When the Bavarians learnt to ski

BR, 2013, 2 x 45 minutes

It is perhaps the most crucial event in the history of the Alpine region; like a miracle it is of all things the poorest valleys that become real goldmines, the remotest villages turn into flourishing communities. And all because of two narrow planks of wood that you strap to your feet. The farmers' wobbly method of transportation in the lowlands of Scandinavia becomes the number one economic factor in the Bavarian Alps. A sport that moves mountains, redirects rivers and dramatically changes the face of the entire landscape: the conquest of the Alps by skiing.

It all began in the lowlands: the first German ski clubs emerged far away from the Alps. For example, Munich snowshoe club founded in 1893, is a club for city-dweller sports enthusiasts, who soon set forth to conquer the mountains and bring unimagined wealth to mountain villages, such as Schliersee, Garmisch and Oberstdorf.

Our documentary tells the story of a revolution in two 45 minute episodes: from mountains to ski regions. A piece of Bavarian economic history with far-reaching economic, ecological and social consequences due to a seemingly banal type of sport.