Active Pursuits

The Bavarian Alps are both a winter wonderland and a summer playground. The skiing is the best in Germany. A regular winter snowfall in January and February usually measures from 30 to 50 centimeters (12-20 in.), leaving about 2m (6 1/2 ft.) of snow in areas served by ski lifts. You can reach the great Zugspitzplatt snowfield in spring or autumn by a rack railway; it is inaccessible in winter. The Zugspitze, at 2,960m (9,709 ft.) above sea level, is the tallest mountain peak in Germany. Ski slopes begin at a height of 2,650m (8,692 ft.).

The second great ski district in the Alps is Berchtesgadener Land, with alpine skiing around Jenner, Rossfeld, Götschen, and Hochschwarzeck. Snow conditions are consistently good until March. You'll find a cross-country skiing center, many kilometers of tracks in first-class condition, natural toboggan runs, an artificial ice run for toboggan and skibob (or snow-bike) runs, and artificial ice-skating and curling rinks.

In summer, alpine hiking is a major attraction. One of the best areas is the 1,240m (4,070-ft.) Eckbauer, lying on the southern fringe of Partenkirchen (the tourist office at Garmisch-Partenkirchen will supply maps and details). Many visitors come to the Alps in summer just to hike through Berchtesgaden National Park, bordering the Austrian province of Salzburg. The 2,470m (8,090-ft.) Watzmann Mountain, the Königssee (Germany's cleanest, clearest lake), and parts of the Jenner -- the pride of Berchtesgaden's four ski areas -- are within the park, which has well-mapped trails through protected areas, leading the hiker through spectacular natural beauty. For more on hiking in the park, contact Nationalparkhaus, Franziskanerpl 7, 83471 Berchtesgaden (tel. 08652/64343), open daily 9am to 5pm.

From Garmisch-Partenkirchen, serious hikers can embark on full-day or overnight alpine treks, following clearly marked footpaths and staying in isolated mountain huts. Some huts are staffed and serve meals. For truly remote unsupervised huts, you'll be provided with information on how to gain access. For information, ask at the local tourist office or write to the government-subsidized German Alpine Association, Am Franziskanerplatz 7, 83471 Berchtesgaden (tel. 08652/64343; www.alpenverein.de), which will also direct you to a privately owned tour operator, the Summit Club (www.summitclub.de), an outfit devoted to the organization of high-altitude expeditions throughout the world.

For the true outdoorsperson, savor the somewhat touristy facilities of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and then use it as a base for explorations of the rugged Berchtesgaden National Park. Stay at one of the inns in Mittenwald or Oberammergau and take advantage of a wide roster of outdoor diversions there. Any outfitter will provide directions and link-ups with their sports programs from wherever you stay. Street maps of Berchtesgaden and its environs are usually available for free from the Kurdirektion (tourist office), Königsseer Strasse, Berchtesgaden (tel. 08652/9670), and more intricately detailed maps of the surrounding alpine topography are available for a fee.

Weather permitting, another summer activity is ballooning, which can be arranged through Outdoor Club Berchtesgaden, Am Gmundberg (tel. 08652/97760).

Anglers will find plenty of fishing opportunities (especially salmon, pikeperch, and trout) at Hintersee and the rivers Ramsauer Ache and Königsseer Ache. To acquire a fishing permit, contact the Kurdirektion (tourist office) at Berchtesgaden, which will direct you to any of four different authorities, based on where you want to fish. For fishing specifically within the Hintersee, contact tourist officials at the Kurverwaltung, ImTal 2 (tel. 08652/967-0), at Ramsau, 12km (7 1/2 miles) from Berchtesgaden.

Despite the obvious dangers, hang gliding or paragliding from the vertiginous slopes of Mount Jenner can be thrilling. To arrange it, contact Summit Club .

Practice your kayaking or white-water rafting techniques on one of the area's many rivers, such as the Ramsauer, Königsseer, Bischofswiesener, and Berchtesgadener Aches. For information and options, contact the above-mentioned Outdoor Club Berchtesgaden.

If you would like to go swimming in an alpine lake -- not to everyone's taste, due to frigid temperatures -- there are many lidos found in the Bavarian Forest.

Of course, there's plenty to do outdoors during the winter as well, including some of the greatest alpine and cross-country skiing in all of Europe. Call the local "Snow-Telefon" (German only) at tel. 08652/967297 for current snow conditions.

There's also skating between October and February at the world-class ice-skating rink in Berchtesgaden. Less reliable, but more picturesque, is skating on the surface of the Hintersee, once it's sufficiently frozen.