Mostly seriously injured

Number of tobogganing accidents breaks all boundaries this year

A "take-off" from the toboggan run usually ends in the sloping terrain on a tree. According to statistics, the majority of those injured are not wearing a helmet.

(Bild: ZOOM Tirol/zoom.tirol)

There have already been 127 "crashes" on Austria's toboggan runs this winter, 54 of them in Tyrol. A year ago, there were only 98 and 32 accidents respectively in the same period. Alarmingly, most of those injured were not wearing a helmet.

"In Tyrol, this represents an increase of around 70 percent," says Franz Markart, Head of Training at the Tyrolean Alpine Police, shaking his head in disbelief. The 54 accidents are actually the highest figure for a long time. The statistics show 24, 34, 25 and 39 accidents in the same period since 2019. Most accidents this year occurred in the districts of Schwaz (10), Kufstein, Innsbruck, Imst (7 each) and Kitzbühel (6). Fortunately, there have been no fatalities in Tyrol so far.

Lower snow depths and therefore fewer snow banks on the side of toboggan runs are one of the reasons for the increase in accidents.

Franz Markart, Ausbildungsleiter Tiroler Alpinpolizei

Bild: Markart

According to Markart, Tyrol is in line with the Austrian trend. This is because the number of tobogganing accidents also increased dramatically across the country this year - from 98 to 127.

Many tobogganers are not familiar with the equipment
Very often a crash with a toboggan ends fatally - with serious injuries or even death. Riccardo Mizio from Ehrwald Mountain Rescue confirms this. "We often have to treat tobogganers who aren't wearing a helmet," regrets Mizio. And he believes he knows one reason for the numerous accidents: "Many tobogganists are not familiar with the equipment, get on the sledge and just go for it."

Many sledders are unfamiliar with the equipment, get on their sleds and just go for it.

Riccardo Mizio, Bergrettung Ehrwald

Only look at accident figures in context
Sandra Mariner from the Austrian Tobogganing Association confirms that around three quarters of the tobogganers involved in accidents were not wearing a helmet. Of course, she only wants to look at the accident figures in context.

Switching from expensive ski resorts to free toboggan runs
"Tobogganing is booming. Many families can no longer afford to go skiing and therefore prefer to go tobogganing," says Mariner. This development is one of the main reasons for the increase in accidents.

Tobogganing is booming. This is because many families can no longer afford to go skiing and therefore prefer to go tobogganing.

Sandra Mariner, Österreichischer Rodelverband

At the same time, more and more schools, parents' associations and private individuals are showing interest in tobogganing courses. "We have an extremely high number of inquiries," she says happily.

Toboggan guides urgently needed
If you want to learn how to toboggan properly with a toboggan guide, you can find contacts on the toboggan association's website (www.rodel-austria.at). "We will be training new guides in Kühtai in March," says Mariner. The aim is to meet the demand for tobogganing courses.