History

The origins of the toboggan lie in wintry Russia. As early as the 16th and 17th centuries, the wealthy population of Russia were sliding down snowy and icy hills on blocks of ice. Occasionally they would also use wooden toboggans. Ramps were built and iced over in urban areas of Moscow and St. Petersburg so that people could also toboggan in the city. Since this kind of tobogganing could only be practised during winter, an attempt was made to construct toboggans with wheels or produce special wooden tracks. Some of these wooden tracks ran in parallel and made it possible to hold competitions. However, modern-day toboggan runs only emerged in the 1970s. In 1972, simultaneously and independently of one another, Karl Josef Freiherr von Wendt and Josef Wiegand both developed summer toboggan systems that made it possible to operate ski and chair lifts as transport aids during the summer. In 1978, a Mr Brennenstuhl designed the first lifter to carry toboggans up mountains. From the 1990s onwards, the system using chutes as toboggan runs evolved into track-based tobogganing.

Types

A distinction is made between track-based toboggan runs (Alpine Coaster) and chute-based toboggan runs. Track-based tobogganing has the advantage that it can be operated in all weather conditions and all year round. An additional safety-related advantage is that the toboggan cannot derail. The toboggan runs along a track that consists of several stainless steel tubes. The rollers run on the outer two tubes. The brakes grip the top, bottom and inside of the inner tubes. This makes it impossible to derail and lift off the track. There is usually space for two people on the toboggans. A lever inside the toboggan acts as the brake, and on new tracks speed is also reduced magnetically using an eddy current brake.

Chute toboggan tracks must be predominantly dry before use. Depending on the brake pads used, some runs may still be used while slightly moist. In chute tobogganing, the toboggans slide or roll in a stainless steel chute. To get the toboggan rolling, the brake lever must be released, otherwise the speed is automatically reduced.

The longest toboggan run in the Alps is in Imst (Tirol, Austria), measuring 3.5 km; the longest rail-guided toboggan run in Switzerland is located in Churwalden and is approximately 3000 m long.