A man drove his car three kilometers along a freshly prepared cross-country ski trail in Upper Bavaria. He was also on winter hiking trails and forest paths in a landscape protection area on his way from the Winkelmoosalm in Reit im Winkl (Traunstein district) to Unken in Austria, as the police announced on Thursday.
At a mountain station of a gondola lift on Monday, the man asked for the shortest route to Unken and reportedly ignored instructions to take the official route. About two to three times a season, cars in the region end up on a cross-country ski trail, said a spokesman for the police in Grassau – usually because the navigation system guides them incorrectly. The cars often got stuck in the snow, which is why complex rescue operations were necessary. In this case, the slopes were firm enough and partially cleared, which is why the man did not get stuck. The driver is now being investigated.