Find an ice stock club or rink: where to get onto the ice in winter or the asphalt in summer across Germany, what it costs and what to bring the first time.
The fastest way into ice stock sport is a session at a club or on a stock lane — over a hundred clubs in Germany let you try it, lend you a stock and provide the gear on site [1]. You need no skills and almost nothing to buy.
And the best part first, because it clears up the most common worry: you don't have to wait for winter. Ice stock sport is played all year round — on ice in winter, on asphalt in summer [1]. On the summer stock lane the stock runs over the asphalt with a plastic running sole, in winter over the ice with a rubber sole [4]. A good club has a lane for both seasons.
Where do you find this in Germany? Through the associations. The German Ice Stock Association (DESV) — based in Munich, office in Garmisch-Partenkirchen — brings together, via its state associations across 12 federal states, around 1,200 to 1,300 clubs with about 23,000 active athletes [2]. The heartland is Bavaria, where ice stock sport is a genuine folk pastime and forms its own division in the Bavarian Ice Sports Association (BEV) [3] — but it is played nationwide.
And what does the fun cost? Little. For your first session you need no stock of your own: many clubs lend it and provide the gear [1]. You simply come in warm clothing and firm footwear — in summer a normal trainer is enough [1].
For your very first session, surprisingly little is enough [1]:
Go via the DESV or your state ice association and search for a club nearby [2]. In Bavaria and the Alpine region the nearest stock club is rarely far [3]; but many other federal states have clubs too, plus commercial stock lanes and event providers where you can try it out easily [1].
Call or write and ask for a session to try it out and whether rental stocks are included [1]. Almost always both are yes. Say whether you want to come in summer (asphalt) or winter (ice) — some clubs have different lanes depending on the season [4].
Wear firm footwear and warm, mobile layers [1]. Arrive a little early: someone shows you the stock, the right running sole and the base stance before you start — and a short warm-up is part of it [5].
Don't expect perfection, but the first feel for letting it glide and aiming. If it clicks, ask straight away about the next beginner session or a hobby group — ice stock sport lives on coming back and on the team.
The reassuring truth: ice stock sport is considered joint-friendly and suitable for every age — no contact, no jumps, no speed [5]. Still, fresh ice is slippery, and the typical beginner niggles are exactly that: slips or mild strains from a missing warm-up [5]. So firm footwear and a short warm-up for legs, back and throwing shoulder belong before every session — on summer asphalt just as much as in winter.
And to be clear: this guide takes you to the door and explains what awaits you — it never replaces the supervised club. Onto the lane, onto the first stock and onto slippery ice you belong with someone who can guide you and, if in doubt, secure you.
Ask on the phone whether the club has a summer and a winter lane — and if possible, go onto asphalt in summer for your first time [4]. The reason: on asphalt you don't fall, you learn aiming and letting-glide without fear of slippery ice, and you then manage the winter switch easily with your technique already in place. That way the season takes half your nerves away.
Via the German Ice Stock Association (DESV) and your state ice association — around 1,200 to 1,300 clubs nationwide with about 23,000 active members, focused on Bavaria and the Alpine region [2][3]. Over a hundred clubs let you try it, plus there are commercial stock lanes and event providers [1]. A call to the nearest club is the simplest start.
Yes. The sport is played all year round: on ice in winter, on asphalt in summer [1]. The difference is in the running sole of the stock — a rubber sole on the ice, a plastic sole on the summer asphalt [4]. Many clubs have a suitable stock lane for both seasons.
Little. For your first session you need no stock of your own — many clubs lend it and provide the gear [1]. You come in warm, mobile clothing and firm footwear; in summer a normal trainer is enough [1]. Your own gear only pays off once you stick with it.
Yes, explicitly. It is considered joint-friendly, needs no strength or endurance prerequisites and is played from young to old [5]. All that matters is firm footwear and a short warm-up against slips and strains [5]. The rest — stock, running sole, base stance — is shown to you at the club on site.
Ice stock sport or curling? The difference, explained properly