You may not think this will happen, but secret market research already indicates that by 2012, Zipflbobs sales will tip and by 2023, exceed the number of skis and snowboards sold worldwide. Reason enough for us to do some early research ourselves and explore the racing track of the Zipflbob Word Championships in 2025.
We thought it would be a good idea to inspect the whole race track, so we had an early start and climbed steadily towards the crux of the upcoming Zipflbob run.
When we got to the „Mausefalle“, which translates to mouse trap in English, there were already a large number of spectators and officials, preparing for the race. The „Mausefalle“ is the crux of the course, as you take off for a long jump into a near vertical wall (slightly exaggerated) slope.
Anyway, about half an hour later, the race started and we watched closely, trying to identify the most optimal line racers chose on the course, just ahead of the „Mausefalle“. If you want to stand any chance of winning, it is crucial to reach speeds of 100 km/h and more, before you take off. At the present time, the „Mausefalle“ jump it is yet too dangerous for Zipflbob riders as materials are not designed to tolerate the impact forces when landing. However, technology is moving fast and by 2016, the leading Zipflbob engineers are expected to have developed suspension technologies, which will reduce the landing impact and make it possible to do jumps of 50-70 m, without loosing control and any parts of your body.
One of the best lines was chosen by the „Herminator“ – a legend in ski racing and an idol for many Zipflbob racing pioneers as well.
We were a bit disappointed that there were only few people watching the race. This is very different to Zipflbob races, where access roads to the Alps have to be closed 2 days before every race, as millions of spectators from all parts of the Worlds are heading for the slopes. Still, – in summary, we were satisfied with what we discovered. The course is tough enough for the Zipflbob World Championships, and we are very much looking forward to 2025.