[SamT]

Heading to Austria (Berwang just west of the Zugspitze) for a week then over to Munich for a week.

Just wondering if anyone has any decent beta for family shiz to do.  (boys are 15 and 17)
Will have a hire car.

Wont be taking mats, but a pair of boots and chalkbag might make it into the bag, possibly even a rope and some drawers depending on what's about.

Hoping to get up a via ferrata or two, and will be taking lanyards/harnesses.  (Stuibenfall looks good, but open to advice on closer options).

How easy is it to get to the Zugspitze summit, is it scrambling/klettersteig or is there snow/ice involved?

Second week in munich, I think will mainly be just doing some city stuff, bit of SUP on the big lakes just South of munich.

How busy do those areas get in July/Aug... are they mobbed?

Any out of the ordinary/non climbing related shiz  (youngest is a history boff, so might do a fun visit to the Dachau concentration camp.. yay..  )

[SA Chris]

Dachau is a pretty sobering experience, but worth doing. Find something uplifting to do afterwards. Dachau town itself seemed like a nice enough place, sad that the name is stigmatised by association.

The Transport Museum in Munich is good to have for a chilled out  / rain day, and go see the surfers on the standing wave in the river at the English Garden (if there's enough water). There is the DAV climbing centre in central Munich too.

[Muenchener]

Hoping to get up a via ferrata or two, and will be taking lanyards/harnesses.  (Stuibenfall looks good, but open to advice on closer options).

Stuibenfall is a long way from Berwang, there are good options much closer. For example, the Seebensteig / Tajakante combination is a fairly tough, strenuous and very good via ferrata day out, and conveniently close to Berwang. Could do up & down in a day, or stay a night at the Coburger Hut and do the traverse of the Sonnenspitze the next day

How easy is it to get to the Zugspitze summit, is it scrambling/klettersteig or is there snow/ice involved?

Definitely no snow & ice at this time of year, and generally less overcrowded from the Austrian side where you'll be. Best route from that side is the Stopselzieher easy VF, either as a single long day or with an overnight midway at the Weiner Neustädter hut. (Don't make the mistake I made and do the long & tedious footpath trudge over the Gatterl from Ehrwald, which is the other standard route from the Austrian side.)

How busy do those areas get in July/Aug... are they mobbed?

July isn't Bavarian school holidays yet so will be quieter.

boys are 15 and 17

You may or may not wish to inform the 15 year old that he's already of legal drinking age in Germany under parental supervision

If you do, a biergarten visit is an essential experience. I'd avoid the ones in town and head out towards the countryside a bit, for example the Grosshesseloher in the Isar valley south of town, or the one at Leutstetten near Starnberg.

The castle museum at Grünwald is relatively unknown but rather good if you're into that sort of thing.

Füssen is a very pretty old town if you fancy a non-mountain day while you're in Berwang. And obviously Neuschwanstein is just around the corner if you want to go full cliché but personally I wouldn't bother. It's more interesting from the outside: Mad King Ludwig had an outstanding eye for where to put a building, his taste in interior decor was less impressive.

possibly even a rope and some drawers depending on what's about.

There's a big sport climbing area at Nassereith not far from Berwang, but it's not spectacularly great and will be an oven at this time of year. If you're really keen to get a day's climbing in there's lots of other stuff in the area - let me know and I can try to come up with some better ideas.

[andy popp]

Kochel's pretty close to Munich, isn't it?

[Muenchener]

Yes. Good point, I was thinking more of stuff around Berwang. Very much an acquired taste though

[dunnyg]

Vague infor, but I did a cool bike ride somewhere maybe 1 hr south of Munich round one or more of the big lakes they have. Can break it up with swims and beers/snacks in the various monasteries around. I enjoyed it and I wasn't a big bike person. Sorry I can't remember better details.

[Doug]

Getting to the summit of Zugspitze is very easy, I hopped on one of the cable cars.

If your teenage boys are as immature as I was/am, then near Garmisch-Partenkirchen is Mount Wank "a popular destination for families in particular".

[SamT]

Hi Guys.. Many thanks..  ... UKb comes up trumps as per usual.

Psych'd for some Klettersteig action now on the Zugspitze, sounds perfect.

[SamT]

If your teenage boys are as immature as I was/am, then near Garmisch-Partenkirchen is Mount Wank "a popular destination for families in particular".

 

[lukas_s]

Nassereith[/url] not far from Berwang, but it's not spectacularly great and will be an oven at this time of year.

In Nassereith theres also a steep northfacing wall called Götterwandl. It has lots  of routen  from about 7c up that climb very well.

[SamT]

Another thought.. we arrive on Friday night Munich airport and have an air port hotel booked for that night.  Our accomodation in Berwang isn't till Sunday eve.

So, we need a one night stay on the Saturday night.   I was thinking we could have a night somewhere away from munich itself, something a little leftfield perhaps.  Somewhere nice to just boon about in.

Thinking somewhere between Munich, Landsburg am lech, Fussen and .. I dont know.. Rossenheim? 

[Muenchener]

Rosenheim would be a long way out of your way.

Füssen as already mentioned is very nice, and just around the corner from Berwang.

[SamT]

Wow.. Fussen totally fully booked everywhere.. or insanely expensive.  Guess it looks like a bit of  a honey trap tourist spot.  Managed to find somewhere in Oberammergau round the corner, so will have an evening there, then Fussen for lunch the next day and up to Berwang;

Cheers Muenchener!!  Looking forward to a few Steins already 

[Muenchener]

Cool. Don't know Oberammergau town at all, but I've done a lot of hiking and a bit of climbing around that area. Nice region - used to be a royal hunting preserve, which means no cow pastures and no huts up in the hills, which in turns means you don't get masses of hikers. Have had some very nice quiet days out.

Very scenic drive from there to Berwang too. Definitely go via Ammerwald/Plansee not via Garmisch.

[SamT]

BTW.. what's with the complete lack of google street view across Germany?

Did you guys just say no to Google. 

Seems mostly to be user uploaded photo spheres.

[remus]

BTW.. what's with the complete lack of google street view across Germany?

Did you guys just say no to Google.

I don't recall the details, but Germany is in general pretty privacy conscious. Streetview was pretty controversial when it came out in Germany and I think there were a few laws passed to make it more private (blurring the fronts of houses etc.). I assume at some point google decided it wasn't worth it.

[jwi]

Short overview here: https://www.androidpolice.com/google-street-view-germany-after-10-years-privacy-outcry/

TL;DR The first rollout was a fiasco as Google didn't give a f* about German approach/laws pertaining privacy. Apple did, and their version works. Now Google will try again, but with more cultural sensitivities. There are some parts that is covered with 2007 footage, that is a known cue for geoguessing, I suspect: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/VkTbwTyEchE



Street-view in Switzerland and Japan is taken from cars with cameras mounted much lower than elsewhere, to not to be able to get pictures of things behind fences/hedges.

[SamT]

Interesting.   The visual representation of this when you hover over europe is quite striking.

Germany, Belarus and Ukraine being the most obvious omissions.

(might develop into a thread split, feel free to split if so).

[SamT]

Another quick question if I may..

What are water temps like.. both in the big lakes like Starnberger See. And the smaller ones up near Berwang.

Shortie wetsuit?

And do you know if you can hire a surfboard or two anywhere for that standing wave on the river?

[Muenchener]

Another quick question if I may..

What are water temps like.. both in the big lakes like Starnberger See. And the smaller ones up near Berwang.

Shortie wetsuit?

And do you know if you can hire a surfboard or two anywhere for that standing wave on the river?

The lad goes to Starnberger See regularly with his buddies, I'll ask him. But I'd imagine like bathwater at the moment with the weather we've been having. Plansee probably rather less so.

I know absolutely nada about surfing, but I googled this place that offers daily rentals for the Eisbach: https://santoloco.com/Surf-Rentals-1

[andy popp]

Another quick question if I may..

What are water temps like.. both in the big lakes like Starnberger See. And the smaller ones up near Berwang.

Shortie wetsuit?

And do you know if you can hire a surfboard or two anywhere for that standing wave on the river?

The lad goes to Starnberger See regularly with his buddies, I'll ask him. But I'd imagine like bathwater at the moment with the weather we've been having. Plansee probably rather less so.

Google suggests that both lakes Muenchener mentions are in the 21-23c range: e.g. warm

[SamT]

Yeah, cheers guys.. I googled and it said 25 degrees, but I was a bit sceptical.  Good to hear from someone on the ground.

 

[ben]

Also heading to Muncheon/Garmisch next week, hoping lake Eibsee will be a similar temp!

re: the river wave - I surfed it once many moons ago whilst on a work trip (my boss did question me taking my board on the plane..). My one bit of advice would be to take some booties..

[Muenchener]

Also heading to Muncheon/Garmisch next week, hoping lake Eibsee will be a similar temp!

re: the river wave - I surfed it once many moons ago whilst on a work trip (my boss did question me taking my board on the plane..). My one bit of advice would be to take some booties..

Eibsee's higher but shallower - should be pretty warm too. Wassertemperatur.com is saying 21°

[SamT]

My one bit of advice would be to take some booties..