Wild descents and memorable après-ski parties were always part of FC Bayern's annual ski trips. The FC Bayern members' magazine '51' takes a look back on glorious days in the mountains and convivial evenings and reveals the greatest hit.
What hit was played on repeat in Austria back then is still obvious 30 days later, and of course all members of the illustrious group could sing along to it. Everyone coming close to the Alps learns Wolfgang Ambros' Schifoan, and in Bayern's favourite discipline on the trips, après-ski, it did not matter what they had just done on the slope. It was about the togetherness.
What is unthinkable today is well-documented in the FC Bayern Museum archive. The Bayern pros regularly went on ski holidays in Hochgurgl or Zürs in the 90s. The winter break was considerably longer back then so that the non-national tem players in particular had time for skiing, games and evenings the members call legendary to this day.
Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge came up with the idea
Skiing has a long tradition at Bayern, but while the stars of the 70s usually went skiing with their families, it later became what would be called a team-building event today. Then general manager Uli Hoeneß and vice-president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge came up with the idea of concluding the first half of the season together, and the players welcomed it. The first team and a small entourage were present and could celebrate extensively because there was hardly any media coverage apart from the club magazine. Rummenigge himself served schnapps from time to time while Lothar Matthäus played the horn and Christian Nerlinger gave a stuffed moose a kiss: a normal team evening.
Everyone had confidence, strength and colourful outfits, but players who weren't so accustomed to snow needed help from time to time. Braking was the biggest issue, and some harmless accidents were just part of it, but "ski instructor" Klaus Augenthaler had everything under control.
Full speed ahead – small goggles
Even players with knocks or injuries absolutely wanted to join in. Markus Babbel and Mehmet Scholl preferred to be treated on site rather than at home. Only coach Otto Rehhagel missed out after meniscus surgery in 1995, but he knew what was happening, as did the media in Munich from time to time. Celebrations that had gone a little too far could not be kept secret in 1996.
Munich media reported on Mehmet Scholl's scuffle with Oliver Kreuzer, and the bosses themselves criticised Scholl, who said: "Uli and Kalle gave me a proper talking-to, and I'm sorry about it." Forgiven, forgotten.
But the group from Munich performed well and were safer on the boards than their colleagues from Dortmund and Leverkusen, who set up camp nearby one year. There are a lot of anecdotes about the annual trips. Oliver Kahn once picked up so much speed that he lost his ski goggles, and braking was impossible. An attentive member of the staff managed to catch the goggles, and Kahn was amazed when he was handed his goggles at the lift. Bayern celebrated it in the evening – to Schifoan on repeat.
The article appeared in the January issue of the FC Bayern members' magazine "51".
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