Garmisch-Partenkirchen,
Germany
Garmisch Partenkirchen is
Germany's undisputed 'Winter Sports Capital', located only
a short distance from the Austrian border in the country's
southwestern corner. Famous for it's annual New Year Ski
jumping competition televised all over the world, and as a
former site of the Winter Olympics, Garmisch today is a
large, cosmopolitan town with plenty to see and do both on
and off the slopes.
It is a town that is also
rich in history and culture. Local people often dress in
traditional styles (without being paid to do so by the
tourist board!) and many of the older buildings are
decorated with beautiful frescoes - wall paintings that
are often centuries old. All around is magnificent
mountain scenery, dominated by the mighty Zugspitz to
which lifts rise over 2,100 metres (nearly 7,000 feet)
from Garmisch - producing one of the world's biggest lift
served verticals (although unfortunately it is not
possible to ski all the way back down!).
The final string to the
Garmisch bow is its status as a health resort, or rather
as a "climatotherapeutic training centre" - a
program of exercise and complete body management
instigated with the help of the Institute of Medical
Balneology and Climatology at the University of Munich.
The objective is to prevent illness in its early stages by
making the body and spirit and stronger, although Garmisch
is also a good choice for those seeking to recuperate from
existing conditions in the pure mountain air of the
resort.
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What's
Great
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What's
Not-So-Great
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The quality of the resort is excellent and the
skiing is superb - the best of the German ski areas
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Garmisch is extremely contemporary and
anglicized and the apres-ski is incredible
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Both the slopes and the off-piste facilities
have been well maintained in the German tradition
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An atmosphere of fun, warm people, terrific
food, and sensational skiing
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Unlike St. Moritz or Gstaad, Garmisch is not a
trendy resort
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No night-skiing or heliskiing
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Relatively small ski area
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Unreliable snow cover
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Learn
more about Garmisch-Partenkirchen
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