
Götschen combines racing heritage with family-friendly skiing across 9km of expertly maintained slopes near the Austrian border. This historic resort regularly hosts FIS competitions on its demanding race piste while still catering brilliantly to recreational skiers of all abilities. The uncrowded slopes and authentic Bavarian character make Götschen particularly appealing for those seeking quality skiing away from the larger, busier destinations, while the reliable snow conditions ensure consistent experiences throughout winter.
Götschen is a small ski area above Bischofswiesen in the Berchtesgaden region, with six runs and 8.7 kilometres of piste, rising from 880 to 1,280 metres for a vertical of 400 metres. The grading is 33% beginner, 21% intermediate and 46% advanced, with no expert terrain, which is an unusually steep split for such a compact hill. A triple chair and two T-bars provide the uphill access. This is a local ski area, so expect a handful of runs rather than a network to explore across several days.
The triple chair takes you to the top, where the steeper pistes offer a sharp, direct descent that suits advanced skiers and confident intermediates looking for a challenge close to home. A gentler piste and a smaller lift serve beginners and the snow park, though the learning terrain is limited in size. Floodlit skiing runs on Friday evenings, and the Götschenalm mountain restaurant has a sunny terrace with views over the Berchtesgaden mountains. Götschen suits families from the valley, after-work skiers and visitors staying nearby who want a few quick runs. For a full ski holiday, most visitors combine it with larger Alpine areas.
Götschen typically operates from December through March, with the most reliable conditions in January and February. The resort benefits from its elevated position near the Berchtesgaden Alps, receiving substantial natural snowfall supplemented by extensive snowmaking coverage. The predominantly north-facing slopes maintain excellent snow quality throughout the season, ensuring consistent conditions on both the racing and recreational pistes. The microclimate created by the surrounding mountains frequently delivers powder days when other nearby areas receive less favorable weather.
Daily snow reports at Götschen go back to 2017, 10 winters on the books. Open the record to compare winters, lifts and piste.
Located near Berchtesgaden in southeastern Bavaria, Götschen sits approximately 150km from Munich and just 30km from Salzburg in Austria. The resort enjoys a spectacular position within the Berchtesgaden Alps, surrounded by impressive mountain scenery including the famous Watzmann peak. This unique location near the Austrian border provides visitors with opportunities to experience both German and Austrian Alpine cultures. The historic town of Berchtesgaden offers excellent accommodation options and authentic dining serving regional specialties in an area known for its stunning natural beauty.
Hotels and lodges near Götschen, powered by Stay22.

Halloween weekend brings a wet, windy storm to the Sierra Nevada. Our five-day forecast has Dodge Ridge on top with 19 in, followed by Bear Valley at 15 in and Mammoth Mountain at 12 in, with most of it landing on Saturday. A winter weather advisory covers the Tahoe Basin and Mono County until 7 AM Sunday, gusts could reach 47 mph and the freezing level swings between 4,900 and 8,700 ft, so some bases will see rain. A dry spell follows from Monday.

The Rockies get their first lift-served turns of the season early. Lake Louise opens Sunday 1 November, five days ahead of schedule, after a cold October and round-the-clock work from the snowmaking and mountain crews. Terrain is limited to Juniper Express Chair and Easy Street, with two small terrain parks and the beginner area for lessons. Opening-day tickets are over 60% off, with prices rising as more lifts open. First chair is at 9:30 am under the resort’s new lift hours.

A Tyrolean summit lift that has been carrying guests up the Kitzbüheler Horn since 1955 is on borrowed time. Its licence runs to 2045, but a new inspection rule has made refurbishment uneconomic, so Bergbahn AG Kitzbühel will spend around €15 million on a replacement on the same line. It should hold roughly 100 people and keep running in winds that would stop today’s lift. Building starts in autumn 2027, which makes this winter and next summer the last chances to ride the old one.

Niseko Village is replacing a lift from the early 1980s with an eight-person gondola, Tsugaike gets a six-person chairlift, Madarao joins the Ikon Pass and Togari opens Asia’s first private ski resort. Here’s what is actually new in Japan skiing for 2026/27, plus what is still a year or two away.

Colorado’s early-season dominoes keep falling. Arapahoe Basin opened on Wednesday, Keystone follows on Friday, and now Wolf Creek is joining in on Saturday 31 October, just in time for Halloween. A storm on 23 and 24 October left 20 inches of natural snow in the San Juans, and three lifts will turn from 9:00 am, covering about 30% of the mountain. Expect rocks, unmarked obstacles and open water, but also Local Appreciation lift tickets at $73 for adults.

Keystone is next. After Arapahoe Basin claimed the first chairlift skiing of the season on Wednesday, Keystone opens on Friday 30 October at 9:00 am with more than two miles of snowmaking-built terrain on Schoolmarm and Silver Spoon, plus free donuts, coffee and a live DJ. Last year the order was reversed, when Keystone squeezed in a three-hour afternoon session to beat A-Basin by a day. Snowmaking has been running since 15 October.

Beaver Creek is getting ready for the biggest Birds of Prey ever, and this time it is not leaving the snow to chance. Crews started making snow on 27 October with 16 newly installed automated guns on the lower third of the course, after last December’s warm spell forced a downhill off the schedule. Seven races across two weekends run from 3 to 13 December, the most the course has hosted since its 1997 debut, and the guns start themselves whenever the weather allows.

Winter has officially started in North America, and it is one blue run long. On Wednesday 28 October, Arapahoe Basin fired up the Black Mountain Express at around 10:30 am after a surprise announcement just hours earlier, becoming the first major North American resort open for 2026/27. Cold nights, a dusting of natural snow and a lot of snowmaking made it happen in the resort’s 80th winter. More terrain is promised as the snow guns keep running.
Live open status isn’t available right now.
Scroll for the full outlook · Open-Meteo
Days 1–7
0.2cm
Days 8–14
4.6cm
Live snow from the resort feed; forecast from Open-Meteo, via Supabase.
Our snow reports measure snowfall in centimeters over multiple time windows — last 24 hours, last 7 days, and the season total. Base depth reflects accumulation at the 880m base area, while summit depth captures conditions 400m higher at 1280m, where snow typically stays colder and lingers longer. Imperial conversions are shown alongside for convenience.
Snow quality tracks closely with temperature and wind. We surface both alongside the snowfall data so you can judge whether conditions at Götschen are holding up or starting to soften.
We pull Götschen's conditions from on-the-ground mountain reporting, then layer in forecast data so you get a fuller picture than either source alone. The mountain is served by 3 lifts in total.
Snow reports are typically updated early morning and late afternoon. For the most current conditions, check back regularly, especially if a winter storm is approaching.