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A successful sporttechnology workshop on the Zugspitze

During the course "Workshop Sporttechnology", 16 students and their supervisors were three days long on the Zugspitze...

Before sunrise, the students with their supervisors and Prof. Senner were leaving a calm and sleepy Munich. The buses and cars were full with measurement equipment, food and sport clothes. The aim of this journey: the Zugspitze.

After two short hours of driving and a few Corona tests, they could get in the cable car with all the equipment. After two changes and some photos of the nice surroundings, they were warmly welcomed by the personal of the Schneefernerhaus. The research station would be their house for the three coming days. After presentation and some security explanations the work could begin outside.

In the first day, the place where to do the measures was rapidly found with the help of our host. Then it was time to grab and shovel to place the heavy foundation plate. Unfortunately it began to rain just after the cameras where taken outside. All the equipment had to be brought in the hurry inside again. The weather forecast didn't lie and it rained until late in the evening. This time inside was used to check one more time that everything was working correctly and to shave the participants who would run with the electromyography system. Käsespätzle and Kaiserschmarrn should end this first day.

On the second day it began early in the morning after the breakfast, before that the first tourists were beginning to arrive. All the measurement equipment was installed and calibrated until 12.30 pm. It was not without problem, but still the first measurements could begin around 1.00 pm. It was with a wonderful weather - a mixture of sun and light clouds the the 16 measures could take place under the entertained look of the tourists. The participants had to run downhill on a force plate covered with stones. they are also equiped with electromyography sensors, with pressure insoles and the whole scene was filmed with highspeed cameras under different angles. In the meantime two reasearchers from the Zentrum Geotechnik joined the group to study the behaviour of this loose ground. After the successful trials the whole equipment wasswiftly put away to be able to take the last cable car going to the research station around 4.00pm. After this time the personal of the reasearch station is not there anymore and it is not possible to carry in the equipment through the steep rocks around the house. It was still time for a first analysis of the trials and then the participants could enjoy the calm surroundings in those impressive mountain walls.

Awaken with the distant sound of bells from sheeps, that decided to take some elevation at dawn, the students could continue with the analysis of their runs. each one of them had to gather his trials data and analyse it. Indeed everyone had been a participant and could analysis his own data. The results should be presented two weeks after the workshop. At 2.00 pm all the rooms were tidied up and the group could go back down to the valley and later to Munich. The drive back was accompanied by tired but happy faces. It was also meaning the end of the practical part of this workshop. 

The workshop was a real success and will stay in the memories of everyone. the students learned how to get around with the problems related to making experiments outside in a difficult environment and how to synchronise different measurement systems. We would like to thank all the students, supervisors of the professorship Sport equipment and sport materials and also the research assistants of Zentrum Geotechnik for an amazing commitment from everyone. Finally we would like to warmly thank our wonderful hosts of the Schneefernerhaus for their great help and support.