Stories from Bad Kleinkirchheim

Author: Markus Patscheider

The smooth and slippery ice shines in the glow of the flood lights. The smell of hot tea in the ice cold winter air and the steam from the cups creates subtle wafts of mist.

Suddenly a disk attached to a stick slides by me, hits a second one and shoves it from the ice. The quiet of the night is abruptly broken by screams of joy and loud laughter. This fascination, delight and excitement is caused by a sport which is slipping farther and farther into oblivion; Alpine curling.

Jakob Obergriessnig is working to stop this trend by turning his tennis courts into a giant field of ice each winter. Separated from the regular ice skating rink, he has created an area which is reserved solely for Alpine curling. The goal of the game is to shoot your own ice stock and/or those of your teammates closer to the target (the so called ‘Daube’) than those of the other team. The principle is similar to that of the Italian game of Boccia, it’s just that the ground is slipperier. You’re guaranteed to have a ball and Jakob Obergriessnig is always happy to see new players wanting to try it once or twice. Jakob offers more than just great tea; he can also help beginners with tips and tricks.

Information: Bad Kleinkirchheim’s ice skating rink is located centrally next to the indoor tennis courts, in the middle of town – roughly 150 meters from the Roman Baths.

Opening Hours: The ice skating rink is open daily from 10 am to 9 pm.

Tip: Skates and ice stocks are available for rent.

Information and reservations: Directly with Jakob Obergriessnig Tel: 0676 / 33 76 425

Image and text courtesy of Markus Patscheider for the editorial team of the website www.badkleinkirchheim.at