Wasserkuppe ski and toboggan arena

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The Wasserkuppe ski and toboggan arena is the largest ski area in the Rhön with the world's first summer toboggan run . It is located on the northeast slope of the Wasserkuppe in the Hessian part of the Rhön, 950 meters above sea level . From the opening in 1963, the operator of the ski and toboggan arena was initially Josef Wiegand from Rasdorf , today (as of 2019) it is Wiegand Erlebnisberge GmbH at the same location.

There are four ski lifts and a ski conveyor belt for winter sports, and two parallel summer toboggan runs and a summer bobsleigh run when there is no snow. The Wie-Li sledge lift can be used all year round. The ski arena is located at an altitude of 720 to 930 meters and is considered relatively snow reliable due to its altitude. If the weather permits, the slopes are also covered with snow with snow cannons , so that the ski area has the most operating days in Hesse and the Rhön. In the 2005/2006 season, the lifts ran a total of 105 days.

Some of the slopes and the toboggan run are equipped with floodlights that allow skiing and tobogganing until 10 p.m.

history

The first ski lift in the ski arena was built in 1963 with the panorama lift. The Märchenwiesenlift followed in 1969, followed by the Paradisolift in 1971. In the same year a floodlight system was built. From 1973 snow groomers were used to groom the slopes, replacing the hand-operated roller. Wiegand later bought the Abtsroda ski lift on the northwest slope of the Wasserkuppe, which has since been part of the ski lift arena.

In order to be able to use the leisure facility all year round, the world's first summer toboggan run with a total length of 500 meters was built in 1975. In the same year, the Märchenwiesenhütte restaurant was opened. Due to the success of the new summer toboggan run, Wiegand founded a production company for toboggan runs, water slides and conveyor systems in Rasdorf. The company delivered over 250 summer toboggan runs worldwide and today employs more than 100 people. The summer toboggan run was extended to 600 meters in 1980.

After several mild winters with little snow in the 1970s, the first two snow cannons were put into operation in 1981. In 1989, a second summer toboggan run with a length of 700 meters was opened parallel to the first and the existing run was also extended to 700 meters. In 1998, the summer offer was expanded with the establishment of the Rhönbob , a summer bobsleigh run for the first time in the world, and in 2005 the Wie-Li , a lift for tobogganers, was opened. In winter 2005/2006 this could be used for the first time by 30 transport sleds with four people each. In the same year came with the Abtsroda connection Lift the Wasserkuppe ski . In spring 2007, the witch's broom , a system with hanging gondolas for two people, went into operation. The magic carpet , a conveyor belt next to the Märchenwiesenhütte, has been available for children since 2007 .

Wiegand has been running a climbing forest in a spruce forest not far from the Märchenwiesenhütte since August 2012 . It is the highest climbing park in Hessen.

Investments

  • The Leitner panorama lift is a double T-bar lift from 1963 that overcomes a height difference of 115 meters with a lift length of 516 meters. The lift serves a moderately difficult descent with a length of 800 meters and has an hourly capacity of a maximum of 1200 people.
  • The Märchenwiesenlift from the Leitner brand is a double drag lift (built in 1969) and with a lift length of 613 meters overcomes a height difference of 110 meters. The lift has an easy descent with a length of 600 meters and an hourly capacity of a maximum of 1200 people.
  • The Paradisolift from the Leitner brand is a double drag lift (built in 1971) with a length of 570 meters, it overcomes a difference in altitude of 90 meters. The easy descent is 600 meters long.
  • The Wie-Li (year of construction 2005) is a lift for sled drivers. It consists of rails on stilts on which 30 carriages for four people each travel. The lift can also be used for round trips, with the uphill section 600 meters long and the downhill section 700 meters. A winter toboggan run runs next to the lift. The lift can be used as a means of transport for sleds when going uphill.
  • The witch's broom was erected in autumn 2006 and is 300 meters long. It is a suspension system with four gondolas for two passengers each. The gondolas travel at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour and circle the course in about a minute.
  • The magic carpet is an approximately 100 meter long conveyor belt as a climbing aid.
  • The summer toboggan run consists of two parallel runs that were built in 1975 and 1989. Because of the two tracks, races can be done. The tracks are each 700 meters long; With the toboggan, speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour can be achieved. The uphill transport is done by the Märchenwiesen lift.
  • The Rhönbob from 1997 is 1060 meters long. Bobsleigh-like sledges are used on the track, with the uphill ride using a dragline.

Abtsrodalift

The Stemag brand Abtsrodalift is a double drag lift and with a lift length of 750 meters overcomes a height difference of 180 meters for two moderately difficult descents, one of which is classified as difficult in the upper part.

  • Rhönlift Abtsroda (length: 750 meters, difference in altitude: 180 meters)
Family run: Length: 1200 meters Difficulty: easy
Backtrough run: Length: 0900 meters Difficulty: medium to difficult
Harakiri: Length: - meters Difficulty: hard

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Norman Zellmer: Hesse's highest climbing forest opened ( Memento of the original from August 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fuldaerzeitung.de archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in: Fuldaer Zeitung from August 20, 2012.
  2. ↑ Panorama lift. Lift-World.info - ropeway technology moves us !, April 2nd, 2008, accessed on February 17th, 2009 .
  3. ↑ Märchenwiesen lift. Lift-World.info - ropeway technology moves us !, April 2nd, 2008, accessed on February 17th, 2009 .
  4. ↑ Paradiso lift. Lift-World.info - ropeway technology moves us !, September 9, 2007, accessed on February 17, 2009 .
  5. ↑ Abtsroda lift. Lift-World.info - ropeway technology moves us !, October 30, 2005, accessed on February 17, 2009 .

See also

literature

  • Joachim Jenrich: The Wasserkuppe - a mountain with history . Verlag Parzeller GmbH & Co. KG, Fulda 2007, ISBN 978-3-7900-0389-5 .

Web links