The municipality of Lasa/Lasa (ITA) in Vinschgau is internationally known as the "marble village". Among winter sports enthusiasts it is known for the natural luge track "Gafair" on the edge of the Stelvio National Park. The 29th FIL European Championships in luge on natural track will be held there from February 10th to 13th. Let’s have a look at the history of this track.

More than 40 years ago, in 1978, the construction of the track in the Gafair-Valley began. The "Gafair-track" got its name from this small mountain valley on the north side of the mountain Tschenglser Hochwand (3375 m). The luge track was originally around 1300 meters long and had eleven turns. Over time, there were repeated adjustments to the regulations, with the last conversion in 2019, among other things, 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 corners and is 850 meters long, so the facility meets national and international standards.

From old to new

At the beginning there was a lot of portable on the "Gafair-track“, which also had to do with the bureaucratic requirements in the national park. The first starting hut was bolt on skis, because a permanent structure was not allowed in the nature reserve. It was not until 1996 that a start and finish house were built - each with an area of approx. 10 m². In 2003, lighting for the luge track was added: the South Tyrolean provincial administration had provided the lighting masts and searchlights from the abandoned military area in the neighboring village of Tschengls, and the members of ASC Laas Raiffeisen took care of the assembly and installation themselves. This means that training units and work on the track can still be carried out in the evenings and at night.

In 2008, the track was extensively renovated and adapted to the new safety requirements: a driveway for emergency vehicles was built parallel to the track, the board walls were replaced and the finish house was expanded or newly built, and a garage was also added. A parking lot was also built.

The finish area

After the renovation of the track, the first major event followed in 2011 with the Junior European Championships, and in 2012 a World Cup race took place for the first time. In 2015, 2020 and 2021, the FIL Luge World Cup on natural track stopped again in Laas. Since the World Cup in February 2021, the official course record has been held by Thomas Kammerlander (AUT) with 1:02.73 minutes and Evelin Lanthaler (ITA) with 1:03.37 minutes.

“Work in the Stelvio National Park must be carried out with care and all nature conservation regulations must be observed. 20 years ago it was almost impossible to do anything. Today, both the national park and the local forest administration are very open and receptive,” reports Günther Staffler, the head of the tobogganing section at ASC Laas Raiffeisen.
 
The "Gafair-track“ is not only used by the club's own athletes and the neighboring clubs from Schleis and Latsch for training and racing purposes, but is also often used as a training run by the sports high school in Mals and the South Tyrol squad. National teams also book the challenging track. A regular guest is the Russian national team, which has its winter quarters in Laas.

Fact box luge track "Gafair"
Length: 860 m
Starting altitude: 997.5 m
Target height: 886.8 m
Height difference: 110.7 m
Average gradient: 12.87%
Homologation valid until: 12/12/2024

The program of the 29th FIL European Luge Championships on Natural Track in Laas/Lasa (ITA)

Friday, 02/11/2022
9.30 a.m.: Nations training singles, followed by nations training doubles

Saturday, 02/12/2022
9.30 a.m.: 1st run singles women
10.30 a.m.: 1st run doubles
11.15 a.m.: Final run women’s singles, followed by flower ceremony and award ceremony
12.15 p.m.: Final run, doubles, followed by flower ceremony and award ceremony

Sunday, February 13, 2022
9.30 a.m.: 1st run men’s singles
11.30 a.m.: Final run single-seater men, followed by flower ceremony and award ceremony
1:00 p.m.: Team competition, followed by a flower ceremony and award ceremony