Snow plow driving
Snow plowing , internationally known as snow plow (or plow) driving , has been a new trend sport since the end of the 20th century . In Germany there was the first German championship in September 2017 , while in February 2018 in Gdańsk, Poland, the third world championship on the edge of the XV. Winter Road Congress, to which 20 participants had already registered by the end of November 2017.
history
The XIV Winter Road Congress, which took place in Andorra in February 2014, marked the beginning of the winter-sporty comparison of snow plow drivers on an international scale . Here snow plow drivers from 10 countries showed their skills, which the delegates recognized as a second international comparison , which later became a world championship.
To determine the participants in the first German championship, competitions were held in some federal states in 2017 , for example in North Rhine-Westphalia in the town of Saerbeck or in Hesse in the town of Gudensberg . The winners were then sent to the first German championship in the state of Brandenburg .
The first German champions were the snow clearers from the Rangsdorf autobahn maintenance department . The team from Luckau took second place. The Brandenburg Transport Minister Kathrin Schneider personally conveyed her congratulations to the winning team. On this occasion, she also referred to the great importance and the strong personal commitment of the snow removal services, which are often in 24-hour continuous operation in winter. Their work found with these sporting comparisons a greater media attention.
Competition mode
The team of drivers and co-drivers of snow plows , mostly from motorway maintenance depots, has to compete in five disciplines, which are determined by a competition jury on site. For example, at the championships in North Rhine-Westphalia, the motto was: to complete a course forwards and backwards quickly and without errors with a front-mounted snow plow . In addition, signal cones (pylons) and warning beacons should be pushed precisely onto a finish line. Errors lead to time penalties.
These details can be found in the invitation to the 2018 World Cup:
two identical DAF vehicles are sent on the one-kilometer circuit in quick succession. Various obstacles have to be passed in a very short time and a slalom is mentioned. A jury then determines the placement proportionally based on practical skills (70 percent), lap time (20 percent) and the condition of the vehicle (10 percent).
Results
World Championship 2018
22 participants from eight nations took part in the 3rd Snow Plow World Championship 2018 in Gdańsk. With a flawless run, the Lower Austrian Gerhard Vock, employee of the Wolkersdorf road maintenance depot, won the fastest time.
| space | Attendees | nationality |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Gerhard Vock | Austria |
| 2. | Pure dark | Germany |
| 3. | Bertram Unger | Austria |
| 4th | Siegfried Sattler | Austria |
| 5. | Benoit Ariston | France |
| 6th | Enricoe Helmke | Germany |
| 7th | Matthias Potsch | Germany |
| 8th. | Daniel Taupe | Austria |
| 9. | Jacques Bastide | France |
| 10. | Markus Scheuss | Germany |
additional
The sporty use of the snow plows should not be confused with the braking method of plowing snow when skiing , which is recommended for beginners.
In the USA there has been a Snowplow Roadeo (a play on words from road and rodeo ) since the 1980s , which is similar to the one described here: a curved course with obstacles has to be driven through as error-free as possible, fast laps have to be completed, and cornering is pending. In addition, there are several technical questions to be answered.
Another competition on the subject of snow plows has also been held in the USA since the beginning of the 21st century, the ION Autonomous Snowplow Competition , in which the participants develop and build their own motorized snow plows, which have to be electronically controlled on a predetermined course during the clearing operation.
Web links
- Snow removal championship in summer - slalom driving and pushing pylons ; [Duration 1:42 min.]
- Plowing snow on wintry slopes ( The King of the Slopes ) , youtube.com [31:35 min.]
- Web presentation of the snow plow competition in Gdańsk 2018 as part of the AIPCR (PIARC Congress)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Jens Blankennagel: Visiting world champions , Berliner Zeitung , November 30, 2017, p. 19.
- ↑ a b c d Snow plow championships in Gudensberg: NRW chooses the best snow plow driver in Saerbeck on WDR , July 4th 2017.
- ↑ a b Inter National Winter Road Congress, World Road Association , accessed November 30, 2017.
- ↑ Hessian snow plow championships in Gudensberg: These men clear the snow if necessary, even in the middle of summer (full report is chargeable), accessed on November 30, 2017.
- ↑ Andreas Hussak: The everyday life of our world champion . In: COMMUNAL . No. 9/2019 . Vienna September 2018, p. 47 .
- ↑ APWA WI 2017 Snowplow Roadeo Competition Results , accessed on November 30, 2017.
- ↑ Feat snow competition on CNN , January 7, 2015, accessed November 30, 2017.
- ↑ Preview of the next Snow Rodeo events , accessed November 30, 2017.
- ↑ Snow plow rodeo in Skohegan draws statewide competition , June 4, 2015, accessed November 30, 2017.