Winterberg (Skiliftkarussell)

Reviewers single out the snowmaking first: despite modest hills, visitors report almost the whole area skiable. They like the modern fast chairlifts, the wide well-groomed runs and how genuinely easy the place is for beginners and children. Plenty of runs are floodlit for night skiing, apres-ski bars sit right beside them, parking is abundant, and midweek is calm and cheap next to the Alps.

Overcrowding is the standing complaint. At weekends and during Dutch school holidays lift queues drag on, no cap seems to be placed on passes sold, and the slopes are chewed into ruts fast. Runs are short, so much of the day goes on queueing and riding lifts, while stronger skiers find the pistes narrow and repetitive. Many call the prices steep for an area this size, and at such low elevation rain or a thaw quickly turns the surface icy.