A European championship in the Vinschger nature reserve

The construction of the toboggan run in the Gafairtal began over 40 years ago, in 1978. The “Gafair-Bahn” takes its name from this small mountain valley on the north side of the Tschenglser Hochwand (3375 m).

The toboggan run was originally around 1300 meters long and had eleven turns. Over time, there were repeated adjustments to the regulations; with the last renovation in 2019, the area of the lower S-curve was defused, and at the end of 2020 the connection to the power grid followed. The track now has five bends and is 850 meters long, so the system complies with national and international regulations From old to new At the beginning there was a lot of mobility on the “Gafair” luge track, which also had to do with the bureaucratic requirements in the national park. The first starting house was mounted on skis, because a fixed structure was not allowed to be built in the nature reserve. It wasn't until 1996 that a start and a finish house were built - each with an area of approx. 10 m². In 2003, lighting was added for the toboggan run: the South Tyrolean state administration provided the lighting masts and spotlights from the abandoned military area in the neighboring village of Tschengls, and the members of the ASC Laas Raiffeisen took over the assembly and installation themselves. This means that training sessions and track work can still be carried out in the evening and at night.

In 2008, the toboggan run was extensively rebuilt and adapted to safety requirements: an access path for emergency vehicles was built parallel to the toboggan run, the wooden walls were replaced and the finish house was expanded or rebuilt, and a garage was also added. The finish house houses the timekeepers and stadium announcers, as well as an office and a meeting room. A parking lot was also built.

After the toboggan run was renovated, the first major event followed in 2011 with the Junior European Championships, and a World Cup race took place for the first time in 2012. In 2015, 2020 and 2021, the FIL World Cup in luge on natural track once again stopped off in Laas. Since the World Cup in February 2021, the official course record has been held by Thomas Kammerlander (AUT) with 1.02,73:1.03,37 minutes and Evelin Lanthaler with XNUMX:XNUMX minutes.

The destination area of the EM-Bahn in Lasa. © Sobe Hermann

“Work in the Stelvio National Park must be carried out with sensitivity and all nature conservation regulations must be adhered to. 20 years ago it was almost impossible to do anything. Today, both the national park and the local forestry administration are very open and open-minded,” reports Günther Staffler, the tobogganing section manager at ASC Laas Raiffeisen.

The “Gafair” toboggan run not only serves the club's own athletes, as well as the neighboring clubs from Schleis and Latsch for training and racing purposes, but is also often used as a training track by the Mals sports high school and the South Tyrol state squad. National teams also book the demanding track. A regular guest is the Russian national team, which has had its winter quarters in Lasa for years.

The “Gafair” natural toboggan run Length 860 meters starting altitude 997,5 meters Target height 886,8 meters Height difference 110,7 meters Average gradient 12,87 percent Homologation valid until 2.12.2024

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A European championship in the Vinschger nature reserve

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