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Visiting Zugspitze for first time, skiing questions

Posted by on

Hi everyone,

I will be traveling to Munich for the first week of February 2015 to attend a conference, while I'm there I'll be spending a few extra days to relax and explore. I've been to Munich before so I'm looking into day trips outside of Munich, and Zugspitze Peak is of great interest to me. My 21 y/o younger brother will be coming with me as well. I don't ski/snowboard so I was mostly interested in just getting to the peak and enjoying the views with my camera, but my brother would like to snowboard at least some of the slopes. I was hoping I could get some insight into some things: How much it will cost my brother to rent snowboard equipment? Most convenient slopes to run down if we're going to visit the Zugspitze Peak (as opposed to some of the other peaks)? And therefore, the most convenient spot to rent from for those slopes? Are there additional fees besides the 1-day pass and equipment rental?

Our plan is to only stay at the mountain for the day, not spending the night. We will take a train from Munich in the morning and return to Munich that night. I know we will need a Bayern-Ticket day pass (23 euro each) to get to the mountain, then its 43.50 euros for a 1-day pass up the mountain. And even though I dont ski/snowboard I read that you can sled/toboggan down some slopes, so I might do that while my brother snowboards.

Thanks and any advise will be helpful!

Edit 1: Also I was wondering if most Munich purchased prepaid sim cards will have service at the mountain?
Edit 2: Sorry to keep adding... It looks like the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup will be happening both weekends of that week. Would this also mean that there may be closures during the week?

Posted by
12040 posts

You'll find no shortage of rental shops, but the most convenient (and most expensive) are usually near the bottom of the pistes.

The lift pass allows entry to two separate ski areas. The larger is within walking distance of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen town center, and this is probably where the World Cup will take place. It has multiple access lifts and exit pistes, so the competition should only occupy one of them. The slopes here sit at a lower altitude, meaning that in warmer years, the snow conditions are not as consistent, and the views you are probably looking for won't be as impressive (but one caveat on that later).

The other ski area sits in a large bowl near the summit of the Zugspitze, so therefore, much higher. From GaP, you can only reach it either by taking a cogwheel train (which leaves from a small station adjacent to the town's main train station) or from a single cable car well outside of town. This is probably where you want to go for your Alpine vistas, but note that cloud cover frequently causes conditions to white out, especially in the winter. For this reason, I prefer skiing on the lower slopes.

Also I was wondering if most Munich purchased prepaid sim cards will have service at the mountain? Yes.

Posted by
3 posts

Thanks for the info. Do you have an estimate for how expensive the rentals near the pistes will be? Since we're only going to be there for a day those would probably be our best bet.

Posted by
3 posts

Excellent! Thank you for the links. So it looks like a minimum of 25-30 Euros for a full rental set (skis, poles, boots, helmet).

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