Skiing in the Harz mountains

While in summer Harz is a magnet for hiking enthusiasts, during wintertime the landscape changes from green to white and it turns into a wintersport area. The ski slopes in the Harzer National Park pull people into the are and they are especially good for beginners. In winter the landscape is often totally covered by snow and then also more advanced skiers can have a lot of fun in the most northern ski area of Germany.

Cover photo credits: @MissPassionPhotography

Hiking in winter

Hiking during wintertime is most of the time still possible in the Harz mountains, but during the cold season you need even better equipment and there are opportunities for skiing. Check out the current weather conditions ahead. It might be reasonable to wear snowshoes in order to prevent sinking. 

From December to March as you can see in the cover picture the trees are often loaded with snow, then the Harz turns into an even more quiet and peaceful place. Hiking during this period with warm clothes, equipped with hot drinks in thermos flasks is especially satisfied when the only sound you can hear is the crunching of your boots on the clear white snow.

Skiing in the Harz mountains

The highest mountain for skiing in the Harzer National Park is the Wurmberg at 981 m. In general it is said that the Harz is especially suited for beginners, because the ski areas don't reach a high altitude and therefore they don't have long slopes. It is still fun for advanced skiers though, but most times a pleasure, which happens to be too short.

Amongst the Wurmberg other popular ski areas are the Bocksberg, Matthias-Schmidt-Berg and Sonnenberg. And if you are not into skiing, sledging is a fun alternative. Especially great for kids, but also enjoyable for adults.  

Cross country skiing

An alternative winter sport activity in the Harz mountains is cross-country skiing. The Harz is well-known for its well prepared cross-country skiing tracks – and there are 500 km of it!

The tracks around Sankt Andreasberg are especially popular and recommended. For instance a 12 km long circuit leads you around Sonnenberg. There is a whole network of trails, which are interconnected and suit all levels. If you want to try cross-country skiing – the Harz is your place!

The Harz mountains offer a great destination for winter sport enthusiasts. It is a great place to do winter hikes, cross-country skiing, sledging or skiing.