Ski World Cup Garmisch: Kandahar descent canceled due to lack of snow

This is where the athletes would actually have arrived – at the finish line of the Kandahar downhill run. But it is currently more green than white, which is why the Ski World Cup, which would have actually taken place at the end of January, has to be cancelled. The bad weather conditions make Garmisch-Partenkirchen a spanner in the works. This year would have been an anniversary: ​​the Ski World Cup would have taken place in Garmisch for the 70th time, explains Martina Betz from the Garmisch Ski Club. “There is simply no improvement in the long term and no change in temperature either. At least not in the way we would have needed it. We would have needed several nights with -9 degrees to make snow here again from scratch. ” Without artificial snow, skiing would be difficult here. The valley run must remain closed. Higher up, the lifts are open to skiers and snowboarders. Even if it doesn’t look like a winter wonderland right next to the piste. According to Matthias Stauch, head of the Bavarian Zugspitz Railways, the guests come anyway – also because they are not only ski tourists, but also, for example, winter hikers or toboggan fans. “Certainly. We need energy like any other company. The piste is our assembly line, so to speak, our product. That’s where we produce the technical snow and also create incredible value with it. We have a factor of five to one. That means everyone A job with us results in another five jobs in the area.” Richard Mergner from the Bund Naturschutz in Bayern warns of the situation. “In Bavaria alone, we use as many kilowatt hours as 16,000 residents would need in a whole year just for snowmaking, which costs €650,000 per kilometer of slope just to prepare it.” The snow cannons are now an important part of the ski area. The winter sports enthusiasts are happy to be able to continue practicing their sport, for the operators and nature it is a real challenge.