Ski history has been written several times in this typical Bavarian holiday resort situated at the foot of the impressive Watzman mountains, one of the highest peaks in Germany at 2,713 meters. On January 5th 1967, the very first World Cup race took place on the slopes of the Jenner - a slalom, won by Austria's Heini Messner. Only a few people were aware of the significance at that stage of the season. In fact the new competition, created in August 1966 during the FIS World Championships in Portillo, Chile, dramatically changed ski racing. The events made it a true world sport as well as a great business for the skiers, the resorts, the organizers, the managers and the National Federations. The World Cup tour came back to Berchtesgaden, just only an hour's drive south of Salzburg. In 1974, the Italian Ski Team crushed its rivals in the GS, taking the first five places - an impressive record in that specialty. The women's tour raced there five times from 1976 to 1982 before moving to other resorts in Germany. They came back in January 1999 for a night slalom run despite a intensive rainfall. The FIS Snowboard World Championships also took place in Berchtesgaden that month. An old town that became prosperous from its salt mines and high quality wood products, Berchtesgaden has kept its traditional charm.