[European skiing in late Oct/ early Nov]

Plucky

 

Thanks for the nice words (yes, it is my site - when I get a moment I hope to put some information about the German ski racing team on there as well).

 

The skiing in Mittenwald is up on the less steep slopes on the other side of the valley from the cable car. It's not that exciting but bigger than you would think.

 

The run from the cable car top is (apparently) a difficult and unpisted out-of-bounds experience - for a while, a couple of years back, you weren't allowed to take skis up in the winter on the cable car and it was left to the ski tourers.

 

That time of year is normally nice in Innsbruck - it's cooler and clearer.

[European skiing in late Oct/ early Nov]

Hi

 

I noticed your posts in the referrals for the above-mentioned http://www.skigermany.com

 

A couple of comments.

 

First of all the glacier above Garmisch is only open for skiing from late autumn (fall) to late spring, although the lifts remain open in summer for walkers and sightseers.

 

In good conditions, the town of Garmisch is also a worthwhile ski destination with historic runs (it is a member of the Kandahar ski races) and a nice active centre (it would probably be seen as the "grande dame" of German ski resorts).

 

To return to the original question (skiing at Oktoberfest time), I would say that you are going to have to be lucky. Firstly, the Oktoberfest is at the end of September which means the end of summer.

 

Given recent warm summers in Austria, glacier skiing has been normally severely curtailed by that time and they don't really kick in again until the first heavy snowfalls (depending on the year September/October).

 

In that case I would keep an eye on the internet for snow conditions at the Stubaital (south of Innsbruck - quite extensive skiing); the glaciers above Sölden (where the European racing season normally starts, but more difficult to reach from Munich); the Hintertux glacier (near Mayrhofen); and the Kitzsteinhorn abover Kaprun (in the province of Salzburg).

 

If you have any further questions about skiing in Germany or Austria, please feel free to ask...