Why head for the mountains when winter sports can be enjoyed right here?
Popular winter sports locations in Bavaria tend to conjure up visions of pristine alpine pistes against a Christmas-card backdrop—hardly surprising given the slew of ski resorts, slopes and cross-country trails between Lake Constance and Berchtesgaden. Yet a winter fitness fix doesn’t always have to start and finish bumper to bumper on the Autobahn. When it comes to winter sports close to the city, Munich and its hinterland offer many attractions more commonly associated with Oberammergau or Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Take, for example, the Olympic Park, with its attractive ice-skating, curling and snowboarding facilities.Originally a boxing arena in the 1972 Olympic Games, the park’s stadium houses one of the largest ice-skating centers in Europe, with 600 seats and an ice rink measuring 60 x 30 m. It’s also the home of local ice-hockey heroes, the Munich Barons. A training hall and pavilion offer further facilities where skaters can glide and groove to hot sounds over the ice. Special theme sessions include “Rock ’n’ Pop Power” (Mondays), “Beats and Bytes Party” (Fridays) and “All Time Classics” (Saturdays). Rounding off the special program are “After-work Ice Skating” and “International Ice Skating.” The Olympia Park also offers ice-skating classes for all ages and family skating. Skating gear is available for rent.
Snowboard sport fans need look no further than the Olympic Park for top piste action. While lacking the traditional alpine atmosphere, Munich’s Olympic Mountain serves both as toboggan slope and host of the Snowboard World Cup, which last winter attracted over 5,000 fans. Look out for the Cup 2002 this coming February. As soon as temperatures drop below zero, the “Nymphemburger Schlosskanal” transforms into a popular outdoor ice-skating piste with a palatial backdrop. For more al fresco skating free of charge, check out the Kleinhesseloher Lake in the Englischer Garten. The Ostpark, meanwhile, boasts both an indoor and outdoor (400 m) arena. To discover more about the traditional Bavarian game of Eisstockschiessen (ice-stick shooting) call in at the Ostpark rink on Tuesday evenings, when local clubs practice. Two more man-made ice rinks are the Kunsteisenbahn West and Prinzregentenstadion. The latter is currently under renovation, with the new rink scheduled to open on December 22, 2001. A word of warning, however: full facilities such as changing rooms and showers will not be ready until next season.
With around 50 km of cross-country ski trails, known as Loipen , in and around Munich, the city is a haven for Langlauf enthusiasts. There are a total of 11 two-track trails—the longest of which run through the Isarauen Süd (12 km) and the Perlacher Forst (10 km). The most central trail runs straight through the Englischer Garten. Two trails, the Fasaneriesee and Sendlinger Wald, are even floodlit in the evenings (until around 10 pm). For the Loipen to open, there must be a good, firm blanket of snow (approx. 10–15 cm). For details, including bus and S-Bahn links (all trails can be reached by public transport), call the Umwelttelefon (see Further Information).
Though Germany boasts no less than 11 alpine ski areas, the prettiest and most challenging (Allgäu and Upper Bavaria) both lie within a two-hour Autobahn drive from Munich. The nearest ski slopes are 50 km due south, at Blomberg (1,248 m), known as Munich’s “Hausberg,” while the center offers 5 km of ski and snowboarding pistes, Blomberg’s major selling point is the 5-km natural toboggan run. Just down the road is Bad Tölz with its ice stadium, home to the EC Bad Tölz, twice-over winners of the German ice hockey championships. There’s also the opportunity to skate on natural ice on Tölz’s Isarpromenade. Finally, for a totally different winter-sports experience, such as snowshoe touring, snowshoe tobogganing or ice climbing, various outdoor organizations, “Hydroalpin” and “Montevia” (based in Bad Tölz and Kochel am See, respectively), to name two, organize guided day tours.
For more demanding skiing, try Brauneck (1,556 m) some 10 km further south of Tölz. The resort is regarded as schneesicher (snow sure) and can normally guarantee snow between December and Easter. The Brauneck region offers 30 km of alpine pistes catering for all proficiency levels, including the legendary Garlandhang—not quite as steep as its reputation but invariably icy and only recommended for the experienced skier. There’s also a 1.5-km toboggan run at Lengries (Milchhäusl Wegscheid) offering flood-lit sledding. Add to this 110 km of cross-country ski runs in the “Isarwinkel” and you have a favorite Münchner winter-sport haunt. Beware of weekends, though, as the slopes can become quite crowded!
Just 80 minutes by train from Munich lies another popular ski and snowboarding center—Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Home of the annual World Cup Race, the former Winter Olympics host (1936) spans four ski areas with excellent snow conditions from November to May. To experience Germany’s highest ski area on the country’s highest mountain, make for the Zugspitze (2,963 m). At 2,830 m, the mountain’s wide glacier offers bowls and steep runs outside the groomed ski area, a challenge to all powder buffs and fans of ungroomed terrain. For snowboarders there’s a fun park and half-pipe alongside the glacier lake. Garmisch-Partenkirchen is also home of the Olympia-Eissport-Zentrum. Top crowd-pullers here are the World Championships in curling and Eisstockschiessen —not forgetting the famous Kandahar, where the world’s best ski jumpers battle it out at the start of every year. Wherever you go skiing, it makes sense to check out conditions beforehand either on the Internet live cam or the televised “Alpenpanorama” (3Sat or Bayern).
To unwind after an invigorating day out in the snow or on the ice, try one of the many “wellness” facilities in and around Munich. “Wellness” is a misused Anglicanism and a byword for health and beauty. It is often associated with massage treatment, saunas and whirlpools, such as those at the Olympic Park. With a choice of five pools, these are the waters (reputedly the fastest in the world) in which Mark Spitz swam his way to fame, fortune and seven gold medals. The Schwimmhalle is open daily for leisure swimming and also hosts classes in ski and fitness gymnastics (Tuesdays). Check out the center’s 900-square-meter “Sauna Paradise,” replete with steam grotto and outside sauna.
The Müllersches Volksbad, just opposite the Deutsches Museum, offers an equally unforgettable experience. Built in classic Art Nouveau style, the 100-year-old pools—one small, the other large—make for an elegant bathing environment. There’s also the Römisch-Irische Schwitzbad (steam bath) in which bathers hop between hot and cold pools into cabins of diverse temperatures.
For families with young children, a number of out-of-town waterparks offer excellent winter recreation. A short S-Bahn (S6) ride from Munich is the “Thermen Erding.” Embedded in a tropical paradise with real-life palms up to 12 m high, the thermal waters and sauna landscape are covered by the largest openable glass ball in Europe. One brand-new attraction this winter is the “Solarstollen,” a sauna built in the style of a mine shaft and filled with iodized vapor. Another popular waterpark is “Alpamare” in Bad Tölz, with the very first indoor surfing complex in Europe. For more après-ski-type fun, including a poolside view of Herzogstand mountain, try “Trimini” on Kochelsee.
Though clearly no competition for the likes of Garmisch in terms of winter sports at all altitudes, the Munich catchment area, nonetheless, offers a good selection of traditional winter recreation. And with some mountain resorts less than an hour’s drive away, not even die-hard snow fans need forgo the ultimate alpine sports thrill.
further information:
Ice skating:
Olympiapark Tel. (089) 30 67 21 50
Spiridon-Louis-Ring 21
www.olympiapark-muenchen.de
(also in English)
Ostpark Tel. (089) 63 01 91 45
Staudingerstr. 17
Prinzregentenstadion Tel. (089) 23 61 50
Prinzregentenstr. 80
Alpine skiing:
The “Classic Garmisch-Partenkirchen” ski pass (€ 26/21) is valid for all 28 ski transportation facilities on the Wank-, Eckbauer-, Kreuzeck- and Alpspitz mountains (totaling 55 kilometers of ski terrain). Alternatively, the “Zugspitz-Tagespass,” at DM 90/63 (weekends/public holidays) and DM 79/56 (workdays), includes train travel, a day pass for the Zugspitzplatt as well as accident and baggage insurance.
Ski gear is available for rent in all the resorts with the lowest daily/weekly rates, including skis and boots at around DM 15/90 (downhill), DM 12/60 (cross-country) and DM 30 (snowboard). Five-day skiing courses cost around DM 150.
www.garmisch.de
tourist-info@garmisch-partenkirchen.de
Live cam/information in English:
www.wintersportinfo.com
Cross-country skiing:
For information on the snow conditions on cross-country trails around Munich, call (089) 23 32 66 66 or pick up a free map at the Umweltladen, Am Rinderberg.
Winter-sports organizers:
www.hydroalpin.de, www.montevia.de
Waterparks:
“Therme Erding” Tel. (08122) 22 99 22
Thermenallee 1, Erding
www.therme-erding.de
“Alpamare” Tel. (08041) 786 70
Ludwigsstr. 13, Bad Tölz
www.alpamare.de
“Trimini” Tel. (08851) 53 00
Seestr. 2, Kochel am See
www.trimini.de
The Stadtinformation at the Rathaus circulates a useful information brochure on all sports clubs, keep-fit trails etc. in Munich. New copy out in January.
