A freind just bought a detatched villa with 2 acres for 15,000e near the Czech border just outside a ski resort. He is an expereinced German property investor so no quips about him being a naeve Brit sucker please.

I found details on about 7 ski resorts in Germany, are they any good? Is the Bavarian forest area (low mountains) reliable for snow say in March / April?

Surely a property next to / in one of these is a much smarter buy than France?

If I want to ski there whhich is the best resort for a young family learning to ski WITH GOOD SNOW SURETY?

If the allegations about global warming are true then almost all German resorts will disappear over the next 30 years. This year I think only Garmisch ever got a decent snow pack.

There has to be an element of who knows to this answer.
Historically Germany has been extremely reliable as a winter fun destination in a wide range of areas. This last winter was the most obvious of exceptions to that rule. Is this global warming? A one year blip? I guess we'll have to wait a year or two more to find that out. I'm guessing the property in question is in the Erzegeberg (Hope I've spelt it correctly) Usually good for winter sports and as such completely unknown in the UK. There are nice little villages and towns and there are the few dumps as with most resort areas. The British Army use several of the mountain areas for winter warfare as does the German Army so you must be on the right lines.
If the failing snow as opposed to the falling snow does become the norm your mate will still have an inexpensive villa and two acres in a beautiful area and other activities will replace the snow type. France has also suffered at the lower to mid altitudes, so yes, unless you can purchase in the high mountains then buying in Germany makes more sense than buying in the equivalent and more expensive French areas.
Add to this the Czech and Polish, largely undiscovered resorts, within a few hours drive and all in all a fairtly astute investment unless it turns into a money pit.

Both Warwick Watcher and Lewis will be more familiar with this area than I, but it won't stop me giving my tuppenth worth!

The mountains in Germany are lower than those in France, Switserland, Austria, etc.. So as Warwick Watcher has said, the ski resorts may not be a good long term bet. Lewis has pointed out how beautiful this area is. I've only passed through, but it was enough to realise that much of Bavaria isn't reliant on snow for tourism. It is trully beautiful and the scenery refreshingly different from Austria (which I had been touring.)

At £10k it sounds like a good punt. I realise the value is in the land rather than the property ..... he wouldn't want the hassle of running a cheap property like that for the rental!

Dogbox,

The area near Czech republic is the Bayerishe Wald. The highest mountain there is the Grosser Arber which has ski facilities. The facilities are small and the mountain is 1456 Meters high. For more info look at http://www.arber.de/.

I would say this hight will not get you much days of snow, hence lower property prices. The only area in Germany with good snow conditions is near the Austrian border. The zugspitze is de highest one at 3000 meter which has a glacier as well. More info http://www.zugspitze.de/zugspitze/index_en.php. Property will be expensive here as it is not too far from Munich.

If you want cheap property in snow, go to Switzerland. There are resorts at 1300 meters with ski areas till 2500 meters where you can find a one bedroom appartment for £40,000 to £50,000. Throw in a swiss mortgage @ 3.5% and it is not that expensive. For that you get reasonable snow conditions. Lots of property was developed in the 80s and has now moved to higher areas.

Soldintime

Cheers all

The lack of snow sureity was my first thought however sometimes this flux of uncertainty is a buying opportunity. For all we know global warming may somehow lead to more snow given the complex unpredictable nature of weather systems.

Thanks for the links Soldintime.

BTW, Lewis I tried to contact you as you asked but was unsucesfull. I did respond to an email you sent via this site but Im guessing it never arrived.

Soldintime - I was particularly drawn to the area know as w@nk!

Schoolboy mentality eh

You seem to misundertand even the nature. More snow that melts in 12 hours does not mean it is skiable...

Sorry mate, I haven't checked my e-mails for days. I'll be back in the saddle and ready to do the polite thing by this time next week. In the meantime I'm away from it all playing. Hope you understand.

i loved the 'Highlights' section...Germany's highest internet cafe.......and of course....W*nk did make me laugh