The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Corona ski touring madness on Bavaria's slopes: operators are now reacting with measures

2020-12-16T18:46:35.268Z


At the weekend, with fresh snow, ski tourers cavorted on the slopes of the Garmisch Mountains. Prohibition signs were partly ignored. Now there is a clear measure taken by the lift operators.


At the weekend, with fresh snow, ski tourers cavorted on the slopes of the Garmisch Mountains.

Prohibition signs were partly ignored.

Now there is a clear measure taken by the lift operators.

  • The

    ski lifts

    and

    mountain railways

    are closed in

    Bavaria

    due to the

    Corona

    pandemic

    , and many are switching to touring skis.

  • At the weekend, for example, there were

    full parking spaces

    on the

    Hausberg

    and masses of

    ski tourers

    on partially closed

    slopes

    .

  • Now the lift operators have reacted with high parking fees.

Update from December 11th:

In response to the rush of day trippers despite the ski lifts being closed, the municipality of Garmisch-Partenkirchen has decided on new parking fees.

With the start of the Christmas holidays on December 18, 15 euros per day will be due on Hausberg and Kreuzeck, as the Bavarian Zugspitzbahn announced on Friday.

To do this, the company opens toilets at the valley stations to visitors, and regularly clears and scatters the parking spaces.

Mayor Elisabeth Koch (CSU) said she understood that many people wanted to go out into nature in Corona times.

For this, however, an “appropriate parking space situation” in the community is necessary, which is why they “acted quickly” together. 

In other places too, attempts are being made to react to the rush of day trippers.

Wherever possible, the toilets in the lifts are opened, said a spokeswoman for the Alpen Plus lift network in Upper Bavaria.

In some cases, the parking fees are increasing.

"If we clear and scatter the parking lots, we have to cover our costs."

Update from December 8th

: After reports of a rush of

ski tourers

on the

Garmisch mountains

, those responsible from the

Garmisch

town hall and other institutions

have now

spoken out.

“Our forecast came true in full,” says Mayor Elisabeth Koch after the first winter weekend.

Nobody speaks of chaos.

But the parking spaces at

Hausberg

and - according to Koch - at

Kreuzeck were

full.

The official ascent route was like an ant trail.

And that on a Sunday when the fog hung over the place, it was drizzling down below and the precipitation came as sleet above.

The topic was hotly debated on the social platforms.

Koch says about the situation: "That's crazy."

Gap mayor asks who is liable if something happens to a ski tourer?

The town hall chief deals with the legal issue.

Who is liable?

Who takes responsibility?

Who controls?

Who punishes

Lots of questions, hardly any answers.

Koch speaks of a hanging game.

The municipality's room for maneuver is manageable - positively formulated.

These days the market will issue a regulation that

slopes

are closed while grooming - as it has been for years.

That doesn't change anything about the rush.

Not even the ignorance that Koch observed and observed.

"Many do not adhere to the rules." The tightened corona restrictions that come into force tomorrow would not ease the situation.

“People are allowed out,” says Koch.

The Ministry of the Interior did not comment on Monday whether the

ski tour of

a Munich resident in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is a valid reason.

One has to wait for the regulation text on the subject of ski tours.

In general, Koch expects that

going on the slopes

will remain permitted.

She works on control instruments with BZB board member Matthias Stauch.

The much discussed parking fee appears more likely than ever - in the time when the railways are not in operation.

“Of course we have to do that now,” says Koch.

She has ten euros per car on the

Hausberg

and the

Kreuzeckbahn in

mind.

Ski touring in Gap: Where do the athletes all relieve themselves?

Another point: "Where do they all relieve themselves?" Asks Koch.

To give the answer yourself: in nature.

In the forest next to the

slopes

.

Around lifts.

Worse still: even on the terraces of the huts.

In an online forum of the Initiative Dein Winter.

Your sport.

Stauch had reported on where his employees have already cleared away dirt - of all kinds - everywhere.

“You don't believe it.” That is why the company is considering unlocking the toilets at the parking lot.

“That would be a contribution to nature,” says Schanda.

Christian Pritzl called on nature and movement.

He is a member of the board of directors of the

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

ski touring club

, which was founded a few years ago during the debate.

He also wrote to Söder and Minister of Health Melanie Huml (CSU).

He believes that declaring ski slopes as sports facilities to combat corona and blocking them is "dogmatic and not understandable according to the Ratio Legis", writes Pritzl, former head of the

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

district court

.

He refers to the judgment of November 12, 2013. In addition, there is no increased risk of infection either on the ascent or on the descent, and distances can be maintained.

"Otherwise,

mountain and hiking trails would

also have to be closed because it is often difficult to avoid large areas here."

Garmisch-Partenkirchen: ski tourers cavort for ascent on the local mountain

Original article from December 7th:

Garmisch-Partenkirchen - This is exactly what Elisabeth Koch feared:

ski tourers

climbed the closed

slopes of

the mountains in

Garmisch-Partenkirchen

en

masse at the weekend

.

On

the local

mountain

- the parking lot there was full in a very short time - they lined up like a chain on the mountain.

The mayor of

Garmisch

-

Partenkirchen

(CSU) had only written a fire letter to Prime Minister Markus Söder last week.

The tenor: When the first

snow

comes, the

Garmisch mountains

will be populated

by

ski tourers

.

And if something happens to them, it will be

almost impossible

for the

mountain rescue service

to save.

Because the

ski lifts

and

mountain railways

that the rescuers normally take to the injured are closed.

Söder's ministry ordered this because of the

corona pandemic

.

You reject "any responsibility," said Koch.

Ski tourers on the local mountain in Garmisch-Partenkirchen: prohibited in Corona times?

+

On the local mountain in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, masses of ski tourers climbed the slopes on the weekend.

© Peter Kornatz

So now the time had come.

Ski touring

is of course not forbidden.

However, on the

slopes that are

closed due to preparation work

.

That was the case before the

corona pandemic

, and not everyone adhered to it either.

Even now, ski tourers are observed again and again who ignore the red blinking prohibition signs.

Another problem this year: Many people go

ski tours

who were previously only skiers and have no experience with tours.

They are now cavorting on the slopes.

It is the easiest way up the mountain - and also feasible for those who are familiar with walking up lonely paths and are completely unfamiliar with the local area.

The Bavarian Zugspitzbahn itself has yet to clarify whether the slopes in the Corona lockdown are considered sports facilities and are therefore generally taboo.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen: The situation with ski tourers is discussed controversially on Facebook

In the Facebook group "You come from

Garmisch

-

Partenkirchen

, if ..." someone

posted

a photo of the

local mountain

on the weekend.

The pictures sparked a heated debate.

While some do not see a problem - despite the prohibition sign - it is in favor of people moving around in the fresh air, most of them clap their hands over their heads.

“Doesn't work at all,” writes one.

Another suspects, "if something happens, legal expenses insurance will try to hold the piste operator responsible for it!"

GAP should cash in ski tourers, demands a resident

A Garmisch-Partenkirchen woman suggests making profit from the current situation:

Ski tourers

should pay for the ascent, buy a ticket as if they were taking a lift.

“Then everyone benefits, including the lift operators.

Slopes

prepare and cash in.

Then it's fair. ”“ Our Munich residents ”could also be asked to pay.

What the community says about this proposal, which regulations will

apply

to

ski tourers

under the new provisions from Wednesday

, whether Markus Söder has reacted to Koch's fire letter and what has to happen after this rush to the

Garmisch mountains

, you can read later at this point.

Everything from your region!

Our brand new Garmisch-Partenkirchen newsletter informs you regularly about all the important stories from the Garmisch-Partenkirchen region - including all the news about the Corona crisis in your community.

List of rubric lists: © PETER KORNATZ

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2020-12-16

You may like

Trends 24h

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.