The people of Bavaria's Garmisch-Partenkirchen may see it as a declaration of love for their local mountain, Mount Wank. But the slogan used by the Zugspitzbahn to advertise its ski resort is a little more raunchy in English: ‘wank’ is a vulgar expression for masturbation.
The advert was reportedly to be carved into the snow on the legendary Kandahar piste and captured prominently by cameras and drones during the upcoming Alpine Skiing World Cup races.
But the International Ski and Snowboard Federation, also known as FIS, has banned its use while the world is watching.
The event, which is taking over the Upper Bavarian resort slopes on January 25th and 26th, as well as February 2nd, is being broadcast on TV and will feature Alpine ski stars such as Marco Odermatt and Lindsey Vonn.
Organisers praised the local slogan - but said it was inappropriate for an international event.
"I love this mountain and this saying," Martina Betz, head of the Organising Committee, told German regional newspaper Merkur, but she agrees with the FIS that is has no place at the World Cup.
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According to Betz, around eight million viewers worldwide tune into the races - including many English-speaking viewers.
"We want to convey a positive image and the togetherness of us as partners to the outside world - not sexual slang," said Betz.
However, not everyone is happy with this decision, including Klaus Schanda, Sales and Marketing Manager at the Bayerische Zugspitzbahn.
"I would like to advertise what we as a company consider to be useful," he said, adding that Mount Wank, which isn't as well known as other peaks, would be in the spotlight.
Schanda said the advertising campaign has been successful. During the 2024 Euro football championships hosted by Germany last year, for instance, fans of Scotland's national team, who were staying in the area, bought Wank merchandise because they were amused by it.
'Mountain of the heart'
In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, meanwhile, locals and skiing competitors have a sense of humour about it all. Former World Cup Alpine ski racer Christian Neureuther told Hessischer Rundfunk radio that the Wank was a "mountain of the heart" which is why he has never had a problem with the regional slogan.
The German name, which when pronounced sounds like an english 'V', is said to come from an old German word for 'slope’ or ‘bend’. Since 1928, the mountain has been accessible from Garmisch-Partenkirchen by cable car, known as the Wankbahn.
Neureuther just hopes that in future the name won't make him think of the English meaning.
He said: "Friends, remember the Wank for what it is: a unique piece of nature."
It's not the first time place names have been in the spotlight for their dubious English meaning.
In 2020 an Austrian village decided to change its name from Fucking to Fugging because of unwanted attention.
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