Championships and snow flurries: ski stars in the Axamer Lizum

The Axamer Lizum hosted the International German Ski Championships for the first time at the end of March. The race weekend demonstrated in all its facets what it means to celebrate an outdoor sport such as alpine skiing.

When it comes to winter sports activities, preferences are known to vary widely. Some feel comfortable with one board on their feet, others with two. Some like to carve down the slopes, while others conjure up lines in the powder snow or combine acrobatics with daredevilry in the fun park. One of the great qualities of the Axamer Lizum is that it can accommodate all these groups under one roof - or rather, on one lift. The ski resort within sight of Innsbruck is not only a popular destination for recreational athletes, but has also established itself as a venue for professional competitions from the Winter Olympics downwards. It therefore comes as no surprise that the Starnberg Ski Club has chosen the Lizum as the location for this year's International German Alpine Ski Championships.

Full program

From Friday, March 22nd to Sunday, March 24th, the men's and women's elite German skiers competed in three technical events: the German Team Trophy, slalom and giant slalom. The big advantage for those interested was that the area was freely accessible, allowing them to experience top-class sport up close. A DJ and presenter provided additional entertainment in the finish area.

The team competition kicked off on Friday, with the teams from the ski associations of the German Ski Association going head to head down the slope. In the end, the team from the Swabian Ski Association came out on top ahead of the Oberland Ski Association and the Munich Ski Association.

The team competition is also a welcome change from the usual formats for big names on the scene like Lena Dürr: "The German Championships at the end of the season are always a lot of fun. The team event on Friday in particular was once again the absolute highlight. Especially because we no longer have a parallel format in the World Cup and it's always an honor for me to compete for my own team in Team Munich."

Full commitment

On Saturday, the women's and men's slalom competitions continued on the women's downhill. A guide for those who already know the Lizum from their own experience: If you take the new Hoadlbahn to the highest point of the Lizum and take your eyes off the panorama again, turn left to get to the ladies' downhill run. The name is no coincidence, as this is where the competitions of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics took place.

Slalom is a discipline in which you have to find a fine balance between rapid changes of direction and maximum speed. More speed is automatically associated with the risk of missing a gate and dropping out of the race. Top athlete Linus Straßer demonstrated that there can also be other pitfalls in addition to the one-threads and took it with humor: "At the start of my second run, I put in a little unintentional circus act. I almost rolled over at the start because I slipped with my poles and got my right ski stuck on the ground as a result. After that, I knew that I had to go on the attack from then on. As a result, I was ultimately able to secure my sixth national slalom title at the end of a successful and cool World Cup season. Many thanks to the Starnberg Ski Club with its numerous helpers for organizing our national championships at the end of the season."

Straßer prevailed despite complications, with Simon Rueland and Tijan Marvot taking second and third place.

Full speed ahead

In the women's race, young talent Charlotte Grandinger was the winner - even to her own astonishment: "The German Championships were a very successful and enjoyable end to the season for me. After my second place at the Youth Olympic Games, it was a great experience to compete alongside top athletes like Lena Dürr and Emma Aicher. The German championship title therefore came as quite a surprise to me. I'm all the more pleased about it!" Leonie Bartholomeus came second and Andrea Filser third.

Favorite Lena Dürr dropped out of the race after the gate pole got caught between her skis: "Unfortunately, I then had a thread in the slalom on Saturday and the giant slalom on Sunday had to be canceled due to the weather conditions. Now I'm looking forward to a few relaxing days at home."

All covered in snow

As Dürr had already indicated, the change in the weather on Sunday showed what it means to organize alpine skiing competitions in a real outdoor sport. Technique, sharp edges and wax on the skis can do very little when nature has other plans. The massive snowfall at the end of March was generally a welcome sight, but was actually a hindrance to organizing a competition. The giant slalom was canceled and will take place in Pfelders at the beginning of April instead. What remained: competitions in two disciplines and initial anticipation of the well-deserved summer break.