A unique southern feel at German ski resorts

German ski resorts are not necessarily the first you would think of if you were asked to name a few. But places like Oberammergau, Lenggries, Willingen and Oberstdorf are known for a unique southern German feel. Then there's Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which plays host to world-class ski competitions.

Germany has only hosted the Winter Olympics once. It was at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 1936 when the Nazis were in power. Garmisch has also hosted two Alpine World Ski Championships and since 1952 has shared the Four Hills Tournament with Oberstdorf and the Austrian resorts of Innsbruck and Bischofshofen. This is German ski jumper Martin Schmitt in flight.

In 1978, when Germany's Maria Epple won the women's slalom at the Alpine World Ski Championships at Garmisch-Partenkirchen, she did it dressed in a way that no professional skier would dare dress today…

…most professional skiers wouldn't dare enter a competition without a helmet. Then there is all the advertising that many athletes wear on their ski clothes, plus padding, goggles and other equipment. But for Canada's Lyndon Rush and his team mates, head protection would have been the main concern at this Bobsleigh World Cup at Altenberg, near Berlin.

Of course, skiing isn't just for professional athletes. And in fact, ski resorts aren't just for skiers. A lot of people go for a holiday, to breathe the alpine air, or to go paragliding, like this person at Berchtesgaden. Once more famous as the location of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler's mountain retreat, Berchtesgaden is now one of Germany's most popular ski destinations.

Even up against world class resorts in France, Austria, Switzerland and Norway, Germany is becoming a real draw card during the European ski season. But it's hard work skiing all day, so you might need to take time out from the piste. This beautiful sun deck is at Fellhorn bei Oberstdorf.

It's always good to have something to read with you. At Lenggries, 60 passengers were stuck for hours in these gondolas while engineers tried to repair the cable car system in 2010. Luckily, all passengers were rescued without injury. But incidents like this do happen occasionally. In 2011, twenty passengers at Mount Tegelberg had to be rescued when a paraglider collided with the cables.

Although Willingen is another of Germany's popular ski resorts, there's no accounting for what the weather might do. And sometimes the snow doesn't fall as you might expect. Here in Willingen, these skiers were the first to enjoy the winter sun... on artificial snow at the start of the season in December.

Okay, so that big light isn't the moon, but you get the idea… this was taken at Kanzelwand during a shoot by the photographer Mathias Kessler. Kessler wanted to convey the unique and sculpture-like effect that nature can have in the ski regions of southern Germany. Author: Zulfikar Abbany Editor: Joanna Impey