3D ski touring map Germany

What the map shows

Forest, roads, tracks and paths

Forest (green), roads, farm and forest tracks and paths from OpenStreetMap (via OpenFreeMap). Paths and tracks appear from a medium zoom level. The lines show the mapped course, not whether a path is tracked, cleared or passable in winter.

Lifts and car parks

Cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts and drag lifts from a medium zoom level, with names when zoomed in – only their position, not whether a lift is running. 17,930 car parks within the Alpine part of the map (blue “P”). Car parks: publicly accessible entries from OpenStreetMap (private, customer and residents' car parks and garages left out) – incomplete and not official. Check access, fees, parking rules and winter clearing on site.

Huts and bivouacs

478 huts and 125 bivouacs or self-catering huts within the map, with names when zoomed in. Huts and bivouacs: entries from OpenStreetMap – incomplete, not official. Check with the operator or the Alpine club in advance whether a hut is open or has an open winter room.

Summit names and wildlife feeding sites

1,016 named summits from 1,000 m with the elevation recorded in OpenStreetMap; when zooming out, the main summits remain. 391 wildlife feeding sites recorded in OpenStreetMap – these entries are very incomplete; missing points do not mean there is no feeding site.

Slope angle and north-facing slopes

Yellow marks slopes of 30 to 34°, orange 35 to 39° and red 40° and more. Slope angle calculated from a public terrain model. For this region the data provider only has coarser elevation models (EU-DEM or SRTM, about 30 m) – much coarser than the 10 m model in Austria. Steep steps, gullies and cornices are often missing or look flatter; the actual slope can be considerably steeper. No clearance and no assessment of avalanche danger. Blue: north-facing slopes (N, NE, NW) of 30° and more, calculated from the terrain model.

Measure distance and elevation profile

With “Measure distance” you tap points along your planned line on the map. Below it the elevation profile appears with length, ascent and descent in metres, highest point and the steepest calculated terrain slope. Elevations come straight from the terrain model, without the map's 3D exaggeration. The profile is coloured by the slope of the terrain at each point (30–34°, 35–39°, 40° and more), not by the gradient of the line – a flat traverse through a steep slope therefore shows as steep. Slopes above and beside the line are not assessed. There is deliberately no walking time, because it depends on the conditions, no download and no saving. The values are guidance for preparation, not a clearance.

Wildlife rest and protection areas

325 forest and wildlife protection areas of the German Alpine Club, published by the DAV as a recommendation (yellow), and 2 for which its data states an entry ban (red). Tap an area for period, rule and source – period and rule appear as they are in the publishers' data. The periods repeat every year; the map calculates daily from the stated period whether an area applies today (pale = not in force today according to the period). Periods tied to events such as Easter or lift operating times remain undetermined.

Shown are the forest and wildlife protection areas of the German Alpine Club (DAV) with their periods – mostly published as a recommendation; two areas state an entry ban in the data. In Bavaria there are also legally binding closed areas under another name: wildlife protection areas under the Bavarian Hunting Act, designated by the district office (for example Rotwand with an entry ban from 1 December to 14 July), and access rules in individual nature reserve ordinances. There is no open statewide dataset for these, so they are missing from the map – missing areas do not mean no bans apply there. Check with the district office and the signs before the tour. Protection zones in our 3D maps: Austria only Tyrol and Vorarlberg, Germany the DAV forest and wildlife protection areas in Bavaria (without the statutory wildlife protection areas of the district offices), Switzerland the wildlife rest zones of the cantons with freely usable data. For Italy, France and the other Austrian states we have not found open data we may show.

Ski touring routes (optional)

Two separate layers, both switched off when the map opens and only visible when zoomed in: 10,696 ski touring routes from swisstopo, created with the Swiss Alpine Club SAC, in Switzerland and the neighbouring border areas (turquoise) – according to swisstopo checked for wildlife compatibility by the cantonal hunting authorities and updated every year; according to the dataset, some border routes come from DAV, ÖAV and AVS, the Petzl Foundation / Skitourenguru or topo.verlag. Plus 1,797 ski touring routes from OpenStreetMap in the Alpine area (pink) – entries by volunteers, unchecked and incomplete. Tap a route for name, destination, source and disclaimer; “Analyse in elevation profile & slope check” hands the line to the elevation profile with calculated terrain slope. No walking times and no GPX download.

All route lines serve solely as a digital frame of orientation while preparing at home. They are neither an official route clearance nor a recommendation by BACKLINE. In high mountains in winter there are no fixed paths – avalanche conditions, snowpack and visibility on site decide where the track actually goes. Missing lines do not mean a tour is impossible or not allowed there; existing lines do not mean a route is passable or allowed.

Avalanche conditions

The map shows no danger levels. You find the current official bulletins on our avalanche bulletin map (page in German, bulletins available in English). Read the complete original bulletin of the warning service before every tour.

More 3D ski touring maps: Alps, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, France.