On New Year’s Eve, the wish is often expressed that the new year should start differently than the old one ended. It then continues just as often as you already knew. For many winter holidaymakers, the fresh 2023 could therefore already be needed: Because those who took time off between Christmas and Epiphany in the hope of skiing, sledging and snowboarding will experience their green miracle in Bavaria’s mountains.
For the ski areas, too, the color green marks the degree of difficulty that they are reluctant to indicate for their slopes. But the snow has melted away under the rain and spring-like temperatures. In some places they are lucky that there is enough for a bit of white. The Lenggrieser Brauneck, for example, traditionally leads to weather-related puns, but three of the 15 lifts were still in operation there on Tuesday. Other ski areas have closed their doors completely. The last snow report that Mitterdorf posted online in the Bavarian Forest dates from December 25, 2022. “Snow depth: 0-10 cm”, it says, “Slope condition: not ideal”.
A similar situation could be attested to in Bavarian winter tourism. After Corona and the energy crisis, climate change is now hitting, with the snow there is a lack of income for lift operators, ski instructors and hoteliers. And the counter-concept of Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger does not really help, as evidenced by the green slopes: It is even too warm for the subsidized snow cannons. Even Prime Minister Markus Söder, when he drives up to the Zugspitze this Wednesday to find out about the dangers of skiing, will probably not scatter snowflakes over the peaks like Frau Holle.
After all: If you want to look for the positive as a winter holidaymaker without winter, you have plenty of time to plan the remaining days off. In this respect, 2023 actually wants to be better than 2022, the holidays tend to be favorable. For example, for the two Christmas holidays – thank you, calendar! – a Monday and a Tuesday reserved. So if there is still or again no snow, at least nobody has to be annoyed about having taken a long weekend off.