Special fun in Germany - level 3
These German thrill seekers have been taking part in the 44th annual Bavarian Sled Racing Championship. The aim, to go as fast as they can down a one-kilometre ice run to beat the record of 85 seconds.
The traditional “Hornschlitten” or “horned sledges” can reach speeds of up to 90 kilometres an hour. But this year, the participants had to deal with an extra challenge.
“We prepared the run three times rather well and each time it melted. Finally, we put snow on the alley from 3 pm to 7 pm and hardened it with twenty bags of pretzel salt. Now, we can drive on it. That’s sensational.”
The name of the Championship derives from the shape of the sledge runners, which are modeled after the horn of a mountain goat. And teams may only enter if they use traditional horn sledges which are constructed with woods.
Interesting words: Bavarian (from one part of Germany), sled (sledge), run (way for skiing), Hornschlitten (type of sledges), horned sledges (type of sledges), alley (a narrow street), hardened (made harder), pretzel salt (type of salt with big pieces), sensational (very good), runners (bottom parts of a sledge).