Industry News
An American tourist in a German rental car caused some raised eyebrows among cross-country skiers in Seefeld, Austria. Seefeld is a popular cross-country destination and regularly hosts international cross-country events, including the Nordic events of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, and the 1985 and 2019 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. However, on December 28, 2024, Seefeld’s famous cross-country trail network, which stretches across more than 250 kilometers (156 miles), found itself the unintended route of an American motorist.
At approximately 11:25 a.m., a 53-year-old American, relying heavily on his navigation system, inadvertently veered off the forest road connecting Seefeld to Lottensee. Unaware of his misstep, he drove onto the “B3 – Wildmoos See” cross-country ski trail, a scenic route cherished by skiers for its rolling terrain and alpine views. The vehicle traversed 550 meters (1,800 feet) of the freshly groomed track before the driver realized his mistake and attempted to turn back.
The situation escalated when the car, encountering skiers on the trail, sank into the deep, ungroomed snow. Cross-country skiing trails, designed to support lightweight skis rather than vehicles, quickly gave way under the car’s weight. The incident disrupted the trail’s carefully prepared surface, requiring local authorities to re-level the entire 550-meter (1,800-foot) section of cross-country trails.
Rescue efforts to remove the stranded vehicle involved towing it onto a nearby forest road using a winch. While the driver’s mistake prompted frustration among skiers and a day of repairs for trail maintenance crews, it thankfully resulted in no reported injuries.
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