Ice stock shooting in Ebbs

Concentrating, aiming for a target, having fun.

The ice surface is perfectly prepared; "Daubes" and ice stocks are ready for the game. Darkness is falling slowly over the spacious canopy of the ice rink in the Hallodu in Ebbs. The guests may now arrive.

iStock-19749076-MEDIUM-wakila — Ice stock shooting - ready to start

We already hear voices from the approaching group, turning around the corner and looking curiously at the ice surface. After welcoming the group and pointing out that the surface could be quite smooth on some areas, we hand out ice stocks to every participant and step on the surface.

Eisstockschießen_Daube_Ziel_Eishalle_Hallodu — The “Daube” – a large wooden cube

We divide the guests into teams according to the colors of their ice stocks which then play against each other. Lisi - my colleague - and I briefly explain the rules of the game. We are standing opposite the target field, the "Daube", sometimes also called "Hase", is placed in the middle.

In our case, the “Daube” is a large red painted wooden cube. The aim is to get one’s ice stock as near to the “Daube” as possible or knock the ice stock of the opposing team further away.

And a few safety rules: pay attention to your own balance, when sliding the ice stock, watch that no one is behind you, and as a right-hander always have your right foot on the “kicking plate”, while the left foot is in front and not vice versa. Otherwise, that could have bad consequences for your knee.

First of all, I demonstrate how to slide the cube: I focus on the target, start swinging the ice stock with a relaxed shoulder movement, gently set the ice stock on the ground and shoot it powerfully to the other side of the rink. Although the ice condition is good today, I missed the target by a hair's breadth because of too much power input.

Eisstockschießen_gleichauf_Eishalle_Hallodu_Ebbs — The teams compete against each other.

Everyone has one “testing shot”. The guests have great fun because some have trouble sliding the stick to the opposite side of the field. On the rink next to us, people are also eagerly practicing. After the return round, the teams compete against each other. I'm referee and coach in one person. However, we play with very simple rules - the team that can place one of their ice stocks as close as possible to the cube, has won this round.

First round - second round - first round - second round. For me it is always a pleasure when it comes to the end and both teams have won almost the same number of rounds.

You can hear laughter and voices over the rink, everyone is excited, everyone tries to give its best and many are amazed how well it works out in the end to bring the ice stock across the rink into the target field. Times passes quickly, after 1.5 hours “the games is over”. Lisi and I shake hands with our leaving guests who return happily to their hotels for dinner. Some still say to us: "I had a great time again. See you next year! So long!

We remove the cubes. It has become quite again, the ice rink under this huge roof extending in front of us. The blue evening sky has now passed into a deep black sky covered with shining stars. It has become colder. It’s time to go home.

How to behave on the ice rink.

While a player is sliding the ice stock towards the cube, the area behind the player must be kept free for safety reasons.
The game, as you know, takes place on the ice. That’s why it is important to wear sturdy shoes to prevent accidents.

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In his younger years Harald always wanted to go out into the wide world and stay there, so he has travelled through plenty of countries and explored plenty of waters with his kayak. But in the end he always came back to Kufsteinerland, and is happy to call the area home. As an enthusiastic hiker he loves to be out in his local mountains and forests, and find peaceful places off the beaten path. He also enjoys photographing the little things on the side of the path. In recent years he has discovered the movements of tai chi and qi gong, and appreciates the health and inner peace that they bring with them, especially when the exercises are done outside in nature.All articles by Harald Löffel

Hard Facts:

Venue: Hallodu, Ebbs

Clothing:

Warm winter boots or winter shoes
Warm clothing
Gloves, cap

Game rules:

The playing field is divided into a starting field, and a target field.
The ice stock is slided from the starting field towards the target field.
The “Daube” is placed in the middle of the target field.
The aim of ice stock shooting is to place more ice stocks close to the “Daube” than the opposing team.
A game consists of 6 rounds.
Each player has one “shot” per round.
If the “Daube” is moved during a shot, the new position is now considered the target.
If a player places the ice stock closer to the “Daube” than his opponent, he gets 2 points.
The team with the most points is the winner of the game.