"A danger to surfers cannot be ruled out. Do not enter."
Before there was Kelly Slater’s Surf Ranch, there was Munich’s Eisbachwelle. The famed standing wave that pops up in the Heimliche Hauptstadt’s Englischer Garten has been surfed since 1972 and has hosted competitions, Jamie O’Brien and your imagination. The glorious fantasy of drinking a frosty Paulaner, eating a plate of sizzling bratwurst and reiberdatschi then performing the Huntington Hop in landlocked Deutschland.
Well, the dream is currently shuttered after a horror accident on the Ice Brook. According to witnesses an unnamed surfer went down whilst riding, Wednesday evening, her leash becoming attached to the bottom. Those watching, or waiting their turn, immediately jumped into action but were unable to free her. After thirty minutes, the fire department was able to get the job done and she was transferred to a local hospital in critical condition.
Police closed the area down on Saturday and posted a sign Sunday reading, “A danger to surfers cannot be ruled out. Do not enter.”
Very tragic and hopefully a happy ending but as far as novelty waves go, which one would you actually pay to surf? The Eisbachwelle is at the top of my list due the aforementioned frosty Paulaner, sizzling bratwurst and reiberdatschi plus prinzregententorte for desert.
Very much better than watered down gin and tonic in a plastic cup from Lemoore’s Tachi Palace.