Monte Kaolino is a

sand dune A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, flat ...

Hirschau Hirschau () is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Amberg-Sulzbach district, Upper Palatinate, Bavaria, Germany. Geography Hirschau lies directly on the Bundesstraße 14 (Nuremberg - Rozvadov), 13 km northeast of Amberg and ab ...

, Bavaria, Germany. It consists of of

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

, a by-product of the nearby

kaolinite Kaolinite ( ; also called kaolin) is a clay mineral, with the chemical composition Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4. It is a layered silicate mineral, with one tetrahedral sheet of silica () linked through oxygen atoms to one octahedral sheet of alumina () ...

production. The sand dune is now used as a

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

for sand skiing and

sandboarding Sandboarding is a boardsport and extreme sport similar to snowboarding that involves riding down a sand dune while standing on a board, with both feet strapped in. Sand sledding can also be practised sitting down or lying on the belly or the ba ...

, in addition to other activities.

History

By the 1950s the pile of sand had grown large enough that people experimented with skiing on it, and in 1956 a ski club was formed. Uniquely to this hill, skiing is done directly on the sand and as a result, its operating season is inverse with ski areas elsewhere - it only opens in summer, even though the area does snow in winter. The hill is the only sandsports facility equipped with a ski lift, and used to host the Sandboarding World Championship until 2007. A smaller scale competition, SandSpirit, is still held every year in July. The area was extensively renovated in 2007. In addition to the ski hill, there are also camping facilities, a pool, a

geopark A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which Sustainability, sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant s ...

, and trails.

Campsite

The

campsite Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

, which was created in the 1950s, was significantly enlarged in 2007. There are 350 pitches on the campsite and six mobile homes. The mobile homes are for four persons and they are equipped with showers, toilet and a kitchen. Long-term camping is also possible. In the past the campsite won several prices: * 2022: 2nd place Campsite Award, category "H – Freizeitangebote für Jugendliche (15-24 Jahre)" * 2020: 1st place Campsite Award, category "H – Freizeitangebote für Jugendliche u. junge Erwachsene", 3rd place Campsite Award, category "I – Freizeitangebote für Erwachsene" * 2019: 2nd place Campsite Award, category "H – Freizeitangebot-Jugendliche (15-24 Jahre)", 1st place Campsite Award, category "I – Freizeitangebot-Erwachsene (25-50 Jahre)"

Amusement park

On the south side of the dune an amusement park called "Freizeitpark Monte Kaolino" with several attractions was created. Sandski Mont Kaolino

Piste

On the 200 m long run skiers, bigfoot riders, sandboarders and zipflbob (mini bob) riders have the opportunity to perform winter sports during summer. Seilbahn_Monte_Kaolino1

Funicular elevator

There is a

funicular A funicular ( ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep grade (slope), slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to ...

elevator, which brings the passengers to the top of the dune, but it can also be used the way down. In 2009 the funicular elevator was renewed. It consists of two ships, each of the ships is able to carry 9 persons. The funicular elevator can be used by skiers or by hikers. Panorama Monte Kaolino2

Dune pool

The first pool was erected in 1959. It was torn down in 2007 and replaced by a new one. It has a 25 m swimming pool, a 50 m long

water slide A water slide (also referred to as a flume, water chute, or hydroslide) is a type of Playground slide, slide designed for warm-weather or indoor recreational use at swimming pools or water parks. Water slides differ in their riding method and ...

, a covered children's pool of 70m2, an adventure pool and a springer basin. The pool is heated by

solar thermal collector A solar thermal collector collects heat by Absorption (optics), absorbing sunlight. The term "solar collector" commonly refers to a device for solar hot water panel, solar hot water heating, but may refer to large power generating installations ...

s and a biogas plant.

Forest high ropes course

In the forest high ropes course there are five trails with different difficulty levels. The maximum heights of the trails vary from four to twelve metres.

Summer toboggan

In September 2008 the so called "monte-coaster", a summer toboggan, was opened. Its descent is about 800 metres long and it overcomes a height difference of 120 m at an inclination of a maximum of 24 degrees (between 8 and 9 degrees). There are 42 sleds, each of them can carry two persons. For security reasons, every sled has got a belt for every passenger and a centrifugal brake which is activated at a speed of 40 km/h. Besides this centrifugal brake the speed can be reduced individually by a manual brake. The operator of the system is SC Monte Kaolino Hirschau.

Adventure golf

In 2014 a

miniature golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf, putt-putt, crazy golf, and by #Nomenclature, several other names) is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest ...

course called "Adventure-Golf" with 18 holes was built. The players play on

artificial turf Artificial turf is a surface of synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass, used in sports arenas, residential lawns and commercial applications that traditionally use grass. It is much more durable than grass and easily maintained wi ...

Inline skating track

In 2008 a 3.5 km long inline skating track was built. It is not only used for inline skating but also for

roller skiing Roller skiing is an off-snow equivalent to cross-country skiing. Roller skis have wheels on their ends and are used on a hard surface to emulate .Bryhn, Rolf and Knut Are Tvedt (eds.): ''Kunnskapsforlagets idrettsleksikon''. (Norwegian Encyclopedi ...

. The inline skating track connects the Freizeitpark Monte Kaolino with Sportpark Hirschau.

Water adventure playground

In front of the restaurant there is a water Adventure playground with watercourse and waterwheel.

Geotope status

The Bayerische Landesamt für Umwelt lists the ''„Monte Kaolino“ bei Hirschau'' as a geotope.

References

External links

Official siteArticle about the place
{{Authority control Amberg-Sulzbach Ski areas and resorts in Germany Sandboarding locations Artificial hills