February Balanced In Germany's Ski Resorts - Little Snow, But Lots Of Sun

February 2025 made one thing clear: if you don't have efficient technical snowmaking, you're fighting a losing battle as a ski resort operator in Germany. The ski resorts with snowmaking facilities were able to benefit from the fact that the month was otherwise pretty good in terms of weather. Sun and cold periods with the opportunity for additional snowmaking ensured the best conditions in general, and there was often sun on the weekends as well. The available supply significantly exceeded the previous year's figure and was slightly below the four-year average. However, demand often did not quite meet expectations, which was probably due to the poor previous year, which had eroded confidence in reliably good snow.

Bernhard Hain, managing director of the Mitterdorf ski center in the southern Bavarian Forest, is very satisfied with the course of the season up to the end of February: "We are on schedule, had days with record visitor numbers and have actually had very good conditions since Christmas." He is particularly pleased because Mitterdorf is planning the largest new construction project in German ski areas this summer. Elsewhere, the balance for February was somewhat subdued. "Despite top conditions and holidays in the Netherlands, there are still free beds," summed up Nico Brinkmann at the halfway point of the crocus holidays. It cannot be ruled out that the extremely bad February 2024 prompted some families to book a ski destination in the Alps this year or to skip a winter.

The conditions were actually ideal – at least where artificial snow could be produced. This was ensured by sunny, dry weather on the first two weekends in February.

On February 12th, a precipitation area passed through. With temperatures in the double-digit plus range in some places, precipitation in the south only fell as snow on the highest low mountain peaks and in the Bavarian Forest. The following day, the precipitation from the north turned to snow in many places and it snowed again on Valentine's Day, albeit not very heavily, but just in time for the start of the holidays in the Netherlands. From Saturday, February 15th, there was a phase of sunny winter weather again and temperatures in the double-digit minus range in some places, which many ski areas used again to produce snow.

Overall, the snow cover in Germany rose from less than 5% during the first decade to around 45%. From February 20th, the weather then eased considerably, with spring-like temperatures (on February 21st, even the peaks reached double-digit temperatures), but initially without any significant precipitation. In fact, the low mountain ranges were completely free of snow again on February 25th, with the exception of the Ore Mountains, the Bavarian Forest and the Feldberg massif.

From February 26th, precipitation began to fall, falling as snow in the Black Forest and Allgäu, and initially as rain in the northern low mountain ranges. On the last day of February, it snowed across the country in the low mountain ranges. Although it was anything but plentiful, it was just in time for the start of the Bavarian winter holidays and before the carnival weekend. In the Black Forest, people were happy that winter had returned for the carnival holidays in Baden-Württemberg. In total, 10-20 cm of fresh snow fell there, which even allowed some natural snow pistes to be opened.

Overall, February once again failed to live up to its reputation as the snowiest month. The amount of snowfall was far below the long-term average. Temperatures were above the long-term average. This meant that not only was the meteorological winter of 2024/25 (months December to February) too warm overall, but once again all months of the winter were too warm - for the seventh time in a row, at least in the west of the country. There have never been so many consecutive winters without a single month below the long-term average since at least the 1950s. The maximum so far was 4 years (winter 1997/98-2000/01). Small consolation: the winter of 2024/25 was at least the least too warm winter in seven years.

The following figure shows the development of the average winter temperature since 1956. It is striking that while the temperature level of extremely warm winters has hardly changed in the last 70 years (0.01°C pa), colder winters in between are becoming less and less cold (0.11°C pa) and are becoming increasingly rare. The last winter that was too cold overall was 14 years ago (2010/11).

A maximum of 502 kilometres of slopes were open in German ski resorts1 in February 2025. This was 11.1% more than in February of the previous year, but 20.5% less than the 4-year average.

Overall, up to 53% of ski resorts were open in February 2025, most of them on February 16, with 98 of the 181 ski resorts in the sample. In February last year, up to 35% of ski resorts were open, and the 4-year average for February was 56% - so this was slightly missed.

If you summarize the deviations from the previous year or the 4-year average in terms of operating days, maximum and average kilometers of slopes open and the number of maximum open ski areas, you get an overall picture of the month. As a result, February was significantly better across Germany than the previous year and slightly worse than the 4-year average.

Regional results

The February results were very different in the nine most important German ski regions. The month reflected the very different levels of snowmaking in the regions in an almost ideal way. While the Sauerland, whose 13 ski areas included in the sample offer a total of just 80 km of slopes, was able to offer an average of 47 km per day, the Black Forest (a total of 117 km of slopes) only managed 25 km per day - in percentage terms only 1/3 of the Sauerland figure! The reason for this is that not only a smaller proportion of slopes in the Black Forest are covered by snow, but also that the pumping capacity per hectare of snow-covered slope is often many times lower there. The small Hesselbacher Glacier ski area managed 22 days of operation at just 409 m above sea level, and the Stübenwasenlift in Todtnauberg in the Black Forest managed exactly the same number of days of operation with a valley station altitude of 1100 m.

Compared to the same month last year, all regions showed improvements. Compared to the four-year average, February 2025 performed worse in Upper Bavaria, the Bavarian Forest, the Thuringian Forest, the Harz Mountains and the other low mountain ranges. In the other regions, it performed slightly better.

Upper Bavaria

Offer more extensive than last year – lower than the 4-year average

In the 35 ski resorts in Upper Bavaria included in the sample, up to 147 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 55% of the total length of slopes in these ski resorts. In the previous year, up to 151 km were open, and the four-year average was a maximum of 182 km. In total, the ski resorts offered 3,912 kilometer days (53% of the possible value), compared to 3,375 in the previous year and 4,513 in the four-year average.

You could ski in Upper Bavaria on all 28 days of February 2025, just like last year. On average, 140 km of slopes were open, compared to 116 km in February 2024. A maximum of 65% of the ski areas in the sample were open, compared to 57% in 2024. On average, 57% of the ski areas in the sample were open, compared to 39% last year.

Weather

On average, temperatures were significantly lower than those of February 2024, but still significantly above the long-term average, the number of snow days was above average, while the maximum snow depth and the amount of snowfall were significantly below average. The latter was even lower than the extremely mild month of the previous year.

Allgäu

Offer significantly more extensive than last year – slightly above 4-year average

In the 24 ski areas in the Allgäu included in the sample, up to 202 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 71% of the total length of slopes in these ski areas. In the previous year, up to 190 km were open, and the 4-year average was a maximum of 200 km. In total, the ski areas offered 5,511 kilometer days (69% of the possible value), compared to 4,473 in the previous year and 5,171 in the 4-year average.

You could ski in the Allgäu on all 28 days of February 2025, just like last year. On average, 197 km of slopes were open, compared to 154 km in February 2024. A maximum of 75% of the ski areas in the sample were open, compared to 70% in 2024. On average, 68% of the ski areas were open, compared to 51% last year.

Weather

On average, temperatures were significantly lower than those of February 2024, but still significantly above the long-term average. The number of snowy days, the maximum snow depth and the amount of snowfall were well below average.

Black Forest

Offer considerably more extensive than in the previous year – at the level of the 4-year average

In the 32 ski resorts in the Black Forest included in the sample, up to 36 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 30% of the total length of slopes in these ski resorts. In the previous year, up to 11 km were open, and the 4-year average was a maximum of 36 km. In total, the ski resorts offered 589 kilometer days (18% of the possible value), compared to 89 in the previous year and 649 in the 4-year average.

You could ski in the Black Forest on 28 days in February 2025, compared to 17 days last year. On average, 21 km of slopes were open, compared to 3.1 km in February 2024. A maximum of 50% of the ski areas in the sample were open, compared to 3% in 2024. On average, 23% of the ski areas were open, compared to 2% last year.

Weather

On average, temperatures were lower than those of February 2024, but significantly above the long-term average. The number of snowy days, the maximum snow depth and the amount of snowfall remained significantly below the long-term averages.

Sauerland

Offer considerably more extensive than last year – more extensive than the 4-year average

In the 13 ski areas in the Sauerland included in the sample, up to 55 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 69% of the total length of slopes in these ski areas. In the previous year, up to 49 km were open, with a maximum of 57 km on average over the four years. In total, the ski areas offered 1,428 kilometer days, compared to 426 in the previous year and 1,193 on average over the four years.

In 2025, you could ski in the Sauerland every day in February, as well as in 2024 and the four-year average. On average, 51 km of slopes were open, compared to 15 km in February 2024. Of the ski areas in the sample, a maximum of 62% were open, compared to 54% in 2024.

On average, 49% of ski areas were open, compared to 25% last year.

On Sunday, February 9, a total of 56 lifts were in operation in the region, and on January 19, 91 lifts. On February 18, there were 64 lifts and on February 28, 55 lifts.

Weather

On average, temperatures were significantly lower than those of February 2024 and only slightly above the long-term average. The number of snowy days was slightly lower, and the maximum snow depth and amount of snowfall were significantly below average.

Bavarian Forest

Offer considerably more extensive than last year – slightly below 4-year average

In the 27 ski resorts in the Bavarian Forest included in the sample, up to 36 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 56% of the total length of slopes in these ski resorts.

Last year, up to 24 km were open, with the four-year average being a maximum of 38 km. In total, the ski areas offered 885 kilometer days, compared to 431 last year and 872 on average over the four years.

In 2025, you could ski in the Bavarian Forest every day in February, as well as in 2024 and the 4-year average. On average, 32 km of slopes were open, in February 2024 it was 15 km, and the 4-year average was 31 km. Of the ski areas in the sample, a maximum of 56% were open, in 2024 it was 27%. On average, 44% of the ski areas were open, last year 12%.

Weather

On average, temperatures were significantly lower than those of February 2024, but still significantly above the long-term average. The number of days with snow was average, the maximum snow depth and, above all, the amount of snowfall were significantly below average.

Erzgebirge

Offer considerably more extensive than last year – slightly above 4-year average

In the 13 ski areas in the Ore Mountains included in the sample, up to 20 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 53% of the total length of slopes in these ski areas. In the previous year, up to 19 km were open, and a maximum of 23 km on average over the four years. In total, the ski areas offered 500 kilometer days, compared to 247 in the previous year and 474 on average over the four years.

In 2025, you could ski in the Ore Mountains every day in February, in 2024 it was 27 out of 29 days and the 4-year average was 28 days. On average, 18 km of slopes were open, in February 2024 it was 8.5 km, and the 4-year average was 17 km. Of the ski areas in the sample, a maximum of 85% were open, in 2024 it was 50%. On average, 61% of the ski areas were open, last year it was 24%.

Weather

On average, temperatures were significantly lower than those of February 2024 and only slightly above the long-term average. There were more snowy days than in the previous year, the maximum snow depth was also slightly higher, and the amount of snowfall was slightly lower. However, all snow-related values ​​remained significantly lower than the long-term average.

Swabian Alb

Offer considerably more extensive than in the previous year and the 4-year average – but at a low level

In the 8 ski areas in the Swabian Alb included in the sample, up to 4.7 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 30% of the total length of slopes in these ski areas. In the previous year, up to 0.2 km were open, and the 4-year average was a maximum of 2.2 km. In total, the ski areas offered 13.4 kilometer days, compared to 0.4 in the previous year and 4.9 in the 4-year average.

In February 2025, you could ski on the Swabian Alb for 10 days, in February 2024 it was 2 days, and the 4-year average was 3.75 days. On average, 0.5 km of slopes were open, in February 2024 it was 0.01 km. Of the ski areas in the sample, a maximum of 63% were open, in 2024 it was 13%. On average, 7.5% of the ski areas were open, last year 1%.

Weather

On average, temperatures were significantly lower than those of February 2024, but still significantly above the long-term average. The number of days with snow was higher than the previous year, and the maximum snow depth and amount of snowfall were also higher.

Resin

Offer considerably more extensive than in the previous year – significantly lower than the 4-year average

In the 9 ski resorts in the Harz included in the sample, up to 7.5 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 24% of the total length of slopes in these ski resorts. In the previous year, up to 1.5 km were open, and a maximum of 10 km on average over 4 years. In total, the ski resorts offered 82 kilometer days, compared to 4.5 in the previous year and 126 on average over 4 years.

In February 2025, you could ski in the Harz on 26 days, in February 2024 it was 3 days, and the 4-year average was 19.5 days. On average, 2.9 km of slopes were open, in February 2024 it was 0.2 km. Of the ski areas in the sample, a maximum of 22% were open, in 2024 it was 10%. On average, 13% of the ski areas were open, last year 1%.

Weather

On average, temperatures were significantly lower than those of February 2024 and only slightly above the long-term average. The number of snowy days, however, was significantly below the long-term average, as were the maximum snow depth and the amount of snowfall.

Thuringian Forest

Offer significantly more extensive than in the previous year – significantly below 4-year average

In the 10 ski resorts in the Thuringian Forest included in the sample, up to 5.4 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 33% of the total length of slopes in these ski resorts. In the previous year, up to 6.3 km were open, with a maximum of 9.6 km on average over the four years. In total, the ski resorts offered 127 kilometer days, compared to 98 in the previous year and 185 on average over the four years.

In February 2025, you could ski in the Thuringian Forest on 28 days, in 2024 it was 22 days, and the 4-year average was 27 days. On average, 4.5 km of slopes were open, in February 2024 it was 3.4 km. Of the ski areas in the sample, a maximum of 40% were open, in 2024 it was 36%. On average, 33% of the ski areas were open, last year 22%.

Weather

On average, temperatures were significantly lower than those of February 2024 and only slightly above the long-term average. The number of snow days was higher than the previous year, but still significantly below the long-term average. The maximum snow depth was significantly below average compared to the previous year, as was the amount of snowfall.

Other low mountain ranges

Offer considerably more extensive than in the previous year – significantly lower than the 4-year average

In the 11 ski resorts in other German low mountain ranges included in the sample, up to 1.6 km of slopes were open in February 2025, which corresponded to 4% of the total length of slopes in these ski resorts. In the previous year, up to 1.2 km were open, and the 4-year average was a maximum of 4.4 km.
In total, the ski resorts offered 36 kilometer days, compared to 2.4 in the previous year and 41 in the 4-year average.

In February 2025, you could ski in other German low mountain ranges on 25 days, in 2024 it was 2 days, and the 4-year average was 15. On average, 1.3 km of slopes were open, in February 2024 it was 0.1 km. Of the ski areas in the sample, a maximum of 9% were open, in 2024 it was also 9%. On average, it was around 8% in 2025.

Weather

On average, temperatures were significantly lower than those of February 2024, but noticeably above the long-term average. The number of days with snow was significantly higher than the previous year and in the range of the long-term average. The maximum snow depth was significantly below average, as was the amount of snowfall.