Far West Skier's Guide 2011-2012 - (Page 59)
It is hard to avoid all the historical aspects of the Zugspitze. One can access the mountain by three different means, and two of the three are also quite old. The Tiroler Zugspitzbahn, which ascends from the Austrian side, was the first method of reaching the Zugspitze, having been originally constructed in 1926. Shortly thereafter, in 1930, a cog wheel train up the mountain from Germany was completed, and in 1963, the 46-passenger Eibsee Seilbahn gave a third option for ascending Germany’s highest peak. Garmisch, however, has not attempted to rest on its laurels and be satisfied to serve as a ski-history museum. It has definitely kept up with the times, offering one of the best halfpipes and terrain parks in the Alps. With the help of one of Germany’s three glaciers, the Schneeferner, the season here ordinarily lasts until the end of June, and the end of the season is nowadays well known for its large snowboard camps. We rode up the spectacular Eibsee Cable Car, which rises 1950 meters up the ominous looking north face of the mountain. From the top, I took a few minutes to admire the scenery from the large lookout platform. Directly below, the Eibsee lay frozen in the morning shade. Beyond the lake to the south, the Alps peter out into flat farmland, while the Zugspitze rises dramatically above its pastoral surroundings. Bernd and I turned toward the ski area and scouted the slopes with our eyes. Most of the region is comprised of blue and red pistes that are perfectly suited to high-speed cruising, but we also noticed a nice slope of powder with plenty of virgin lines still available. This was surprising to me because there had been no new snow for the past five days. We traversed high from the Weisses Tal Lift. If one dared to peer over the cliffs on the back side of the mountain, one was afforded a view straight down onto the Seefeld ski region of Austria. We skied the old powder and cruised some runs on the well-prepared pistes to warm up. Riding on the lift in between runs, Bernd told me more about his life as a photographer. He shoots between 1000 and 1500 rolls of film in an average year, and keeps only 25–30 percent of the images. His photos cover the gamut of mountain activities including skiing, touring, snowshoeing, mountain biking, ice climbing, rock climbing and mountaineering. Although the mountaineering photos have the lowest marketability, it is that endeavor that Bernd prefers over all others. “I could earn twice as much money shooting
golf and keep my fingers warm to boot, but that is not where my heart is," explained Bernd. “As a fashion photographer, I could earn three times the money, but the mountains are my world." Despite the fact that he could earn even more money in other branches of photography, he has received as much as 4000 Euros for a photo—not too bad for doing what one enjoys. As we arrived at the top of the lift, the mountain goat emerged in Bernd. He had seen a few tracks snaked into the snow high above us. He led me over to a staircase of boot notches etched into the snow and began to ascend. There was nothing for me to do but follow. The hike was no more than a few hundred meters long, but most of it was very steep. It was more of a ladder than a staircase. While the snow we were heading toward for our descent was soft and powdery, the route up had a somewhat different exposure, and was rather firm. A misstep here would be equivalent to an ignominious and potentially painful tumble back to our starting point. To make matters worse, whoever had created this stepladder had a much larger leg span than I, so the steps were spaced too far apart for me. I found myself having to kick a fair number of new toeholds into the snow pack. While I struggled around the halfway mark, my companion had almost reached the top. For Bernd, of course, this was a walk in the park, while it looked like the last leg of Everest to my unfit body. Finally, we both arrived at the top, traversed into the sun and were ready to match the nice pair of tracks that had lured us onto this slope. Here too, on the way down, I was no match for Bernd. He laid a set of turns into the snow that one could look back at and admire. I, on the other hand, was doing my first real skiing of the winter, and had not yet found my ‘ski legs’. I would have liked to have an eraser to delete my tracks from the landscape, but that would have to wait for the next dump of snow. Bernd pointed out the start of the Gatterl descent, a south-facing route that finishes in the village of Ehrwald, over 1800 vertical meters of skiing. He also spoke of the Fenster Riffelriss, a seldom-skied run from the middle station of the cog wheeled train back to the village. “Oh, and over there is where one begins the Neue Welt (New World) descent," Bernd added, pointing to the west. “Now that run is really interesting," he said with a twinkle in his eye. “It includes a mandatory rappel and has numerous sections of 45 degrees or more, but it is too danger-
This interesting structure can be found high up on the Zugspitze.
ous at this time of year. Normally, one only skis Neue Welt during the spring, in corn snow." Such excursions and endeavors would have to wait for another time, and considering my current condition, I was relieved. Bernd, however, still had an ace up his sleeve for the following day. On tap was a visit to the village of Mittenwald and the Dammkar run, where Bernd and I were joined by one of his buddies, mountain guide Christof Schellhammer. Both Mittenwald and the Dammkar are strange places that exist in a bizarre time warp. They are anachronisms, but although they coexist side by side, they are rooted in different centuries from each other. Mittenwald is a Hansel and Gretel village pulled right out of a 17th century fairy tale. Narrow, cobblestone streets wind their way among ancient houses, most of which have murals depicting medieval life painted on their walls. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany’s most prolific writer, referred to Mittenwald as a “living picture book" way back in 1786, and the village has not lost any of its charm since then.
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Far West Skier’s Guide 2O11 - 2O12
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Far West Skier's Guide 2011-2012
Far West Skier's Guide 2011-2012
Contents
The Premiere Digital Edition of the Far West Skier’s Guide Well Received
Board of Directors, Trustees
President’s Message: FWSA Offers Many Benefits, Trips & Activities
FWSA Committee Chairmen and Other Representatives
National Ski Council Federation Serves Councils & Clubs Nationwide
Far West Members Prepare for Winter, 2012
Council Information
Communications: The Key to Success!
Building Your Snowsports Program
FWSA Individual Membership Form
Order Form / Far West Skier’s Guide
FWSA Travel Program
FWRA Board of Directors
FWRA Program
FWRA Silent Auction Donors
FWRA League Race Chairs
FWRA Race Schedule
Race Trophies
FWSA Athletic Scholarship Program
Far West Ski Foundation Objectives
FWSA 2011 Convention
FWSA 2011 Convention Sponsors
Silent Auction & Travel Expo Participants - 2011
Travel Expo/Silent Auction Milestones
Convention Door Prize Donors
2011 Councils’ Man & Woman of the Year
FWSA Service Award Winners
FWSA Safety Person of the Year
FWSA Western Ski Heritage Award
FWSA Club and Council History Recognition
FWSA Snowsports Builder Awards
Charities & Our Communities
2012 FWSA Convention - Ogden, Utah
FWSA Plans Future Conventions
Public Affairs - 2011 Update
Bernd Ritschel & The Bavarian Alps
Lodging Guide
FWSA Council & Club Information
Clubs, Councils & Families Come Together
Regional Ski Shows
Far West Skier's Guide 2011-2012
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