Luge starts and pirouettes instead of skating steps - Oberhof offers new training opportunities

Oberhof (FIL/11 Jul 2024) The LOTTO Thüringen Skisport-HALLE is a year-round hotspot for cross-country skiers and biathletes. But there are also new opportunities for luge athletes and figure skaters.

Currently, figure skating pirouettes instead of skating steps and luge paddle strokes instead of downhill squats are practised in the Skisport-Halle in Oberhof.

In the summer of 2023, an ice rink for lugers was created in the central area of the facility. "A section of the central area was iced over for young luge athletes to learn and refine the technical processes of starting on a flat surface. A starting block was also frozen in for this purpose. The lack of incline increases the training resistance, and a larger number of repetitions can be completed in a shorter time. The area used is located in the central area, which is primarily used for snow production and storage. Normal cross-country skiing operations will therefore not be restricted," says Heiko Krause, Technical Director of the Thuringian Winter Sports Center Association.

In the summer of 2024, this temporary ice surface measuring almost 250 square meters will offer further possibilities. In Central Europe's only cross-country skiing hall, it will also be possible to offer young figure skaters additional training opportunities in the future, in addition to luge.

Creating the ice surface was comparatively easy, as the temperature in the hall is a constant -4°C and the floor is cooled. After the central area had been emptied as part of the annual maintenance in April, the hall floor was repeatedly covered with a thin film of water instead of snow. A procedure that corresponds to the practice in the LOTTO Thüringen EISARENA and the artificial ice rink there.

The indoor ski team was thus able to build up a three centimeter thick and even layer of ice. The repair work after the skating is currently limited to spraying on a thin film of water.

"It's an absolute enrichment - both for the young athletes who are being introduced to the sport, but also for our A team," says luge doubles athlete Paul Gubitz, who has established himself as the new top Thuringian team in the World Cup together with Hannes Orlamünder. "We haven't had any ice contact this early in the preparation for the season. Thanks to the constant conditions, the ice quality is also extremely good. It's remarkable what they've come up with here and that several sports can be brought together in the ski hall and given added value," says the 25-year-old athlete from RRC Zella-Mehlis.

Photos: TWZ Oberhof