March 9, 2026, 9:53 am | Read time: 5 minutes
In the 1950s, a few sports enthusiasts in the Bavarian community of Hirschau came up with an unusual idea. They opened the world’s first sand skiing club on a massive quartz sand spoil heap. This unique training ground is now known as Monte Kaolino and has become a popular tourist attraction in the region, drawing about 150,000 visitors annually. TRAVELBOOK tells the incredible story of this unusual “mountain.”
The Bavarian town of Hirschau in the Upper Palatinate is about 200 kilometers from the state capital Munich, and thus also from the Alps. Yet, there is a “mountain” here that might be more famous than some peaks in the impressive mountain range. Granted, it’s only about 120 meters high, so it’s more of a hill, but it is now the town’s landmark and one of the largest tourist attractions in the region. Here, regardless of weather and snow conditions, you can ski or snowboard year-round—or rather sandboard, because Monte Kaolino, as the elevation is called, is actually a massive spoil heap of quartz sand.
Over the decades following the founding of the world’s first sand skiing club, a real holiday park developed around it, now visited by about 150,000 people annually. But let’s start from the beginning. According to the website of the local company “Quarzwerke Gruppe,” kaolin mining, also known as porcelain clay, began in Hirschau in 1901. The extraction of the fine white rock left behind quartz sand as a byproduct—an unimaginable amount of it. Over the decades, this was piled up into the massive structure now known as Monte Kaolino. The artificial mountain consists of about 35 million tons of quartz sand. In 1956, a clever man came up with a brilliant idea on how to use it.
Europe’s Tallest Artificial Sand Mountain
In the same year, Wolfgang Droßbach, then managing director of Amberger Kaolinwerke, founded the world’s first ski club on sand. The SC Monte Kaolino Hirschau e.V., sponsored by the company, is still active today. According to the official club website, members are active in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and running. In 1957, the mountain received additional attractions, namely the world’s first and only drag lift on quartz sand and even a 30-meter ski jump. However, the jump was dismantled after a few years because the risk of injury from falls on sand was naturally much higher than on snow. Changing rooms and showers for athletes were also built.
Also interesting: Monte Kali: Probably Germany’s most bizarre “mountain”
Droßbach also played a key role in developing Monte Kaolino into today’s tourism hotspot. He donated the land for the existing campsite to the community of Hirschau and supported the construction of the swimming pool adjacent to the facility. As early as the 1960s, the mountain began to develop into an increasingly popular vacation destination. According to the official website of the location, it is now the only area in all of Europe where sand skiing can be practiced under professional conditions. It also holds another superlative, as it is the tallest artificial sand mountain on the European continent.
Tourism is the Future
Today, the tourist-friendly facility also includes a high ropes course, an 18-hole golf course, a paved skate track, a summer toboggan run, and dining options. And, of course, you can still race down the sand mountain on boards. If the climb back up is too strenuous, you can take the 200-meter-long lift. It reaches the top in one and a half minutes and can transport up to 200 guests per hour. Overall, about 150,000 visitors come to the attraction each year, which has long been Hirschau’s biggest tourism factor. The region hopes to rely on this when the kaolin resource is eventually depleted.
Also interesting: Salvation Mountain: The “mountain” a man built in honor of God
Events like the “Sand Spirit,” the European Sandboarding Championship, also contribute to this hope. It takes place every year at Monte Kaolino. In 2026, it will be held from July 9 to 12. Anyone interested can register for the event and then race down the approximately 220-meter-long slope with its sporty 33-degree incline. From 1990 to 2007, the World Championship in this discipline was even held on Europe’s tallest artificial sand mountain. If you’re now eager to visit Monte Kaolino yourself, the official website provides all the important information on opening hours and prices.
“We still have more of a regional level of recognition,” says a senior employee of SC Monte Kaolino GmbH in response to a TRAVELBOOK inquiry. “But we’ve also had guests from Australia and Chile. We could actually accommodate more visitors than we currently do.” The mountain is, of course, one of the major tourism factors in the region. “People are always surprised, especially when they stand at the top. It’s a black run.” And what tips do they have for sand sport beginners? “It’s a bit difficult at first, like skiing in deep snow. You have to practice, but then it usually works great.”