BETWEEN SEASONS: WINTER MAGIC IN GERMANY
Bells keep on jingling in Germany long past Christmas. They warn cross-country skiers, winter hikers and people on a snowshoe outing that others are having fun on a horse-drawn sleigh ride. The months of January, February and March hold special delights for visitors, whether they embrace winter’s magic as downhill skiers, snowboarders, skaters and curlers or by straddling a nostalgic wooden sled.
Germany’s winter resorts long ago developed snow sport facilities and winter
attractions on par with the best. In the Alps, along the country’s southern
border, the slopes of its highest peak, the Zugspitze (2,962m), provide the
steepest downhill run, while the resort town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen
boasts Germany’s most challenging one, and nearby Mittenwald holds the
record for the longest downhill run.
Snowboarders wouldn’t want to miss Germany’s highest half pipe, at 2,600
metres in the Zugspitze terrain, if only for the scenic 75-minute trip from
Garmisch-Partenkirchen by cogwheel train required to reach it. Garmisch, as
the town is called for short, is also home to the country’s biggest ski
jump, built for the 1936 Olympics. The Bavarian village of Schönau, on Lake
Königssee, grooms the 7.5 kilometres of Germany’s longest toboggan run, with
a drop of 670 metres.
While Bavaria is home to most of Germany’s winter resorts, other areas with
mid-size mountain ranges offer their own magic in winter. The Black Forest,
for example, where Germany’s first ski club was founded, in 1895, lures
downhill skiers with slopes no more than a half-hour’s drive from the city
of Freiburg, and cross-country die-hards with a 100-kilometre trail.
Germany’s northernmost ski region, in the Harz mountains, southeast of the
city of Hannover, has developed a full range of winter attractions,
including downhill and cross-country skiing, winter hiking on groomed
trails, skating and curling rinks and, of course, sleigh rides.
Even in places without mountains and reliable snow, no one needs to miss out
on winter fun. In fact, some places enjoy fresh powder snow 365 days of the
year. On the opposite bank of the Rhine from Düsseldorf, the city of Neuss
has built Germany’s first — and Europe’s largest — indoor winter sports
facility. The Jever Skihalle contains a ski slope 300 metres long and 60
metres wide, with challenges for old pro’s as well as beginners. Three ski
lifts and a ‘magic carpet’ take fun-seekers to the summit, 110 metres above
the Rhine, a perfect starting point, too, for tobogganers on inner tubes!
Looking for après-ski diversions and a bit of shopping? Crossing the bridge
takes you straight to the heart of Düsseldorf and the 260 pubs of its Old
Town — and to the stylish avenue called Kö, short for Königsallee, the
King’s Boulevard, where fashion and design run the gamut. Go in the week or
two before Ash Wednesday, and you might run into wigged and costumed locals
having a pre-lenten Karneval party.
A good hour’s drive northeast, in the Ruhr valley city of Bottrop, the
Alpincenter boasts the world’s longest roofed ski slope, at 640 metres,
along with a wide variety of fun winter activities and instruction.
Après-ski is writ large here, too, in Alpine-inn style, complete with a
wood-burning tile stove and, on sunny days, a roof-top biergarten with a
spectacular view.
Service Information
Most ski areas provide ski card packages — one-day, multiple-day or all
season passes for various slopes and other attractions. The three-day Happy
Ski Card of the Zugspitze area, for example, (www.zugspitze.de), costs 83
euros per adult, approximately $128, and a day pass for the Black-Forest
Feldberg region (www.feldberg-schwarzwald.de) provides access to 28 ski lift
and 50 kilometres of runs for 22 euros per adult, approximately $34. If you
purchase the Black Forest Card, though, good for three non-consecutive days
per year, those lifts and slopes are included plus many other regional
attractions. It costs only 43 euros, approximately $66, for ages 12 and
older, or 149 euros, approximately $230, per family of two adults and up to
three children (www.schwarzwald-tourist-info.de).
For Web site information on hotels and inns in Germany, see
www.hotellerie.de
For more information on Winter Magic fun places and general information on
Germany’s sights and attractions, please contact the German National Tourist
Office’s toll-free number, 1-877-315-6237, send an e-mail to
gntonyc@d-z-t.com, or visit GNTO’s Web site www.cometogermany.com
November 29, 2004
Posted in: Germany