arena on the mountain Schanttenberg is the official name of the five ski jumps. One more ski jump ie. Heini-Klopfer ski jump can be found above the lake Freibergsee which is located about one hour from the town. At the altitude of 930 m, surrounded by forrest and nearby restaurants, lake is the treasure of this area. Who knows, maybe you could even jump from the ski jump into the lake, but the enchanting views winn the game.

Breitachklamm- fascinating canyon close to Oberstdorf

Breitachklamm is the canyon made by the river Breitach. Canyons are such marvelous places, I’m becoming obsessed. In the summer the colours rule, while in the winter the ice is making the hanging shapes such as stalactites.

Breitachklamm takes place near Tiefenbach as a very touristic place. It’s popular as one of the deepest gorges in the Central Europe. Entrance fee is 4,50 euros and the parking would cost 3 euro if you’re coming by car. Walking through the forrest, bridges and power of nature is amazing by itself, and especially with this play of water and heights.

Hiking and mountains

Over 400 hiking trails with 200 km around Oberstdorf offer the pure heaven and the highest mountains are Nebelhorn, Fellhorn and Söllereck. All are connected with cable cars to their highest peaks. The largest and most comfortable for skiing is Fellhorn mountain. The widest views spreading to other 400 peaks burst at the highest mountain Nebelhorn.

Four stations cover the cable-car to the top of Nebelhorn, inspiring you to enjoy the mountain at various levels. In the winter though the hike is not possible to the top because of snow, but cable-car goes smoothly. The way to the peak is very steep and once there, its 2245m offer 7.5 km of the descent.

The botanical treasure of Oberstdorf and its mountains

Many plants and wild life found their home here like: alpen rose (which belongs to the family of rhododendrons and is exclusively an alpine plant), edelweiss (the flower of starry shape which belongs to the family of daisy or sunflowers, it’s an usual mountain flower of higher altitudes), alpine aster (which is decorative alpine plant, usually violet), lady slipper orchid (from the family of Cypripedioideae) gentian (flower of mostly blue colour with more than 400 species and curative value, which got the name by the illyric king- it’s interesting that healthy food shop in Zagreb has the german name of this flower).

Events in Oberstdorf

Eiszeit in February will show some creative ice-sculptures.

The mountaineering courses are very active and there’s even organised trip every Wednesday to the nearby wild park with the chance to observe wild animals.

The most important sport event in Oberstdorf takes place at the beginning of January at the Fis Tour de Ski around five ski jumps in Audi arena.

Final thoughts

Oberstdorf will seduce all your senses and if you want some new checked skiing adventures, go there. Famous by its ski jumps Oberstdorf hides its identity. It’s time that you discover Oberstdorf and the Allgäu region, one of the most beautiful regions in Germany. Besides, it’s so adventurous being at the most south of one country.