Bavarians race down snowy slopes on horned sleds

Record ID: 163468

  • Title: Bavarians race down snowy slopes on horned sleds
  • Date: 6th January 2017
  • Summary: GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, GERMANY (JANUARY 6, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PREPARING FOR HORNED SLED RACE VARIOUS OF MAN ICING BOTTOM OF SLED START SIGN VARIOUS OF RACERS SETTING OFF ON SLED VARIOUS OF RACERS SLEDGING PAST PEOPLE WATCHING VARIOUS OF RACERS SLEDGING PAST (SOUNDBITE) (German) SPECTATOR, STEFANIE WEBER, SAYING: "It's really exciting, I think they're so brave to take part and go so fast. It's exciting to see the people you know and cheer them on, hoping they get to the end in one piece." (SOUNDBITE) (German) SPECTATOR KATHARINA DIEPHOLZ, SAYING: "The weather today is perfect. A bit cold but we're not complaining, we just put on a few more layers and then it's ok." MEN ON SLED WITH BALES OF HAY TEAM SLEDGING PAST VARIOUS OF TEAMS CRASHING INTO FENCE THEN CARRYING ON PEOPLE WATCHING VARIOUS OF TEAMS SLEDGING TEAM CROSSING FINISH LINE PEOPLE WATCHING VARIOUS OF WINNERS CROSSING LINE, CELEBRATING VARIOUS OF CROWD OF SPECTATORS AT FINISH LINE
  • Embargoed: 21st January 2017 14:34
  • Keywords: sled sledge race racing horned Epiphany tradition
  • Location: GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, GERMANY
  • City: GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, GERMANY
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Human Interest/Brights/Odd News,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA0015XXZ049
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: The snowy slopes of Bavaria provided a picturesque backdrop to a hair-raising activity on Friday (January 6), as the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen held its annual horned sled race.
    Daring teams of four slithered down a steep, twisting course, spraying onlookers with snow and occasionally crashing into the wooden fence.
    The traditional sleds are made almost entirely of wood, with their shape modelled on the horn of a mountain goat. The sledges were previously used to transport hay and wood from the mountain pastures into the valley.
    "It's really exciting, I think they're so brave to take part and go so fast," spectator Stefanie Weber said, adding "it's exciting to see the people you know and cheer them on, hoping they get to the end in one piece."
    88 teams battled it out to be the fastest down the one-kilometre ice run with a height differential of 160 metres.
    Extra snow was brought in from around the local area to ensure a suitably slippery course.
    This year's victors were a local team called "D'Unheimlich Feirigen", which roughly means "the incredible fiery ones".
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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