OK .. for those who may be interested here is my annual tips for Oberstdorf.
If your going for the first time here are some tips to make your trip a pleasant one.

1: Arriving Munich . You will find the train to Oberstdorf right there at the Airport. You can buy a ticket at the station or go on line and by it in advance at Deutche Bahn web site. google it and its in English too.
The trip is about 3 hours by train in some of the most beautiful country on the planet with ( in most cases ) only one change of trains. You just have to switch platforms.. What ever time you land in Munich there will be a train about every hour. Make sure you are on the right train , read the signs on the cars , ( some times they split the train ) but this should be very easy for you. . There is a small town about 1/2 hour from Oberstdorf the train will appear to stop then head off in the other direction . Don't be concerned , the train stops there and then pulls out for oberstdorf. Remember Look at the platform signs, there are many trains in and out of Munich Airport every 2 minutes , Make sure you are on the right train. You can set your watch by a German train . ( and there not kidding )

2 The town
Its small and no where is too far to walk unless your carrying a trailer home for a suit case.. Cobble stone streets . Taxies at the station , very safe and friendly . won't cost more than about 8-10 euro to get to you hotel or guest house but if your fit you could walk it. The rink is a MAX 15 20 min walk from anywhere in town. ( 5 min from where I stay ) .

2 A place to stay . OK>..
We all know the Euro is King and dollar is in the toilet. There are many great hotels in Oberstdorf However they are more expencive than some of the other options Here is what I do . A hotel can be 50 to 80 Euros a night or you can look for a family house . These are homes or an extention of a home owned by a family who make there living renting out rooms . As a rule most include , a nice private room with a bath or shower or both, some time a balcony and a view and breakfast every morning . Some are as low as 32EU and others a little more. I pay 36EU and stay at the same house every year . They family is wonderful , very friendly , the rooms are cleaned every day and they are trustworthy and safe . you can come and go as you please. My place has a seperate house and many have bikes to rent as well.

3. Eating .
Some places tend to close early during the week about 9pm but there are others that stay open later and some pubs are open as well. Its early in the tourist season there so watch for closing times . supermarkets are good but very small, normal in Germany . Lots of little coffee shops open in the morning with yummy pastries... Coffee is great but you have to stand up to drink it.

Thats it I hope it helps someone out. Ill see you there . Ill arrive Monday , Im going bike riding to some small towns and hiking in the mountains before the competition .

When I went in 2006, I flew to Milan, rented a car, and drove to Oberstdorf. Ended up driving through Italy, Switzeralnd, Liechtenstein (how could I resist veering over to his itty bitty country?!), Austria, and finally Germany. Only took 4-5 hours. And drove through the beautiful mountains. Kept thinking of the Sound of Music (and the quote, "Are Father and Uncle Max going to push the car all the way to Switzerland?")

(After O'dorf, drove to Venice and dropped the car off and took advantage of the Italian train system.)

Haha, Ross, don't forget that you will be in O'dorf during Spargelsaison!

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I find Munich much easier, even though I have friends who also go Geneva/Zurich and then drive in...depends on what you want to do....

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I am so sorry every one .. that should have been Munich..not Frankfurt . It was late when I wrote that Ill correct it. .

Nova ( "very Cool " ) I am proud of you , for getting out and seeing the country on your way to and from the event. Your a true spirit of the adventure.. I toured Europe many times with Disney on ice and I was always the tourist.. ..

If where you are staying offers you a "Kurkarte" (tourist pass), accept it - you can then use all the town buses for free, which is sometimes a plan if you have walked your legs off. There is one bus that will take you right to the rink. It also gives you a discount on the chair-lift, and for some other things too - always worth flashing!

There is a small supermarket within a few hundred yards of the rink, and a Lidl (discount supermarket) behind the station, also an Ihr Platz supermarket at the station itself. Okay, you may not be self-catering, but you'll want chocolate and drinking-water, and perhaps a sandwich at lunch-time.

We are not coming this year, but may very well come next, even if we are still just watching - if Husband's free doesn't improve, it will be just watching!

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Also the Bayernticket on the train is a one day pass for trains throughout Bavaria which is cheaper (or at least it was) than a single from Munich airport to Oberstdorf, and if you are in a group more than one person can travel on the ticket for the same price (I don't remember exactly how many (3 or 4 perhaps, certainly two).

You can get up to four on a Bayern ticket, and from memory it was only about 60 Euros. Very good value!

Less than that even. 27 Euros for a group or 19Euros for one person according to bahn.de.

Cool Loops.. Great info.. Thanks..