Winter wonderland Erzgebirge: Kammloipe attracts many skiers

The spruce trees in the Ore Mountains have plenty of snow on their tops and the landscape is white as winter for miles around. It's not just the ski slopes with their lifts that are currently bustling with winter sports enthusiasts. The cross-country ski trails up on the mountain ridge have also been groomed since the beginning of the year. "It's really busy here, especially at the weekend," reports Siegfried Gläß. "Many people come here from Leipzig and Berlin, but also from the old federal states and the Czech Republic."

The 96-year-old is considered one of the fathers of the ridge trail, which runs 36 kilometers from Schöneck to Johanngeorgenstadt. If that's not enough, you can ski another 35 kilometers on the KLM ski route on the Czech side to Boží Dar (Gottesgab) and Oberwiesenthal up to the 1,215-meter-high Fichtelberg on skis through the Ore Mountains.

This is how the idea for the Kammloipe was born

After reunification, many people moved away from the region and a number of vacation homes closed, Gläß recalls. "We have to do something about that," he and his colleague at the time, Christoph Meyer, thought. Gläß had been a skiing enthusiast since early childhood and so they quickly came up with the idea of a cross-country ski trail. "We have always skied up on the Erzgebirge ridge, even without a track machine."

First of all, the route had to be defined and measured. Good signage was also needed so that people from out of town could find their way. "And we had to convince four districts and ten municipalities at the time," says Gläß. "Today, I can't even imagine how we managed it." On December 18, 1992, the Kammloipe was groomed for the first time.

Symbol for active, nature-oriented winter holidays

Since then, it has become a magnet for winter sports enthusiasts and tourism. "The Kammloipe is a symbol for active, nature-oriented winter vacations and a unique selling point compared to many other low mountain regions," says Claudia Brödner from the Erzgebirge Tourism Association. There are no reliable figures on how many people use the cross-country ski trail. However, it is clear that it creates added value in the hotel and catering industry, retail and for rental and service providers. The Kammloipe is recognized by the German Ski Association as an "excellent trail".

Over the years, the infrastructure along the trail has been steadily expanded. In Mühlleithen, for example, there is a special cross-country ski trail bridge that leads over the B283 main road. The parking lots along the route have been expanded so that cross-country skiers can join the trail at various locations. A sun terrace with an emergency station has been set up at Schneckenstein, as well as several shelters and trail houses along the route. There is also a dense network of other connecting and local trails around the long-distance trail.

To ensure that skiers find good conditions, several snow groomers set off early in the morning to groom the trail. Each municipality is responsible for the section on its territory, explains André Oswald, non-party mayor of Johanngeorgenstadt and also chairman of the Kammloipe municipal working group. The trail alone costs his town around 10,000 to 20,000 euros a year, he says.

Trail remains free - are users prepared to make a donation?

Unlike trails in some other regions, use of the Kammloipe Erzgebirge/Vogtland trail will remain free in the future, explains Oswald. Instead, his town is relying on income from parking spaces. In future, users will also be given more opportunities to donate to the operation of the Kammloipe - for example via a button on the website and QR codes at parking lots.

And despite his age, the Kammloipe also keeps Gläß on his toes. He no longer skis, says the senior citizen. But he is up every morning from 4.00 a.m., finding out about snow depths and the condition of the trail, before updating his website. "People want to know whether the journey is worthwhile."

Depending on natural snow - what future does the Kammloipe have?

While skiers and snowboarders on the lifts are helped out with snow cannons in many places, the Kammloipe is dependent on natural snow. And in view of man-made climate change, this could become rarer in future, even on the Erzgebirge ridge, which has been relatively snow-sure up to now. "Where you can go cross-country skiing in winter, you can also go hiking and cycling in summer," emphasizes Oswald. This needs to be marketed even more in the future.

Gläß himself is also concerned about something else. The Kammloipe is not a circular trail and there is also two-way traffic here. "People meet, greet and help each other. That's always nice." He knows from his own experience that cross-country skiing also helps you stay physically fit and maintains your zest for life. He estimates that the Kammloipe has attracted more than two million skiers so far.