Sad news for wind sports fans: Dachau ski school is closed

Created: 2022-01-14Updated: 2022-01-14, 5:51 p.m

By: Nikola Obermeier

A picture from happier days: In good times, up to 40 ski instructors were part of the Dachau ski school team.

© Archive

Daniela Gaßner is closing the Dachau ski school – not just this winter, but forever.

The future of the family-run company "Sport Strefling" is also uncertain.

Dachau – Children, young people and adults from Dachau have been learning to ski in the Dachau ski school for more than 45 years.

But now Daniela Gaßner, head of the ski school, has decided to close it.

"It hurts me a lot," says the 42-year-old from Dachau.

One reason is Corona - but not only.

"We have to restructure, I have to take care of our business more," says Daniela Gaßner.

The sports shop will remain – for the time being.

"But there is a risk that we will close down."

A family that sticks together: Daniela Gaßner with her parents Monika and Ralf Strefling (from left).

© Simone Wester

Ralf Strefling, Danielas Gaßner's father, founded the "Sport Strefling" shop in Dachau, on Münchner Straße, 50 years ago. His brother Viktor joined him a few years later with the idea of ​​a ski school. As a state-certified ski instructor and ski trainer, Viktor founded the Dachau ski school together with his brother. The sports shop continued to develop, it moved to Klagenfurter Platz in Dachau-Süd in 1976, and in September 1987 the larger shop was opened on Brucker Strasse, the current location. For Ralf and Monika Strefling, the business and ski school became the focus of their lives - alongside their three children Daniela, Markus and Stefanie. Daniela followed in her uncle's footsteps, passed the state ski instructor exam and joined the ski school, which she has been running alone for twelve years now.

"But now my parents are of retirement age," says the 42-year-old.

She now takes care of the sports business more herself, and together with her husband she supports her 14-year-old son Quirin, who is doing ski racing - which is very time-consuming.

He is currently on the Munich Youngsters U16 team and regularly has to go to training during the week at the Sonnenbichl ski center in Bad Wiessee.

And ten-year-old Vincent also has ski racing ambitions.

Because of the pandemic, the ski school lacks planning security

Daniela Gaßner might have been able to handle all of these things. But then comes the pandemic. "Corona probably meant that decisions were made more quickly." The ski school lacks planning security, there are no young ski instructors. "We would have had a bus during the Christmas holidays, but then no ski instructors were available," says Gassner. "My whole team broke up." In addition, you can't go to Austria because a PCR test is required there for young people who haven't been boosted, and when you've seen what was going on at Sudelfeld: "We can't take this responsibility take over!" If you now offer a course, there is a risk that only half of the participants will come in the morning because they are in quarantine "on the other hand, they have paid and want their money back.The uncertainty is too great in these times to be able to plan ski courses. "We only received a few registrations for January and February, and the bus ride is also problematic, because if I'm not allowed to fill up a bus, I pay extra." And for Dani Gaßner, the most important thing is that skiing is joy and fun. "But if it degenerates into stress and becomes complicated, I can't offer the ski courses in good conscience."""

It hurts Daniela Gassner a lot to give up the ski school

It hurts her a lot to give up the ski school, so Daniela Gaßner keeps a treat: the ski children on Monte Kienader: "It's no longer possible on a large scale, but as soon as it's possible on Monte Kienader, we do ski courses here." That's what it takes , as the operator of the ski lift recently announced, permanent cold, at night and during the day below zero - only then can the snow cannons be operated so that the snow stays put.

Nevertheless, Daniela Gaßner hopes that the Dachau ski school will not die: “I have someone who might want to take over.

Discussions are ongoing.” As long as the ski school director refers interested parties to the Ullr ski school in Olching (skischule-ullr.de).

How the sports business will continue is uncertain

It is currently also uncertain how the sports business will continue.

The house where Sport Strefling rented the rooms is old.

Daniela Gassner is already looking around for new premises.

Her dad Ralf Strefling (71) still works with great passion in the workshop, "but my mother doesn't want to be in the shop as often anymore".

Daniela Gassner takes a break from telling the story.

"I admire how my parents managed to set up a business with three children." Another pause.

"Actually, all of life brings change."