Dammkar: In the footsteps of the worm

Seven kilometers and 1300 meters downhill in the middle of high alpine terrain – those who want to experience this skiing adventure do not have to go to Chamonix or La Grave, but only to Mittenwald. The Dammkar in the Karwendel has always been attracting to powder fans. This descent is cult … but not for beginners.

 

 

There is a light at the end of the tunnel. For 400 meters, the rhythmic-hollow ‘Kawumm! Kawumm!’ of the ski boot in the scintillating tube put the two girls almost in a trance. But now Caja and Anna are standing in front of the massive iron door that separates civilization from the wilderness, the calm from the storm. Slap ski boots. ski goggles down. All zippers up to the stop too. Take a breath. And get out now! The last one closes the door. But instead of a ‘Watschn’ (slap) of ice-cold winter wind, the most beautiful Karwendel cinema awaits here today at an altitude of 2,200 meters above the ice blue skies.

 

‘But now Caja and Anna are standing in front of the massive iron door that separates civilization from the wilderness, the calm from the storm.’

 

After the Cinemascope selfie with tunnel door it’s powder time! Clack-clack-clack-clack, the bindings are closed. Ready for skiing. Immediately after the tunnel, the steepest part of the entire descent awaits. If you do not feel right at home on the first turns – or the drive straight on the Bruschharschdeckel – you can easily turn around and take the cable car back down to the valley. But then you will miss a backdrop that (almost) can keep up with the one in Chamonix or La Grave: rock walls strive vertically into the sky, steep snow fall into nothingness – and in the middle there’s a steep, but never too steep deep snow slope. Only at the top it’s narrow and serious, then from the so-called “oblique drive” a wide right-left combination over giant slopes to the tree line. Dammkar. That sounds like male slats instead of toothpickerski!

Dammkar is and remains cult! And shows off all sorts of superlatives: the longest downhill slope in country (seven kilometers), the most depth meters (1300), the first freeride area in Germany (since 1999). The most demanding and spectacular far and wide. But also one of the most traditional. What many do not know: The beginnings of the Dammkar downhill reach far back into the thirties.

 

‘…and in the middle there’s a steep, but never too steep deep snow slope.’

 

So let’s travel back in time:

 

This worm had more than 10 000 legs. At least on sunny Sundays. And was longer than 1300 (vertical) meters, from the Upper Isar Valley far up to the Karwendel. In the thirties – and again since the first post-war winter – the ‘Dammkarwurm‘ was the synonym for the weekend winter vacation of the Munich ski tourists. In the post-war years in winter thousands of skiers traveled to Mittenwald to trudge through the deep snow up to the self built ‘ice bar’ on the Lower Dammkarscharte at 2200 meters altitude. Heini Hornsteiner (1932-2017) has been interviewed in 2012. He called it:”Percentage preheating before the hot steep ride through the’ Kanonenröhrl’…

The son of the builder of the Dammkarhütte, the ‘Tschulli Heini’ was, so to say, from childhood the Dammkar janitor. From 1952 to 1997 the ‘Mittenwalder’ was host of the Dammkarhütte. The tiny stone hut is placed on a viewing terrace under the ‘Viererkar’ and the ‘Bergwachthang’. No one knew Dammkar and his worm better than he did. Why did the ski tourists shoulder their skis? ‘From the bottom to the very top were foodsteps. You did not need any skins.’ But already twenty years before the ‘Wirtschaftswunderwurm’ era, the Dammkar was the ski hotspot in the German Alpine region. The first Dammkarrennen (Dammkar race) 1932 took place without any gates. In 1934 a ski path was built there. “The tracks between the gates were often so deep that only the runner’s head looked out, of the snow” reminded Heini Hornsteiner.

From 1937 to 1939, an international giant slalom run took place in the Dammkar. Shortly after the war, the race was held again – and Mirl Buchner from Garmisch-Partenkirchen took the first domestic victory. The race took place on 5th of May 1946. Why so late in the winter? ‘From the 3rd of October to the 9th of March, the sun will not come to the Dammkar!’, Knew the Tschulli Heini exactly. “That was a pure spring ski tour. No one went there before Easter. “Only in recent decades the avalanche are blasted before today’s freeriders plunge into the Dammkar.

In 1967 the ‘Karwendelbahn’ was opened. And the long Dammkarworm became a short mini worm. Instead of going through the deep snow, locals and traveller now prefer gondolas which only need eight minutes up into the high alpine terrain. The pedestrian tunnel was opened in the mid-seventies. As a result, skiers were able to experience the Dammkar adventure more safely- but not without any danger. Because one thing must be clear to every Dammkar aspirant: Germany’s longest ski run is a ‘ski route‘. There is no slope preparation here, you need complete avalanche equipment, such as a tracker beacon, shovel and probe – and must be able to handle it! Although the slopes of the Dammkars are blown up, avalanche know-how and common sense are absolutely necessary. As soon as the avalanche commission gives its okay it’s: ‘Powdertime!’ But also often: ‘Moguls alarm!’ Or even “Bruchharschalarm!” So only experienced and fit skiers should start the ski adventure at the Dammkar. Best as soon as possible after fresh snowfall…

 

 

By talking about ski adventures: Caja and Anna tend to keep to the left after the spectacular start in the steep start slope, following the big steel fence up to a famous slant. At the end of the fence, in the best powder, go to the right and to the lowest point of a gutter. The two girls orientate themselves to the left on the rock face. At the ‘Bergwachthütte’ (mountain rescue hut) it says: take a deep breath! Turn around! And admire the own line! From the mountain rescue hut the two deep snow girls ride into the wide ‘Bergwachthang’, ride out again and turn right into the “gun barrel”. At the end they reach the tree line at the ‘Bankerl’. The ski adventure Dammkar ends just before the valley station. The question remains: Finished or once again? Bet that …?

 

Freeride Dammkar

Anna and Caja

Karwendel info Box


The freeride descent through the Dammkar is an unprepared ski route that starts at the summit station of the Karwendelbahn (400-meter-long pedestrian tunnel) and ends after seven kilometers and 1300 meters downhill at the valley station. The ski route leads through high alpine terrain and requires alpine experience, driving skills and good physical condition. You should be well informed about the risks. The ski route is not supervised by any rescue service. The protection against avalanche danger is limited only to the area marked as ‘ski route’. When the ski route is closed, no sportsman will be transported to the mountain station by cable car.

→ Find more information here

 

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Photos: ©Anton Brey