Page 20 - SRCG_Spring_HTML_2012

Destination Report: Europe

Garmsich-Partenkirchen:

Alpine High

Bayerische Zugspitzbahn
Bergbahn AG/Oliver Farys

above the south side of town—the Kreuzeck, Osterfelder and
Hausberg. The Hausberg cable car is closest to town and most
By Randy Mink accommodations, but when things get busy, there can be a
wait at the bottom. It might be preferable to travel a little farther
With the country’s highest mountain towering above, Garmisch- and start with the Kreuzeck or Alpspitz cable cars, where the
Partenkirchen reigns as Germany’s premier winter sports resort. wait is shorter. Although one glacier visit is a must, most skiers
The twin towns, known for their fanciful facades adorned with prefer the Classic slopes with their big network of cable cars,
the biblical and bucolic frescoes, are quintessential Bavaria. gondolas, chairs and drag-lifts.
W
The mighty Zugspitze, soaring 9,781 feet into the heavens Garmisch and Partenkirchen, once two separate communities,
and home to Germany’s only glacier, crowns this Alpine were fused together to accommodate the 1936 Winter Olympics,
vacationland on the Austrian border. Accessible by cogwheel the first time the Games
Neuschwanstein
train and cable car, the snowfields of the Zugspitze comprise included downhill skiing
one of Garmisch’s two ski areas, with plenty of snow guaran- events. The high-walled
teed from November to May. The ski slopes, offering 15 miles Olympic Stadium, with two
of groomed runs (from easy to difficult) high above the tree jumps and a slalom course,
line, begin at 8,563 feet. The Zugspitze also has a terrain looks much as it did 76 years
Bavaria Tourism Cup Ski Jump every New
park for freestyle skiers and a dedicated sledding hill. ago and today hosts the World
The other main ski region, away from the Zugspitze, is called Year’s Day. Also in town is the
the Garmisch-Classic area. It consists of three mountains original Olympic Ice Stadium.

20 ❖ SKI & RIDE CLUB GUIDE SPRING 2012 PLANNING ❖ www.skicmsc.com