Firngleitersport#

Firn Gliding (also: firnskiing): participants ride on a ski-like device up to 63 cm long in narrow, steep terrain on soft, granular (firn) snow. The device was developed by the Tirolean ski instructor Emo Henrich in 1946 independently of previous devices developed in Styria (Karl Taul around 1930), who registered the patent and named the device "Firngleiter" - "Firnglider" ("Figl") in 1951. Austrian championships have been held since 1972, European and world championships since 1984 and 1987 respectively; the Austrian Ski Association ( Skiing) set up a separate firn gliding department in 1986.