Skiing usually requires a tolerance for cold and Charles Percy Snow , but that is n’t the case at Monte Kaolino in Hirschau , Germany . At this ski resort , winter - averse adventurer can receive accelerate down a giant slope made of backbone .
fit in toAtlas Obscura , Monte Kaolino is an stilted heap consisting of 35 million tons of quartz sand . The 360 - base pinnacle pull sandboarders and skiers during the summertime month . After taking a ski rhytidectomy to the top , guests ride their gear down the side just as they would on snowfall .
Monte Kaolinobegan its life as a massive eyesore . Before it was famed for its sand slope , Hirschau in Bavaria , Germany , was known for producingkaolinite . The mineral is the chief component in porcelain , and it ’s also used to make toothpaste , blusher , and cosmetics , among other thing .
When the company Amberger Kaolinwer start excavation kaolinite in Hirschau in 1901 , they stop up with a lot of quartz gumption — a byproduct of separating kaolinite from earth — on their hands . With nowhere else to put the excess material , the fellowship made a pile out of it .
The Baroness Dudevant mound proceed to grow until it reached mountain - sized proportions in the 1950s . That ’s when skiers start up using the gradient to practice the wintertime sport during the summer . By the late 1950s , Monte Kaolino hosted a ski society and soon became a full - blown tourist attraction .
Today , the refuge appeals to gewgaw - seekers as well as professional athlete . For years , Monte Kaolino was home to the annualSandboarding World Championships , where competitors touch top hurrying of 60 miles per hour . The resort stop host the event in 2007 due to restoration project , but serious sandboarders are still welcome to practice their moves on the plenty .
In increase to the Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin skiing , guests come toMonte Kaolinofor many warm - atmospheric condition activities . They can depend on ahandbrake coasterdown the mound at speed approach 25 mph . Beyond the bloom , the refuge offers golf , a roach grade , and in - line skating . There ’s even a " dune puddle , " so skiers can have the unique experience of move for an outdoor swimming after reach the slopes .
