With all that's on offer in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, it's no surprise that the town is actually two. Garmisch and Partenkirchen were once two separate market towns and both offer charming historical centres, a wealth of culture and plenty of good old-fashioned Bavarian hospitality amid scenic surroundings. Together they form the number one winter sports venue in Germany.

When people in Germany think of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the first thing that springs to mind is winter sports: seven months of snow, 60 kilometres of pistes, pristine slopes and Germany's only glacial ski area – the resort offers the very best conditions for winter sports enthusiasts. There are slopes suitable for skiers of all abilities, and the region has become a hot spot for international snowboarders and freeriders. Olympic venues, the famous Kandahar run for Super G and downhill events, and New Year ski jumping at the world's most modern ski jump: Garmisch-Partenkirchen is quite simply a mecca for winter sports. But don't forget that this picturesque town is also a first-class climatic health resort throughout the year, the perfect place to unwind, pamper yourself and enjoy life's little pleasures. Also an experience at any time of year is the Partnachklamm gorge, a geological wonder that turns any walk into an adventure. On top of the world: Mount Zugspitze At 2,962 metres, the Zugspitze is Germany's highest peak and a fabulous destination for nature lovers, sun worshippers, walkers and skiers. You don't even need to be an expert mountaineer to reach the summit: starting at Lake Eibsee, the Zugspitzbahn cog railway chugs its way through the mountains for twelve kilometres, negotiating a staggering 25 per cent gradient in places. When you reach the top, a breathtaking vista across the Alps unfolds before you. Mount Zugspitze even has something for art lovers. Since 1995 there has been a spacious, light-flooded gallery covering 450 square metres of the mountain and offering magnificent panoramic views – a fantastic stage for works by important modern artists. Great art at an altitude of almost 3,000 metres: the world has never seen anything like it.
Strolling, shopping and sampling the nightlife
Once back in the town, a walk along historical Ludwigstrasse at the heart of Partenkirchen makes for a pleasant interlude. This chic, elegant boulevard is ideal for shopping, strolling or just sauntering along. Exclusive stores for an exclusive clientele rub shoulders with traditional Alpine inns and first-class restaurants. After a day's shopping, why not sample Garmisch-Partenkirchen's vibrant nightlife? The friendly bars, clubs and discos are often buzzing until the early hours, or in the casino you could try your luck at roulette, blackjack and poker.

Driving along the German Alpine Road is an amazing movie-style experience. Welcome to a 450km winding tour through the majestic panorama of the Bavarian Alps, from Lindau on Lake Constance to Berchtesgaden on Lake Königssee.

This grande dame of Germany's scenic routes runs through the spectacular Alpine foothills of southern Bavaria. With Mother Nature acting both as stage designer and director, the slogan 'every mile – a smile' couldn't be more apt. This stunningly scenic Alpine Road is simply littered with treasures: 21 mountain lakes, 25 castles, palaces and abbeys, more than 60 spa resorts and several hundred peaks – not to mention the charming villages with their baroque, onion-domed churches, and a host of bridges, viaducts, tunnels and mountain passes. The panoramic Alpine views are shown to their best advantage in this region bustling with merry musicians, where beer gardens and traditional inns serve tankards of Bavaria's finest and customs are woven into the very fabric of local life. The route also makes for some fantastic drives. You don't have to be a mountaineer to be passionate about the Alps. They are also a paradise for active holidaymakers or for those simply seeking a relaxing break. Winter sports enthusiasts, culture aficionados and wellness fans will also be in their element, along with nature-loving hikers. The route boasts an exhilarating palette of sights, scenery and places to visit, with a myriad of tempting stopping-off points.

The Zugspitze is one of the most famous mountain peaks in the Alps. Measuring 2,962m, it is not only Germany's highest mountain, but also one of the most popular destinations for visitors from all over the world.

There is a 360° panoramic view from the top and in good weather more than 400 peaks in surrounding Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy can be seen. Walks high among the Alps where the ice never melts, summer and winter toboggan rides on natural snow and the fact that is easily accessible by two cable cars and a rack-railway make the Zugspitze an ideal mountain destination.

We led the first successful guided expedition up Mount Foraker in 1980. The Southeast Ridge is one of the finest alpine routes in the Alaska Range. The route involves steep snow climbing, interspersed with ice pitches and exposed, cornice ridges. All this makes for very spectacular and scenic climbing. Unfortunately, changing conditions on the route have kept us from attempting it in recent years.
In the spring of 1996 we began leading climbers up the most popular line on Mount Foraker, the Sultana or Northeast Ridge. It is a longer route than the Southeast Ridge but harbors less objective hazards. This is a challenging route with a big summit day that demands respect.
We fly into the Southeast fork of the Kahiltna Glacier and set forth across the Kahiltna proper to make our base camp at the base of 12,800’ Mount Crossen. A steep entrance gulley leads to a snowy ridge that climbs to a dramatic camp perched high above the Kahiltna Glacier. Above this camp, steeper steps of snow and ice are encountered as we climb up and over Mount Crossen to make Camp 2. The long ridge line that connects Crossen with Mount Foraker presents climbers with a mix of steep steps, wild cornices and knife-edged ridges. Summit day is a physically challenging ascent of the sublime Northeast Ridge, negotiating crevasses and continuously steep cramponing. This route should only be considered by very fit climbers with solid crampon and ice axe technique.

A dramatic and awe-inspiring feature documentary following three of the world’s greatest ski mountaineers to the Mount St. Elias in their attempt to realize the longest ski descent of the world.
Set against the backdrop of Alaska’s dangerous beauty, Mount St. Elias is about a visionary borderline experience where unparalleled physical and mental pressure pushes them to the absolute limit. They find themselves in puristic situations, in which heroism cannot easily be distinguished from folly. Situations which can only be mastered if reason is supposedly abandoned and in which courage as well as trust in their own abilities and last but not least luck are used as guidelines.

Two Austrian ski mountaineers Axel Naglich and Peter Ressmann as well as the American freeski mountaineer Jon Jonhston are facing this breathtaking challenge! A team with individual abilities, but also a team of leaders, knowing they literally cannot survive without teamwork and cooperation. Especially Axel Naglich, he unconsciously takes the role of the protagonist due to his charismatic and authentic personality and, within the permanent struggle not against nature but against himself, polarizes as a strong character.

A movie about men who accept mountains as a challenge. A process whose vision becomes a real adventure. Men who, formed by their origins, want to experience their passion as intensively as possible and above all want to survive.

Mount McKinley, also called Denali,  highest peak in North America. It is located near the centre of the Alaska Range, with two summits rising above the Denali Fault in south-central Alaska, U.S. Its official elevation figure of 20,320 feet (6,194 metres) was established in the early 1950s. Subsequent attempts to measure the mountain’s height have yielded different values. One such survey, conducted in 2010 using advanced radar technology, was made public in September 2013 and gave McKinley’s elevation as 20,237 feet (6,168 metres). However, that measurement remained unofficial.

The Alaska Range is the largest mountain chain in Alaska. It curves across south central Alaska for 400 miles, from the Alaska Peninsula to the Yukon Territory. The mountains trap a great deal of moisture moving northwards from the Gulf of Alaska, thus producing tremendous amounts of rain and heavy snowfall. This great amount of precipitation gives rise to many large glaciers, including the Canwell, Castner, Black Rapids, Susitna, Yanert, Muldrow, Eldridge, Ruth, Tokositna, and Kahiltna Glaciers.
There are four major rivers that cut through the range — they are the Delta, the Nenana, the Nabesna and Chisana. Large areas of the range are protected in many national parks and preserves, including Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Denali National Park and Preserve, and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve.
The Alaska Pipeline runs through parts of the range, parallel to the Richardson Highway.
The range was given the name of "Alaska Range" in 1869 by naturalist W. H. Dall. Its highest peak, Mount McKinley (Denali), is the highest point in North America at 20,320 ft (6,194 m.). Denali is one of the seven summits and a very popular, although very harsh, mountain to climb. Its slopes are covered by several hundred large glaciers, and temperatures on the upper slopes never rise above 0° F.

The Cascades are a chain of mountains that extend from northern California through western Oregon and Washington State, into southern British Columbia. The mountains are made up of lava and volcanic materials. Many of the peaks are extinct volcanoes, although Lassen Peak and Mount St. Helens are the only active volcanoes in the United States outside of Alaska and Hawaii.
Mount Rainier (14,411 ft; 4,392 m.) in Washington and Mount Shasta (14,179 ft; 4,322 m.) in northern California, are the highest peaks in the range. Other peaks include Mount Adams (12,281 ft; 3,743 m.) in Washington and Mount Hood (11,249 ft; 3,429 m.) in Oregon.
Rainfall is heavy on the western side of the mountains, but the mountains near Mazama and east are much drier. Streams have cut deep valleys into the mountainsides, which are covered with heavy forests of fir and pine. Many rivers cut through the range, including the Columbia River, and beautiful turquoise blue glacial lakes are found here.
I have spent many weeks hiking, climbing and camping in these mountains, and to date this range is one of the most beautiful mountain places I've ever visited. I haven't seen "Bigfoot" yet, but have enjoyed some great times on Mt. Baker (10,781 ft; 3,286 m.), Mt. Shuksan (9,131 ft; 2,783 m.), the temperate rainforest and other areas. So be sure to check them out if you ever have a chance.