Innsbruck (pps) Together with Austria’s Luge Federation the University of Innsbruck has developed an artificially-iced sprint track featuring a modular design. The track shall be driveable for nine months a year, being available to high-performance athletes and tourists alike. Additionally, numerous companies in Tyrol had also joined the development of the sprint track. The Tyrolean Future Foundation sponsored the venture, as was disclosed during the presentation in Innsbruck in the middle of August. In the years between 2005 and 2010, scientists of the Institute of Sports Sciences developed an artificially-iced luge and bobsleigh track together with Austria’s Luge Federation. The track is composed of only a few basic modules. There are only modules with narrow and wide curves, bending to the right or left respectively, as well as an entry and exit. Presently, there are 16 artificially-iced tracks world-wide with an average length of 1,250 to 1,400 meters. The concept of the newly developed sprint track allows for a length of just 500 meters – hence the name “sprint track”. The modular design shall be combined with a new icing technique in order to reduce acquisition and operational costs, it was disclosed. Furthermore, the new track shall be adaptable to any terrain since a decline of only nine percent will be sufficient. The entire track can also be completely covered so that it will be protected from wind, rain and snowfall. This is why the track will be driveable during nine months each year. Equally, tracks in different designs can be built so as to be driveable by luge, skeleton or two-man bobsleigh sleds.
