“Big Pintenfritz” in Grindelwald is the longest toboggan run in the world at 15km! You get awesome views of the Swiss Alps including the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, and can stop at lodges and the town of Bussalp and for a pub crawl and fondue.
Fun Toboggan Facts:
- The word toboggan was borrowed from Algonquian-speaking Native Americans by French Canadians, who originally spelled it “tabaganne.”
- Other than dogs, the aboriginal people of North America had no domesticated animals such as horses to assist in transportation. Once winter weather prevented canoe travel, tribes residing in snowy climates devised the use of a toboggan to assist in hauling and hunting.
- Natives of the interior portions of Canada used toboggans to move whole communities of people. Every member of the group pulled a toboggan carrying household supplies.
- European settlers in Canada quickly adopted the use of the toboggan, which was particularly helpful for fur traders checking their winter traps.
- Tobogganing became a popular recreational sport in the late 1800s, and was a Canadian competitive sport with clubs such as the Montreal Tobogganing Club sponsoring competitions.
- British officers training in the Alps at the end of the 19th century used trays from hotel kitchens to slide down the slopes. This was the birth of tobogganing in Europe
Facts according to Discover Canadian Outdoors
