Welcome Innsbruck - Winter 2015 / 2016

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WELCOME || 17
T here is no better way of spending the day having fun with the
whole family - on a hill with a toboggan (sledge) on a beau-
tiful winter day… First you have to hike up (which is usually
fun too) and then you can enjoy your well-deserved ride down laug-
hing and screaming. Most of the hills in Innsbruck serve as natural
tobogganing runs – a lot of them are impressively long. It is the per-
fect sport during winter – easy, healthy and so much fun for big and
small. Sometimes you get covered in snow by little snow accumu-
lations falling down a tree on your way down. Or was it the cheeky
squirrel throwing a snow ball at you?
Stop for refreshments
After having made it to the top, you are allowed to rest – even un-
til it gets dark. Most of Innsbruck’s tobogganing runs are illuminated
at night and offer a place to rest with dumplings & Co at the desti-
nation. Plus: You will be surprised how much faster kids can hike up
when they know yummy chips are awaiting them ... and because they
know that instead of hiking back, they can just get on their toboggans
and race down. So take your time to unwind in a cosy Alpine hut, whi-
le your wet clothes dry on the stove and your cheeks and toes slowly
warm up again.
Tobogganing in the early days
Once upon a time, tobogganing had a different meaning than today. It
wasn’t about the fun factor at all. Farmers in the Alps used the traditi-
onal sledges as means of transport during winter – sometimes with a
horse helping them to pull it. They used it to carry around wood, hay
or even people. The first nation to use it was the Greeks, but back then,
toboggans were more like flat boards.Today, the snow toy is made out
of beech or ash wood and the legs out of iron. Every family in Tyrol
has at least one toboggan at home, whether it is an old-style one or a
high-tech version. ||
RODELOUTFIT
• Unbedingt: warme knöchelhohe Schuhe, dicke Socken
• Nicht ohne: lange Unterhose zum Runterfahren
• Als Kür: Skihose, weil sehr praktisch
• Fein: T-Shirt zum Wechseln
• Nicht blöd: Skibrille und Stirnlampe, falls es dunkel wird
• Clever: Mütze, Schal, extraWARME Handschuhe
• Lebensrettend: Cold Cream fürs Gesicht
• Praktisch: Gamaschen
• Notwendig: Rodel (Schlitten)
RODELVERLEIH
Auf vielen Hütten und in den meisten Skiverleihs gibt es mittler-
weile Rodeln, auch viele Hotels bieten sie kostenlos an.
LINKTIPPS
Weitere Infos über die Rodelkultur in Innsbruck und unterschiedli-
che Rodeltypen gibt es im Blog des Innsbruck Tourismus:
DE
TOBOGGANING OUTFIT
• Must-have: warm, high shoes and thick socks
• Never without: long Johns
• Also quite convenient: proper ski pants
• For those who think ahead: a T-Shirt to change
• Don’t forget: goggles & a headlight in case you run late
• Also clever: a beanie, a scarf and extra warm gloves
• Lifesaving: a cold cream for the face
• Practical: gaiters
• And of course: a toboggan (sledge)
TOBOGGAN RENTAL
Most of the huts, hotels and ski rentals provide toboggans for free
LINKTIPS
More information on tobogganing in Innsbruck can be found on
Innsbruck’s Tourism blog:
EN
Vom Muss zum Spaß
Früher hatte der Rodelschlitten eine andere Funktion als den Spaßfak-
tor von heute. Im Alpenraum nutzten ihn Bauern als Transportmittel
im Winter, als den sogenannten Ziehschlitten mit oder ohne Pferd. Be-
fördert wurden damit Holz, Heu oder Menschen. Erstmals erwähnt ha-
ben den Rodelschlitten die Griechen, allerdings waren es damals noch
flache Schilde. Das heutige Freizeitgerät im Alpenraum wird aus Esche
oder Buche mit Kufen aus Eisen hergestellt. Für dicke Geldtaschen oder
Faule gibt es auch Rodeln aus Carbon – statt Kondition. Jede ordentli-
che Familie in Innsbruck hat zumindest eine Rodel, ganz alte von da-
mals, Hightech von heute oder zumindest irgendwas vom Nachbarn. ||