Back in 2009, I recorded my grandfather telling Meagan and I the story of his first and only attempt at skiing, which occurred while he was stationed in Germany as part of the occupation forces after WWII. In 2024, we returned to the Zugspitze and the Zugspitzplatt, the exact spot where a photograph of him was taken that April day in 1946.
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We stayed in Garmisch-Partenkirchen at the Zugspitze hotel, with it's attached Bavarian Restraurant where we were treated to a 4 course dinner. The hotel had a pool and spa which were perfect for relaxing during the rainy Tuesday afternoon we arrived, although we had to do some research to make sure we knew the local German spa etiquette. Despite the rain we wandered the streets of town, notably the historic Ludwigstraße and painted building facades. We took the local bus out to the Skistadion, built for the 1936 winter olympics.
It had rained everyday of our trip up to this point, and our original plan had been to ascend the mountaintop cable car in the afternoon on Tuesday after we arrived by train from Munich. The mountain was covered in clouds, and I could see on the webcams that visibility was nil. We waited it out and adjusted plans to try again the next morning, and kept our fingers crossed. When we woke up, we had a perfect bluebird day. Tickets are purchased at the dedicated station just outside the main train station, where we boarded a modern version of the old cogwheel train to Lake Eibsee. At the lake, we opted to take the 10-minute cable car to the peak. From here we had stunning views and were able to step back and forth from Germany to Austria (Tirol). Next we took the short Gkletscherbahn cable car down from the summit to the Zugspitzplatt, where the old cogwheel train actually arrives after tunneling up from Lake Eibsee. This is where the infamous photo of my grandfather on skis was taken, and with a bit of wandering we were able to find as near possible to the exact spot. The terrain is a bit different now, but there are new lifts, buildings, and groomed ski routes which I suspect has led to redistribution and grading of the gravel. Many photos were taken before we had coffee at the lodge, and then a few more photos, then we rode the historic cable car back down (this one complete with wooden seats).
Papaw goes skiing.mp4I'll let him tell the story in his own words, recorded in 2009 in Jackson, Mississippi.
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