Snowboarding in Thuringia: ski areas, season and courses

Snowboarding in Thuringia: the essentials

In Thuringia you snowboard mainly in the Thuringian Forest, on small to mid-sized slopes between roughly 530 and 900 metres above sea level. The largest ski area is Silbersattel in Steinach with 4.5 km of pistes. The Fallbachhang in Oberhof is especially good for beginners: an 800-metre easy run with a chairlift, a magic carpet in the practice area, a snow park and snowmaking. According to skiresort.de, Thuringia has 17 ski areas with around 21 km of pistes and 26 lifts in total.

• Season: Lifts usually run from December to March. How long depends on the snow – these are low mountains, not the Alps.
• For beginners: Fallbachhang in Oberhof, Heubach in Masserberg and Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig have easy runs. Learn2Ride snowboard school teaches at the Fallbachhang.
• For advanced riders: Silbersattel in Steinach has the longest and steepest runs. There are snow parks in Oberhof and Heubach.
• Learning: One full day in the snowboard basic course is enough for most beginners to make controlled turns on their own and to stop.

Where can you snowboard in Thuringia?

Almost all ski areas in Thuringia are in the Thuringian Forest and the neighbouring Thuringian Highlands, with a few slopes in the Rhön. Most are small family and practice slopes with a single drag lift. For a day of snowboarding, the areas in the table are the ones worth the trip: they have more than one run or a chairlift, practice areas or a snow park.

Ski area	Altitude	Pistes	Lifts	Good for
Silbersattel, Steinach	590–842 m	4.5 km	5, including a chairlift	all levels, longest runs
Fallbachhang, Oberhof	718–835 m	0.8 km	chairlift, magic carpet	beginners, snow park
Heubach, Masserberg	678–768 m	2.3 km	3	beginners to advanced, fun park
Inselsberg, Bad Tabarz	715–896 m	2.2 km	1	easy and intermediate runs
Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig	740–883 m	2 km	1	beginners, floodlit run
Ersteberg, Masserberg	730–830 m	0.7 km	1	beginners

Fallbachhang in Oberhof

The Fallbachhang is Oberhof’s downhill slope, right next to the bobsleigh and luge track. The run is about 800 metres long and easy all the way down; a four-seater chairlift takes you up. At the bottom there is a flat practice area with a magic carpet, plus a snow park with boxes, rails and kickers that was built by local snowboarders. A snowmaking system helps when natural snow is short. That makes it ideal for your first days on a board: you practise on the gentle slope and ride the whole run once you can turn.

Silbersattel in Steinach

Silbersattel near Steinach in the district of Sonneberg is the largest ski area in Thuringia: 4.5 km of pistes over 252 metres of vertical, of which 2.5 km are easy, 1.5 km intermediate and 0.5 km difficult. A chairlift goes up the Fellberg, plus drag lifts and a beginner lift. If you can already turn confidently and want longer runs, this is the place.

Masserberg: Heubach and Ersteberg

Masserberg has two areas. On the Höheberg in Heubach you will find 2.3 km of pistes, a drag lift, a beginner lift, a magic carpet, a fun park and snowmaking. The Ersteberg is smaller: one drag lift and 0.7 km of mostly easy pistes.

Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig

Winterwelt Schmiedefeld lies on the Großer Eisenberg right on the Rennsteig trail. A floodlit drag lift serves about 2 km of easy and intermediate pistes. There is no snowmaking here, so the area only opens when there is enough natural snow.

Inselsberg and smaller slopes

On the Großer Inselsberg near Bad Tabarz, one lift serves 2.2 km of pistes with up to 181 metres of vertical. There are also many small one-lift slopes, for example the Pappenheimer Berg in Ernstthal (Lauscha), the Salzberg in Goldlauter (Suhl), the Lindenberg in Ilmenau and the Seimberg in Brotterode. They are fine for an afternoon nearby, less so for a full learning day with a course.

Snow conditions and season

Thuringian ski areas usually open in December and close in March. Because they lie between roughly 530 and 900 metres, snow conditions vary a lot from winter to winter. Areas with snowmaking, such as the Fallbachhang in Oberhof, Silbersattel and Heubach, can open even in weeks with little snow; slopes without snowmaking need a complete natural snow cover.

How much snow is on the Fallbachhang right now is shown on our webcams with live snow depth. Our courses can be booked from November to March. If the slope cannot be used, we move your course free of charge or refund it, and we contact you ourselves.

Getting to Oberhof

Oberhof is on the A71 motorway between Erfurt and Schweinfurt, exit 18 “Oberhof”. From the north you can also take the A4, exit 42 “Gotha”. Our courses meet at the Fallbachhang, Alte Ohrdrufer Straße 6a, 98559 Oberhof, at the course rental. You can park at the slope. How to get there by train and bus is on our directions page, and if you are staying overnight, see where to stay in Oberhof.

Learning to snowboard in Thuringia

Learn2Ride snowboard school has been teaching at the Fallbachhang in Oberhof since 2010, following DSLV guidelines and snowboard only. Courses start from zero and are for children, teenagers and explicitly for adults too. Lessons are in German and in English on request. The courses at a glance (prices per person, as of October 2026):

• Snowboard basic course – €149 (€159 in school holidays): a full day of about six hours including a lunch break of about 45 minutes, from age 8, in a group of 4 or more.
• Snowboard beginner course – €109: the morning of the basic course, about 2.5 hours. You can extend it to the full day on site.
• Private lesson – €349 for one person, €249 per person for two: 2.5 hours of one-to-one coaching, any day of the season, lift pass included.
• Mini Boarder course – €99 (€109 in school holidays): one hour for children from age 3, with an accompanying adult.

The basic and beginner courses run at weekends, every day in February and on many extra days during the Christmas and winter holidays; the booking calendar shows which days are available, and the course schedule explains how a course day runs. To give a course as a present, use a gift voucher – the date is chosen later. What you practise when learning is explained in our guide Learn to snowboard. We do not teach skiing; for that there is our partner ski school in Oberhof.

Equipment and rental

You do not need to buy anything for your first days. When booking a course you can add a complete package of board with bindings, boots and helmet for €40 per person and course day; it comes from the rental shop Germina Sportwelt Oberhof and is ready at the meeting point. For the Mini Boarder course the school provides the children’s equipment itself, €25 for the full set. Your own board is fine too, as long as it is waxed and the edges are in good shape.

Wear a waterproof winter jacket and snow trousers, warm gloves (not woollen ones), ski socks, goggles or sunglasses, and several thin layers underneath. If you buy your own board later, the snowboard size calculator gives you the right length and the snowboard buying guide has the rest.

Frequently asked questions about snowboarding in Thuringia

Where can you snowboard in Thuringia?

Mainly in the Thuringian Forest. The largest areas are Silbersattel in Steinach (4.5 km of pistes), Heubach in Masserberg (2.3 km), Inselsberg near Bad Tabarz (2.2 km), Schmiedefeld am Rennsteig (2 km) and the Fallbachhang in Oberhof (0.8 km, with a snow park).

Which is the largest ski area in Thuringia?

Silbersattel in Steinach, with 4.5 km of pistes between 590 and 842 metres, a chairlift and five lifts in total.

Where is the best place to learn snowboarding in Thuringia?

On an easy slope with a flat practice area and a snowboard school on site. The Fallbachhang in Oberhof has both: a practice area with a magic carpet and Learn2Ride snowboard school, which has taught there since 2010.

When is the season in Thuringia?

Usually from December to March, depending on the snow. Areas with snowmaking, such as the Fallbachhang in Oberhof, can open even in weeks with little snow.

Is there a snow park in Thuringia?

Yes. The Fallbachhang in Oberhof has a snow park with boxes, rails and kickers, and Heubach (Masserberg) has a fun park. Whether the features are set up depends on the snow.

How much does a snowboard course in Thuringia cost?

At Learn2Ride in Oberhof, the full-day basic course costs €149 per person (€159 in school holidays) and the half-day beginner course €109. Rental equipment is added as a package for €40 per course day (as of October 2026).

Can I rent a snowboard in Thuringia?

Yes. In Oberhof you can rent a board with bindings, boots and a helmet from Germina Sportwelt Oberhof; with our courses you book the package for €40 per course day right away, and it is ready at the meeting point.

From what age can you learn to snowboard?

Our basic and beginner courses are from age 8, the Mini Boarder course from age 3 with an accompanying adult. There is no upper limit; many people only learn to snowboard as adults.

Sources: altitudes, piste lengths and lifts according to skiresort.de; details on the Fallbachhang according to oberhof.de; snowmaking and floodlight in Schmiedefeld according to schneehoehen.de. As of October 2026. Opening times and lift prices change every season – please check with the operator.