Königssee bobsleigh and luge track set to reopen

The bobsleigh and luge track in Schönau am Königssee, Bavaria, is due to reopen after more than five years, ORF reports. The rebuild is expected to cost more than the initially budgeted 53.5 million euros after plans were revised.

In July 2021, tens of thousands of cubic metres of debris and mud badly damaged the track. The Klingerbach stream became a raging torrent, destroying the start building and the first 300 metres of the course. The damage was initially estimated at about 20 million euros.

German bobsleigh and luge athletes had to train elsewhere while the track was closed. Thomas Schwab, head of the German Bobsleigh and Luge Association, said the nearest track was in Innsbruck, 200 kilometres away, making it difficult to maintain training and recruit young athletes.

The track is scheduled to reopen on Nov. 11 with the German luge championships. The bobsleigh and skeleton World Cup and the luge World Cup are also due to take place there this winter.