Ski areas near Munich, compared by size, snow and lift pass price

Which ski areas can you reach from Munich, how big are they, how much snow do they get and what does a day pass cost? The answers from the SnowTriper catalogue, with straight-line distances from Munich.

How to read this guide. All distances are straight-line distances from central Munich, measured on the map: the road is always longer, and SnowTriper does not calculate driving times from Munich. Lift pass prices are adult day passes in euros as listed in the catalogue; most are announced prices, not prices checked at the ticket office. Snow depths come from the catalogue's climate references: for each zone, one altitude and the snow on the ground week by week over the years 2014 to 2024.

The closest slopes are small

The closest ski areas to Munich are in Bavaria, and they are small. Brauneck is 53 km away with 34 km of runs, Sudelfeld 59 km away with 31 km. Garmisch-Partenkirchen, often described as the closest, is 84 km away as the crow flies, with 60 km of runs between 740 and 2,720 metres and a day pass listed at €55. The catalogue also lists a separate Garmisch-Classic entry, with 40 km of runs, 80 km away.

The big ski areas within 150 km

Within 150 km of Munich, the largest ski areas in the catalogue are Ski Arlberg, with 301 km of runs, 149 km away; the SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser - Brixental, 275 km of runs, 89 km away; Saalbach Hinterglemm, 270 km, 114 km away; and Kitzbühel, 233 km, 98 km away.

The SkiWelt is the nearest of the four, but also the lowest: its runs go from 609 to 1,865 metres. Ski Arlberg goes from 1,269 to 2,811 metres. Their day passes are listed at €76 for the SkiWelt, €80 for Kitzbühel and €82 for Saalbach Hinterglemm; Ski Arlberg's pass costs €85.

Glaciers for early and late season

Two glacier ski areas lie within 120 km of Munich. Hintertux, 118 km away, climbs to 3,250 metres, with 86 km of runs and a day pass listed at €65. The Stubai Glacier, 119 km away, climbs to 3,210 metres, with 65 km of runs and a pass listed at €63.

Snow: the Arlberg side gets more

In mid-January, the catalogue's climate reference for the Arlberg and Vorarlberg, at 1,800 metres, holds 1.14 m of snow on average; the reference for the Tyrol, at the same altitude, holds 76 cm; and the Bavarian reference, lower at 1,400 metres, 67 cm. In one winter out of ten, those figures drop to 63 cm, 43 cm and 32 cm.

Oberstdorf-Kleinwalsertal and Ski Arlberg belong to the Arlberg reference. Kitzbühel, the SkiWelt and the Zillertal Arena belong to the Tyrol reference. Garmisch-Partenkirchen belongs to the Bavarian one.

Oberstdorf, the German exception

Oberstdorf-Kleinwalsertal has 115 km of runs, 127 km from Munich, with a day pass listed at €50: the cheapest of the ski areas of 100 km or more in this guide. It is also the only one of them in Germany, and it draws on the snowiest of the three references.

What the data does not say

Travel times, accommodation and multi-day pass prices are not in the catalogue. It does name each ski area's nearest railway station, and the regional passes some of them belong to, such as the Alpin Card. The distances above tell you which ski areas are near, not how long it takes to reach them: check the route before you go.

Compare snow conditions for these ski areas on SnowTriper, updated several times a day.