Feb 2023 – If you find yourself poking around my blog here every once in a while, you may have noticed that during Germany’s first (or twentieth) COVID-19 lockdown, I took extreme measures to ride the slopes and walked from Oberstdorf to the Nebelhorn, hungover no less!
Finally, a few years later, I had the chance to take my little lady (let’s be honest Daughter) to the Nebelhorn during a normal winter. For those of you who would want to consider ski school for the area, hear me out over the next few paragraphs since I did not put her into ski school for this day trip.
Oberstdorf is wonderfully situated less than a 3 hour drive from the heart of Stuttgart and is situated in its own little corner of the Bavarian Alps called the Allgäu with Austria just a stone’s throw away. It provides great snow alternatives from the stereotypical visit to the Garmisch-Classic or Zugspitze much like the amazing Chiemgauer mountain town Reit im Winkl.
On this day, we arrived at about 9:00 due to a traffic snag or two on a Saturday and…amazingly I found a parking spot (amongst many) directly next to the Adler7 Oberstdorf Seilbahn. Even during peak entry time on a Saturday, the Eissporte Zentrum Oberstdorf (where I parked) was not completely full. Parking and walking 2 minutes to the lift is almost like finding a Christmas gift with your name on it 2 months after Christmas: what an amazing surprise it was for us!
After paying €71 (expensive in my opinion for an area of its size) for the both of us, we hopped into the Adler7 Lift for the long journey towards the Nebelhorn. I had ridden the entire then-non-groomed run in 2021 and I remembered a few spots to look out for…like a ridiculously long flat spot which is horrendous for Snowboarders if you don’t know it’s there. In my memory, I didn’t really recall any part of the journey from the top of the Nebelhorn to the village of Oberstdorf that was overly difficult from my 2021 experience. The main thing I remembered was that it was 7km of freeride pain due to my previous night’s shenanigans.
So a Father and Daughter 👨👧 day on the Nebelhorn is what we ended up with 👍.
The weather we had was absolutely beautiful but you could hear skiers down below from our position on the gondola how hard packed the Pistes below were due lack of new snow over the last week. Since we were also kind of late starting, that’s the primary reason ski school was out of the picture for the day. However, if I had elected to put her in a class, I would have likely gone with NTC Oberstdorf Ski School due to the company having locations at nearly every ski area in the greater Oberstdorf region.
The Adler7 Bahn’s journey drops its passengers off at a beautiful Platte with wonderful views (on a good day) of the Seealpe Valley; additionally, the entire ridge line of the Nebelhorn and surrounding bowl is a visibly beautiful sight to behold. There are two restaurants at the top with another at the Gipfelstation which is served by a Summit Gondolbahn 🚠…so regardless of where you’re at on the summit, you’ll have a place to sit in the sun or hide from the storm, if necessary.
SO…as for the Pistes…! The upper bowl of the Nebelhorn is a bit limited in what it has to offer if no new snow has fallen. There are really only 4 groomed Slopes that run the length of the summit or the next highest chairlift down to the Platte. During this visit, everything was so hard packed that even off-piste options weren’t really open to enjoy. However, on a better quality snowfall day…the off-piste options are absolutely insane and provide hours of fun that you should take advantage of.
There are Black Slopes that connect the Platte area to the Seealpe Valley but you need to really take into consideration your own or your kids’ skills when descending the connecting run…especially during iced conditions. Even with fresh edges, my board ending up slipping once, and the rest of the run down took a lot of leg strength. My daughter was apprehensive about making the entire journey down via a Black slope and I put her onto the Gondola to meet me at the next station below, instead. It was the best choice for her…so ensure you make the best decisions for yours, as well. Being too cavalier on icey Black runs can lead to dangerous possibilities: don’t let your pride hurt you or your family.
So my daughter and I ended up at the Seealpe Valley, and it is beautiful as well on a sunny day. The little ski area there is surrounded on two sides by towering rock faces and trees and you can occasionally catch a glimpse of the village of Oberstdorf down below. This is where the kids’ learning area is situated.
There is a trainer tow-line (adults use it also) as well as a mid-length T-bar on the other side of the Seealpe station that serves as a good spot for your kids to enjoy many many shorter runs if that is best suited for yours or their skill level. It’s a great area to learn or work on mid-level skills and I believe you can buy a discounted lift ticket if you plan to only be here instead of the upper Platte. Regarding food: the only restaurant at Seealpe is the Berggasthof Seealpe: a beautifully wooden framed Bavarian hut with every food and drink item you would expect when sitting in the Bavarian Alps. It is every bit delicious as it is cozy. It is completely worth a visit.
In this area, even on an upper-altitude icey day, the snow was soft enough due to the direct sunlight to offer up some small off-piste action. It was my daughter’s first time being in soft snow and she had a huge smile indicative of why soft snow is such a pleasure to ski and snowboard in.
The final slope feature of the Nebelhorn ski area is the run that takes you right into the village of Oberstdorf not even 100 meters from the Adler7 lift’s ground station. It’s a fun winding trail surrounded by Alpine greenery on each side and my little lady immensely enjoyed the ride down. There’s something so cool about having the option to ride from a 2,000m+ summit all the way back into the village and walking right to your car.
A little easter egg for you all…just opposite to the Adler7’s main station in Oberstdorf is a little Italian restaurant that makes some of the best Limoncello I’ve ever had: Ai Quattro Canti. If Schnitzel and Pommes or Rostbraten is not your post ski/snowboard meal…you owe it to yourself to visit this place. It’s on my list for every future visit to the Allgäu that I make.
IN A NUTSHELL…Oberstdorf and its daunting Nebelhorn is a much quieter and less fussy Bavarian ski area than it’s celebrity status friend in Garmisch. Having said that, it is not easy to find accommodation in the winter as many others have figured this out. I’ve always just made day trips to the area due to this issue. The Allgäu is wonderful and packed with amazing scenery.
Early morning vibes in the Adler7 Bahn 
At the Nebelhorn Platte with the summit in view. 
In the distance: normal great off-piste options that were really bad due to the conditions. 
Squinty eyes and the Hochvogel in the distance. 
The gentler ski area at the Seealpe Valley 
Beautiful beautiful Oberstdorf just below a lower trail.
If you’ve been there and/or you feel as if I may have missed something, drop a comment below and I’ll respond!
Bis zum näschtes Mal!
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