With Ultra Light SUP and the 9 Euro ticket to the Black Forest

We would like to share a tour tip for one of our Lite Venture home spots in the Black Forest with you on the occasion of the 9-euro ticket: With the inflatable board in your backpack, you can go from Freiburg to the Schluchsee. The board concept of the ULTRA Light Board supports being on the move without a car. It can easily be taken to the start of the tour by public transport in a comfortable, waterproof backpack.

Meeting point: Platform 8 at Freiburg Central Station. Here the regional train runs once an hour via the Höllental up to the Schluchsee. The journey takes about an hour and offers scenic views of the Dreisamtal and Höllental with the Ravenna Gorge. During the stops at the original station buildings with the wooden shingles, the train empties more and more, because many hikers are already getting off in Hinterzarten. The Feldberg greets you from afar at the Bärental station, then the train changes direction to the east and trundles past the "Windgfällweiher". An insider: This small lake is very popular, many people come to the old outdoor pool to rent a SUP and go for a spin. However, the pond is small, so it is more interesting for beginners and courses.

We want to tour and our destination is the small train station "Schluchsee Aha". Yes, it's really called that :-) It's located directly at the western end of the Schluchsee - this is where we want to start the tour. We pass the street and walk a bit to the right on the sidewalk. Then the pedestrian trail descends to the lake shore.

Brilliant: The overcrowded parking lot up the street in summer, the parking fee of 5 euros per day, the approach via the B31, which is often characterized by traffic jams in Höllental - we are not interested in any of it! We arrived relaxed at our destination and can go straight down to the shore.

Here we find a piece of shore where we can pump up the boards. The Schluchsee is a reservoir, so the area of ​​the shore varies greatly. Sometimes in summer the lake is dammed up so much that the sandy shore is covered with water at this point.

So, first of all, calmly get the boards ready and pump them up. We simply pack clothing, towels and valuables in the backpack in which we transported the boards. This backpack is waterproof and easily attaches to the board - leaving nothing behind and giving us complete flexibility in how far and how long we want to paddle today. We don't have to go back here, there's no car here, we don't leave anything on the shore. It feels good, somehow unfamiliar and free.

We get going and cross the narrower, western part of the lake directly, over to the opposite shore. The south side of the Schluchsee is the more exciting side, because here the forest borders and we are far enough away from the road not to hear it anymore. There is always something exciting to discover on the shore, for example the trees that have been gnawed and felled by beavers - that looks very original and almost gives a bit of a wilderness feeling. The water is clear and very clean, the brownish color comes from the numerous branches and trees in the surrounding forest, which over the years fall into the lake and rot there.

We are approaching the "Kaiserbucht". At this point, the lake is 1.5 kilometers wide. At the beginning of the bay, the shore changes, it becomes sandy, more open and invites you to linger and swim. A little way up the meadow, behind the birch trees, is the Unterkrummenhof. This restaurant offers typical regional snacks - tarte flambée, salads, sausage and drinks. It is possible to plan a stop here and leave the boards on the shore until then. But we are drawn a little further into the bay, we want to discover more of this natural shore.

And here we find a place where we feel like staying for a moment. Here it is shady and quiet, there are always small, hidden bays and the opportunity to land. After a short break we continue east. One thing you can rely on at the Schluchsee: In the course of the late morning / noon, a wind will pick up, which can make the water choppy and likes to come right from the front :-) So it can be a bit exhausting.

If the 7 to 8 kilometer route to the other end of the lake is sufficient for you, you can plan your exit here. To the right of the mighty dam wall, which describes the end of the lake, you can set out and put the boards back in the backpacks. Once you have crossed the dam wall on foot, you come directly to the small Seebrugg train station. This is the terminus of the Höllentalbahn. From here you can start the return journey to Freiburg.

Or you can go a little further to the train station in the small town of Schluchsee. The best exit here is at the jetty at the pedal boat rental, from here it is just under 1,000 meters to walk to the train station. If you paddle back to the starting point at the Aha train station, you have covered a good 16 to 17 km by the end of the tour.

Departure from Freiburg main station, 1 hour to Schluchsee Aha station

Possible stop at the Unterkrummenhof

Possible exits:

• At the dam after 7 to 8 km, return via Seebrugg train station
• At Schluchssee, after approx. 10 to 11 km, return via Schluchsee train station
• At the place Aha, after the boat harbor and after 16 to 17 km, return via Aha train station

The Schluchsee is almost 1,000 meters above sea level. As a result, the water stays cold for a long time. Cold shocks can also occur in summer when it is very hot and you fall into the water. We therefore recommend wearing a life jacket or using a leash. Due to the leash, the board cannot move away and stays close as a saving island. Motor boats are not permitted on the lake - with the exception of the excursion boat "Nikolaus", although the lake in the Aha / Kaiserbucht area is used by sailors. It is always advisable to be careful here.

Lite Venture is a small company based in southwest Germany near Freiburg. We have developed the boards that we ourselves have long dreamed of: nothing should disturb the precious time we spend on the water. That's why we attach great importance to functionality and well thought-out design when developing our products.

Visit our shop at our headquarters in the Breisgau industrial park near Heitersheim. Here you can see all boards, get information, test them directly on the Rhine by appointment and also buy them directly. Most of the time we have everything in stock! Can be reached via Heitersheim train station or the Heitersheim exit on the A5: Lite Venture Shop, Breisgauring 3, Breisgau industrial park, 79427 Eschbach.

If you don't live nearby, stop by one of our test stations !