SPORT RODELING;
LIFESTYLE, CULTURE, SPORT
The evolution of sport rodeling
The Swiss have historically taken the sport of sledding seriously with leisure rodels, davos sleds and schlittens. As the thrill of skiing has slowly declined in Europe, the Swiss are innovating again with the development of the sport rodel. As the sport rodel spreads across the world, people will move from standing on skis to sitting as it is low impact, uses the entire body to steer and allows for a more athletic and social experience on the slopes. The sport rodel was developed in the mid 90’s in Schwyz, Switzerland by the Lindauer family who has been making leisure rodels and schlittens for over 100 years. Along with collaboration from engineers at the Alfa Romeo F1 race team in Switzerland, the sport rodel is the ultimate mountain device for fast descents, sharp turns and swift hockey stops.
Note: the sport rodel should not be confused with a traditional leisure rodel, schlitten or davos sleds that are common in Europe but have a fixed structure that does not steer or stop. These traditional devices are steered by the user holding onto the back of the sled and steering with their feet on the snow.
Snowboarders started the culture of “slope sitting” in America but the Swiss have known for centuries the pleasure of stopping your sled mid mountain to take a break with family and friends whilst nibbling cheese and bread. As sport rodeling catches on in America, companies like Burton will quickly develop terrain park sport rodels with shock absorbers. We hit the terrain park last season; rails jumps and all, so we see it as a probable evolution of the sport.
“Calling a sport rodel a sled, is akin to calling a snowboard a lunch tray. Sport rodels are in fact far more technical than skis or snowboards in both function and design”.