Find a curling taster session: where to get on the ice in Germany, what a learn-to-curl costs and what to bring along to your first session.
The fastest way into curling is a taster session (learn-to-curl) at a curling rink — it is made exactly for newcomers with no experience, provides the complete kit and teaches you in a few hours enough for a first short game [1]. You need no skills and almost nothing to buy.
And the honest answer to "but where in Germany?": curling is a niche here, but a well-organised one. The German Curling Association (DCV), founded in 1966 and based in the Allgäu region, brings together around 18 clubs with over 750 active curlers — from Hamburg via Cologne and Mannheim to Oberstdorf [2]. These clubs organise the beginner courses, and the season runs roughly from October to March [2]. A call to the nearest club is half your entry.
And what does the fun cost? Little. A taster session is usually free to cheap [3], and for your first session you need no gear of your own: the club lends you the slider, stabiliser and broom, and you come in clean, flat trainers and warm, stretchy clothing [3]. That makes curling one of the cheapest entries in all of winter sport.
For your very first session, surprisingly little is enough [3]:
Go via the DCV and its club list — around 18 clubs nationwide, many with their own beginner programmes [2]. Alternatively, commercial curling rinks and experience providers specifically offer taster sessions. Watch for the word "curling", not "Eisstockschießen" (ice stock sport) — that is a different sport.
Sign up for a try-curling or learn-to-curl session [1]. It usually runs in a group, lasts a few hours and often ends with a small game under real rules. The season is winter — plan between October and March [2].
Wear clean flat shoes and warm, mobile layers [3]. Arrive a little early: the coach shows you the slider, gripper and base stance before you start — and a short warm-up is part of it.
In the course you are shown the delivery (the glide with the stone), balance on the slider, line and weight, and the sweeping [4]. Don't expect perfection, but the first feel. If it clicks, ask straight away about the next beginner course or a league.
The reassuring truth: curling is a relatively safe winter sport without contact and without high-speed falls [5]. Still, fresh ice is slippery, and the delivery goes deep into knee and back — exactly where the typical curling complaints sit [5]. So a short warm-up for hips, legs and trunk belongs before every session, and for your first glide the rule is: slow, flat, braced on the boards or the stabiliser.
And to be clear: this guide takes you to the rink door and explains what awaits you — it never replaces the supervised course. Onto the ice, onto the slider and onto the first stone you belong with guidance that can secure and correct you.
Call the club briefly before booking and ask two things: whether there is a beginner-only session and whether rental gear is included. Almost always both are yes [3] — but the conversation brings you something more valuable: curling clubs are small and warm, and often someone takes you personally by the hand the first time. Exactly this welcome is the reason why "trying it once" so often turns into a winter-sport hobby.
Via the German Curling Association (DCV) and its roughly 18 member clubs — from Hamburg via Cologne and Mannheim to Oberstdorf [2]. Many clubs offer their own beginner and taster courses, plus there are commercial curling rinks and experience providers. The season runs roughly October to March [2]; a call to the nearest club is the simplest start.
Little. Learn-to-curl sessions are often free to cheap, and the complete gear is provided [3]. You only need your own gear once you stick with it — and even then curling is cheap: a slip-on gripper costs little, entry-level shoes and a broom sit in the moderate range [3]. The entry is one of the cheapest in winter sport.
Almost nothing: clean, flat trainers (never worn outside), warm stretchy clothing in layers and thin gloves [3]. The club lends you the slider, stabiliser and broom [3]. All that matters is that you can bend deep into a squat and don't freeze — the rest is explained on site.
The basics for a first game: the delivery (the controlled glide with the stone), balance on the slider, aiming at the skip's broom with line and weight, and the sweeping [4]. At the end there is often a small game under real rules [1]. Expect no skill, but the first feel — and the answer to whether the sport grips you.
Curling Gear: Slider, Gripper, Broom and Shoes — What You Really Need and When to Buy