Garmisch-Classic - Garmisch-Partenkirchen

The Kandahar and the other valley descents carry the praise: the FIS race course runs over seven kilometres and genuinely wears you out, and in good snow people ride it all the way down. The tree skiing on the Hausberg and Kreuzeck flanks, mostly blue and red, is well liked. Logistics are another plus: an hour from Munich, with an hourly regional train that drops you at the lifts. Midweek the slopes are quiet.

Size and low-altitude snow draw the criticism. The area is small: one day covers every run and it does not stretch to a week, with reviews openly pointing towards Lermoos in Austria instead. The base sits around 700 metres, so by February conditions turn unreliable. Plenty of skiers are bothered by the number of flat sections. On peak days the picture changes: long lift lines and runs skied out to slush by noon.