
Fichtelberg stands as eastern Germany's highest and most significant ski resort, offering 15km of diverse slopes across the beautiful Ore Mountains. Rising to 1,215m, this historic destination combines excellent intermediate terrain with dedicated learning areas and challenging runs through forest sections. The resort maintains its traditional Saxon character while delivering modern skiing amenities and stunning views extending into neighboring Czech Republic.
Fichtelberg spreads 10 runs across 15.5 km of piste of terrain. It leans beginner at 44%, with 4 beginner runs to find your feet and 2 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Fichtelberg typically operates from December through March, with the most reliable conditions in January and February. The resort benefits from substantial natural snowfall, averaging 4-5m annually, complemented by strategic snowmaking on key runs. The predominantly north-facing slopes maintain excellent snow quality throughout the season, often delivering good skiing conditions when lower regions struggle. The Ore Mountains microclimate frequently creates powder opportunities, particularly during cold easterly weather patterns.
Situated on the German-Czech border in Saxony, Fichtelberg sits approximately 150km from Dresden and 90km from Chemnitz. The resort adjoins the historic mining town of Oberwiesenthal, Germany's highest town at 914m. This unique location in the former East Germany provides visitors with insights into the region's rich cultural heritage alongside quality skiing experiences. The surrounding Ore Mountains offer excellent cross-country skiing across a vast network of trails, winter hiking paths, and traditional Christmas markets famous throughout Germany.
Hotels and lodges near Fichtelberg, powered by Stay22.
Fichtelberg's season typically runs from December 20 to March 25, roughly 95 days, weather and conditions permitting.
Fichtelberg has about 15.5 km of piste across 10 runs.
Fichtelberg operates 6 lifts in total.
Fichtelberg averages around 63 inches (5.2 feet) of snowfall per season.

An aerial tram carrying around fifty passengers struck the boom of a construction crane on the route to Pic Blanc at Alpe d'Huez on Wednesday morning, injuring 23 people, three seriously. The cabin tipped on impact before the operator reversed it to right the car. Most of the injured were treated on site, with five taken to hospital in Grenoble, including a pregnant woman assessed as a precaution.

A deadly flood on the Nepal-China border, a decade-old tragedy on Italy's Marmolada, and an unstable glacier right now above a village near Zermatt - three very different mountain ranges, the same underlying story. Warming ice is destabilising terrain that was considered settled for generations, and the results range from catastrophic floods to slow-motion monitoring situations that could go either way.

Tyrol's highest ski area is gearing up to open a full month ahead of most of the Alps. The Pitztal Glacier is scheduled to start its 2026/27 season on Saturday 26 September, running through to 2 May 2027, with the lower-altitude Rifflsee area following in December. High-altitude terrain up to 3,440 metres gives the glacier a head start on snow, though as always, the actual opening extent will depend on how September's weather plays out. Early online ski pass bookings can save up to 30%.

A hanging glacier above the Swiss village of Randa, just south of Zermatt, has been shedding large chunks of ice for weeks, with authorities warning more break-offs are likely. A danger zone has been closed off since June, though officials say the village's 479 residents aren't at risk. It's a familiar pattern for this glacier - it's done this before, in 1819, 1972 and 1973 - but a reminder of how closely Alpine authorities now watch terrain once considered stable.

Thredbo is officially 'on the table.' EVT Limited, owner of Australia's most decorated ski resort, has hired Rothschild & Co to review its entire corporate structure - and confirmed Thredbo isn't off limits, even as it books a stronger year of earnings. The resort's own valuation has nearly halved after a brutal 2026 season, and speculation is already running toward Vail Resorts, Alterra, or a New Zealand operator picking it up. Here's what EVT actually said, and who could buy it.

I'm not a gamer. I'm a skier and snowboarder who happens to have a laptop. So when a ski resort management game called Ski-E-O! landed on Steam, I wasn't expecting to lose an afternoon to it - but here we are. Real mountain terrain, a full weather system, storms that roll in and wreck your snow base, avalanche danger, and enough depth to make RollerCoaster Tycoon feel simple by comparison. Early access lands in November. Here's what a few hours in the free demo actually looks like.

The rumours are true: Sugar Bowl is tearing out its Emerald gondola, in place since 1983, and replacing it with a new 8-person Doppelmayr system - nearly doubling uphill capacity to 1,800 people an hour. It's the fourth generation of a gondola line that dates back to 1953, when Sugar Bowl became the first resort on the West Coast to run one at all, and it's just one piece of a $100 million overhaul touching lodges, parking and snowmaking. Here's what's changing, and what's staying the same.

The death toll from Thursday night's fire at Restaurant Beverin in Thusis, Switzerland, has begun to firm up. One Swiss outlet, citing Graubünden Cantonal Police, reports that two of the five people initially reported missing have now been confirmed dead, leaving three unaccounted for. The building's collapsed stairwell and structural instability have slowed recovery efforts throughout. Here's what's changed since the fire broke out, and what's still unconfirmed.