Jaap van 't Veen's photos with the keyword: sneeuw

Oberjoch is a small village in the municipality of Bad Hindelang. It has about 400 inhabitants. The village - situated at an altitude of more than 1.100 meters beneath the Iseler palteau - is one of the highest located ski resorts in Germany. Oberjoch is popular for skiing in winter, and in summer, many hikers and mountaineers visit the village. From Bad Hindelang one can reach Oberjoch through the Oberjochpass; with 106 bends, this road climbs an altitude difference of 300 metres. During our visit to Oberjoch, there was a constant struggle between the sun and the clouds. This provided atmospheric pictures.

The Seealpsee near Oberstdorf is a high mountain lake above the Oytal valley in the Allgäu Alps at an altitude of 1622 metres. The approximately 75,000 square metre lake drains into the Oybach via the Seebach and is located in the Daumengruppe on the southern slope of the Schattenberg ridge, which towers 200 metres above the lake. The idyllic, crystal-clear Seealpsee is considered being one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the Allgäu Alps. (Pictures taken from Zeigersattel)

Trettachtal (Trettach Valley) is one of Oberstdorf’s valleys, which are characterised by glacial drift from the latest ice age. The valley glaciers from the large side valleys gradually crept south, forming the scenery that is visible today. As the glaciers receded, watercourses formed the current valleys, among them the beautiful Trettachtal . The Trettach stream originates south of Oberstdorf near the Trettachspitze and is about 14 km long. North of Oberstdorf, the Trettach merges with the Breitach to form the river Iller. Nowadays the valley - almost car free - offers a more or less level, yet beautiful walk. We often made a round trip during our winter holidays in Oberstdorf. First following the river and passing the hamlets Gruben and Dietersberg, back along the golf course, the frozen Moorweiher and the historic Moorbad swimming pool.

The Hoher Ifen - also called Hochifen - is a 2.230 meters high summit of the Ifen plateau, which is part of the Allgäu Alps. It lies on the border between Austria and Germany and can only be accessed by road from Germany. Hoher Ifen is part of the European Watershed, where water is separated between the North Sea (Rhine River) and the Black Sea (Danube). This Dolomite-like rock formation with its steep walls is the natural landmark of the Kleinwalsertal. In winter the mountain plateau is an impressive backdrop for the Ifen ski area.

Trettachtal (Trettach Valley) is one of Oberstdorf’s valleys, which are characterised by glacial drift from the latest ice age. The valley glaciers from the large side valleys gradually crept south, forming the scenery that is visible today. As the glaciers receded, watercourses formed the current valleys, among them the beautiful Trettachtal. The Trettach stream originates south of Oberstdorf near the Trettachspitze and is about 14 km long. Nowadays the valley - almost car free - offers a more or less level, yet beautiful walk. We often made a round trip during our winter holidays in Oberstdorf. First following the river and passing the hamlets Gruben and Dietersberg, back along the golf course, the frozen Moorweiher and the historic Moorbad swimming pool. Winter 2024 Oberstdorf: This winter, everything was completely different. There was no snow at all to be seen and the high temperatures made it more spring than winter. It resulted in different pictures than 'normal' (see snow photo of around the same spot in PiP 5).

The Bärgunt-Hütte is an more than hundred years old alpine mountain cabin in the Bärgunt valley. It lies in a wonderful alpine landscape, directly at the foot of the mountain Grosser Widderstein in the Austrian Alps. The Bärgunt-Hütte - the oldest and largest alp in the Kleinwalsertal - is affiliated with an alpine cattle range with appx. 200 cows. Nowadays also a popular destination for hikers - in summer (PiP1) as well as in winter - who can enjoy the surrounding mountain scene from Grosser Widderstein to Walmendingerhorn (PiP2) on the sunny terrace of the mountain hut. The hut can be reached from the car park (1.220 m.) at the end of the dead-end-road through the Kleinwalsertal in Baad. The 2,5 km walking path follows the Bärgunt valley (PiP3) to the Bärgunt-Hütte at an altitude of 1.408 m.

The Hoher Ifen - also called Hochifen - is a 2.230 meters high summit of the Ifen plateau, which is part of the Allgäu Alps. It lies on the border between Austria and Germany and can only be accessed by road from Germany. Hoher Ifen is part of the European Watershed, where water is separated between the North Sea (Rhine River) and the Black Sea (Danube). This Dolomite-like rock formation with its steep walls is the natural landmark of the Kleinwalsertal. In winter the mountain plateau is an impressive backdrop for the Ifen ski area.

Kornau is a hamlet of Oberstdorf, which lies on a ridge between the Stillach and Breitach valleys. It delights with its magnificent postcard panorama of the Oberstdorf mountain world from the Rubihorn near Reichenbach to the Allgäu main ridge in the southern valleys. Kornau lies on an altitude of almost 915 meters - about hundred meters above Oberstdorf - on a sunny terrace. Although during our visit it was not very sunny, but grey and snowy. I took this picture from the path from Kornau to the Söllereck ski area.

Trettachtal (Trettach Valley) is one of Oberstdorf’s valleys, which are characterised by glacial drift from the latest ice age. The valley glaciers from the large side valleys gradually crept south, forming the scenery that is visible today. As the glaciers receded, watercourses formed the current valleys, among them the beautiful Trettachtal. The Trettach stream originates south of Oberstdorf near the Trettachspitze and is about 14 km long. Nowadays the valley - almost car free - offers a more or less level, yet beautiful walk. We often made a round trip during our winter holidays in Oberstdorf. First following the river and passing the hamlets Gruben and Dietersberg, back along the golf course, the frozen Moorweiher and the historic Moorbad swimming pool.

In the past Kleinwalsertal had twelve covered bridges, but nowadays there are just three left of these monuments of carpentry. The Höfler bridge - near Mittelberg - is one of them and with a length of 33 meters the longest. The main reason for the roof of the bridges was certainly to protect the stringers from the weather. Originally the Höfler bridge is dating back to 1891, but fell victim to a devastating avalanche in 1907. The bridge was erected for a second time in spring of that year. In the valley of the river Breitach (PiP3) there were in the 1950’s eleven covered bridges. Wooden bridges with their shingle roofs were often torn away by avalanche or flood disasters. So also the Höflerbrücke, which was washed away by the Breitach in August 2005. Unlike others - replaced by more modern structures - it was replaced by a new wooden covered bridge.

Söllereck is family friendly ski area offering easy and intermediate ski runs with a total of 12 km of slopes. It has one cable car and four ski-lifts. At the base station is a large area for children. The Söllereck ski area is situated between the elevations of 1.000 and 1.450 m. The area is well known for its winter hiking trails. The main picture shows the view from the top of the Schrattenwanglift (1.450 m) looking down to Oberstdorf and the valley of the river Iller. The PiP shows the main down hill slope, which has a length of almost 2.800 m.

The Fellhorn/Kanzelwand ski area is located on the border between Germany and Austria. It has fourteen cable cars and lifts with a total of thirty-six kilometers of slopes. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 920 and 1.967 m. The main picture shows the view from the Obere Geren-Piste nearby the mountain station of the Fellhornbahn into Kleinwalsertal (Austria).

Snow fence on the slopes of Schwarzköpfle, a 2.300 meters high mountain peak in the Silvretta Montafon ski area.

View from the trail from Hörnerbahn mountain station to Berghaus Schwaben into the Valley of the River Iller nearby Oberstdorf.

View from terrace of the summit restaurant at the Walmendingerhorn (1950 m - PiP1) towards the Muttelberg ski area (PiP 2) and the Austrian and Swiss Alps. On the left hand side the glass panorama lift. (This breathtaking panorama is a stitch of four pictures.)

Oytal is a valley in the south of Oberstdorf and gets its name from the river Oybach. The valley is situated on an altitude of 1.000 meters. In the winter it ‘ends’ at the Berggasthof Oytalhaus, about 5 km’s from Oberstdorf. Besides walking and cycling (summer), one can take a carriage ride through this beautiful valley. Characteristic for the Oy valley is the avenue, lined with numerous mount maples, with a length of more than 1 km.

The Hoher Ifen - also called Hochifen - is a 2.230 meters high summit of the Ifen plateau, which is part of the Allgäu Alps and located just west of the Kleinwalsertal. It lies on the border between Austria and Germany and can only be accessed by road from Germany (Bavaria). Hoher Ifen is part of the European Watershed, where water is separated between the North Sea (Rhine River) and the Black Sea (Danube). Although not that high Hoher Ifen is a prominent landmark of this part of Austria and can be seen from everywhere in Kleinwalsertal. In winter the mountain plateau is an impressive backdrop for the Ifen ski area. Main picture was taken from the Schäfalp ski slope and the PiP’s from a footpath from Söllereck to Riezlern in Kleinwalsertal.

Part of the ski region Silvretta Montafon (former Silvretta Nova), with its 140 km's of ski runs it is one of the biggest areas of Austria. Picture: looking towards 'Nova Stoba' from 'Valisera Hüsli'