The current winter sports season is weakening due to the warm weather.
Now a slope is to be built in Oberaudorf that will withstand any temperature.
Oberaudorf – This season is a disaster for German winter sports.
The cold period at the beginning of December 2022 gave hope for heavy snowfall and accordingly a lot of fun and good business.
But shortly before Christmas, the wintry weather collapsed with temperatures up to 15 degrees.
Meanwhile the weather is snowing and freezing again and the snow cannons can work.
But a ski lift operator in the district of Rosenheim took this year's worry lines as an opportunity to make provisions for a future with little snow.
Plastic on the slopes: How a ski lift operator in Oberaudorf is rethinking
The winter sports experiment that is currently being built on a slope in the municipality of Oberaudorf is almost eight meters wide and around 100 meters long.
Instead of snow, however, Hannes Rechenauer, Managing Director of Bergbahnen Hocheck, relies on plastic.
To be more precise: plastic squares with an edge length of 23 centimeters that are put together like a jigsaw puzzle over an area of almost 800 square meters.
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Shortly after the opening on Friday, January 20th, the first ski course is already practicing on the plastic practice slope in Oberaudorf.
© Hannes Rechenauer
"This is to be seen as a supplement to our normal program, as a rounding off," he explains to
Merkur.de
.
He had been working on an alternative to snow for a long time, and the records were to celebrate their premiere at the end of this year.
However, since this season suffered greatly from warm weather - even the use of snow cannons was therefore impossible - he decided to prefer the use of the artificial slope.
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Countering lack of snow with plastic plates - "are the first area in Bavaria"
Five of his employees worked on the project for two weeks, relocating the squares so they could premiere on Friday, January 20th.
While such descents have been used in England for several years, "We are the first area in Bavaria that I know of that offers such a descent," explains the man from Oberaudorf.
However, he does not harbor any illusions about his unusual approach.
The route is intended primarily "to be used by ski courses and beginners to learn the basics".
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Driving experience “similar to normal snow” – even falls are directly comparable
The Bergbahnen boss describes the driving experience as "similar to that on normal, somewhat harder snow".
You can descend with conventional skis and snowboards.
However, nobody has to worry about themselves and their equipment.
The plastic does not cause any greater wear and tear on the material, and a fall on the plastic squares is directly comparable with one on snow, says Rechenauer.
Weather in Bavaria: The most spectacular pictures from the four seasons
Weather in Bavaria: The most spectacular pictures from the four seasons
He could understand reservations about environmental protection.
However, he emphasizes “that the plastic squares were made from recycled material by a German manufacturer.
And at the end of the season we vacuum up the abrasion before we dismantle the slope.” According to the manufacturer, the material can be skied on for around 20 years before it has to be disposed of.
Apart from that, Rechenauer doesn't need any snow groomers or snow-making equipment, so he's firmly convinced of its environmental compatibility.
For Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger (Free Voters), Bavarian winter sports are a hobby.
He has repeatedly defended the energy-intensive use of snow cannons.
His reaction to the idea of a plastic runway is still pending.
A few months ago, an alternative made of plastic in the ice rink was discussed in Dachau.
Instead of the ice, a huge plastic plate should suffice the athletes.
List of rubrics: © Hannes Rechenauer
