Curling

Play on ice, asphalt or wooden floors

Traditionally, ice stock sport is played in winter on frozen lakes, rivers or canals. It is especially popular as a sociable precision sport in the Alpine regions, but is steadily gaining fans in other parts of the country too. Curling is now played in 53 countries worldwide. Today, the season has expanded to the entire year. Instead of only on ice, people now play on asphalt, synthetic surfaces or wooden floors. The principle remains the same: players try to slide their ice stock as close as possible to the hard rubber puck, the so‑called “Daube”. The closest stock scores the most points. Only ice stocks that come to rest in the target area count. Variations include competitions for maximum distance or highest speed. Ice stock can be played in teams or in a round‑robin format, everyone against everyone.

Ice stocks and accessories

An ice stock usually consists of 3 parts: the stock body, the handle and the running sole. The running sole determines how well the stock glides on the surface and can be changed depending on the season. Winter soles are made of rubber, while models for asphalt are made of plastic. The weight and size of ice stocks vary by age group. Children and school pupils play with smaller, lighter models than adults – so even young beginners can enjoy the fun of ice stock sport.