Far West Skier's Guide 2011-2012 - (Page 60)
Don’t be intimidated. Although most of the terrain shown in this article is steep, Garmisch offers other areas for all ski / snowboard abilities.
The town is home to a lovely baroque church, and it has been famous for its violins ever since Matthias Klotz started a violinbuilding tradition way back in the 1600s. In the following century, Klotz's nephew is said to have made Mozarts concert violin here. Still today, one can see the craftsmen in their little workshops and at Mittenwald’s 140-yearold violin-builders school, turning out beautiful string instruments of all sizes. The Dammkar is also a relic of a bygone era, but its ski history goes back only as far as the last century. After World War II, it became extremely popular among the Bavarians to hike up to the top of the Dammkar and ski back down. It is hard to imagine why this particular mountain became the goal of the local skiers, as it is extremely steep and does not lend itself very well to touring. A Sunday outing on the Dammkar was definitely no stroll in the park. Be that as it may, skiing the Dammkar became so popular that on given days as many as 500 skiers hiked up the 1300 vertical meters to the top. The long snake of people known as the Dammkar Wurm (Dammkar worm) zig-
zagged back and forth up the mountain on a regular basis every winter for about twenty years. Then, in 1966, the worm died a merciful death, as the Karwendelbahn was completed, rendering the hike no longer necessary. For the rest of the century, the Dammkar attempted to compete head-to-head with the growing number of ski resorts in the Alps, without much success. After all, a mountain offering one steep and difficult descent is no match for the many larger resorts that abound in the Alps. What had flourished as a unique mountaineers’ peak had transformed itself into a lift-accessed mountain with very little to offer ordinary skiers. At the outset of the new century, however, the Dammkar took a step backward to move into the future. It trashed its winchdrawn piste machine that had attempted, with great difficulty, to keep a vague semblance of a piste prepared on this rather extreme mountain, and turned the area into a freeride mountain. Similar to La Grave in France and Alagna in Italy, the Dammkar would henceforth offer a skiing experience imported from a previous era.
It was early in the season, and the rocky mountain had not accumulated enough of a base on the lower regions to open for the season, but my local friends had the connections to get us up the mountain in spite of the minimum snow cover. As we emerged from the cable car at the top, we proceeded for a ways through a long tunnel. This feature had been added to the top station in 1977, after numerous people had plummeted to their death on the initial traverse during the first years of the cable car’s operation. The current entry and beginning of the descent was also no piece of cake, but at least it avoided the treacherous traverse above exposed cliffs that had sealed the fate of a number of skiers in the ’60s and ’70s. There was no shortage of snow at 2244 meters, where we began trying to negotiate some difficult wind crust. Soon, we dropped below the wind-exposed section of mountain and were greeted by fresh powder. Our bodies shifted into a smooth, rhythmic, bouncing motion. The scenery was stunning. The mountain was reminiscent of the Dolomites, as dramatic, sheer rock faces stretched upward from the rather narrow valley in which we skied. I could understand what had drawn enthusiasts from all over Bavaria to make this arduous ascent so many winters ago. I came away from my Bavarian weekend having experienced two new mountains and having made one new friend. Bernd and I had found much common ground in our few days together—skiing, mountains and photography. Bernd had shared his favorite slice of the Bavarian Alps with me, and I came away with a clear comprehension of why my new friend photographs mountain activities and leaves the more profitable golf photography to someone else. That someone else would not be me. I may never earn anything close to 4000 Euros for one of my ski photos, but there is no higher salary than the mere opportunity to work ▲ with something you love. ▲
NOTE: The 2013 International Ski Week will offer a pre-trip to Garmisch, Germany.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jimmy Petterson is an American, educated at USC, graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in history, a Teaching Credential, and a Master’s degree in Instruction and Curriculum. Instead of teaching, he has spent most of the last 37 years as a ski bum, during which time he has skied more than 450 ski resorts. As a ski writer and photographer, he has produced 37 magazine front covers and more than 400 published ski features. Jimmy has skied in 58 countries during his search for ski nirvana, and his work has been published in seventeen of those nations. In late 2005, he finished a mammoth project combining his ski adventures into a 440-page, 600-photo, coffee-table book called Skiing Around the World. This book has earned him both the 2006 Bill Berry Award for “outstanding contributions to skiing by the media" given out by the Far West Ski Association, and the 2006 Harold S. Hirsch Award for excellence in snowsports journalism, awarded by the North American Snowsports Journalists Association (NASJA). Shortly thereafter, Jimmy combined efforts with Finnish adventure-sports cinematographer and producer Ari Heinilä to create a 6-part TV series called Raider of the Lost Snow. The series was presented on Finland’s MTV3 in 2007-2008, on Norway’s TV2 in 2008, and is currently being shown in more than 75 countries on The Travel Channel (www.travelchannel.co.uk/seriesinfo.asp?series= Raider+Of+The+Lost+Snow&ID=1324). The series also received the Hirsch Award, as well as the Far West Ski Association Warren Miller Modern Media Award, given for outstanding service to skiing by the film, television, radio, and electronic media.
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Far West Skier’s Guide 2O11 - 2O12 / See the Digital Edition of the Far West Skier’s Guide at www.fwsa.org.
http://www.travelchannel.co.uk/seriesinfo.asp?series=Raider+Of+The+Lost+Snow&ID=1234
http://www.travelchannel.co.uk/seriesinfo.asp?series=Raider+Of+The+Lost+Snow&ID=1234
http://www.fwsa.org
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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