ArchiveSunKid Brings Summer Tubing Fun to the Montafon Region
The summer of 2006 saw an already well established SunKid partner, the Montafon ski region, construct the very first summer tubing facility in the Austrian region of Vorarlberg. The 60m-long tubing track is located next to the top station of the region’s main ‘Hochjochbahn’ lift and boasts a gradient ranging between 8% and 20%. The highlight of the facility is without doubt the back-to-back banked corner section which is guaranteed to thrill guests of all ages!
The entire summer tubing facility was constructed using SunKid’s latest modular construction method. This design involves connecting metal units measuring 1.25m in length and 2.10m in width to one another to provide a safe and solid skeleton for the tubing facility. The side-walls and ground area are then covered with Neveplast’s tried and tested NP 30 artificial matting.
The matting boasts similar sliding properties to snow and is therefore perfectly suited to summer tubing.
Unique to the SunKid summer tubing facility are the thrilling banked corners which give guests a summer tubing experience like no other!
The construction process begins with a fully-closed conical metal skeleton being laid out on the ground. Pre-drilled holes for the individual modular sections indicate the minimum and maximum possible radius of the corner. Gently curved banked corner modules with adjustable supports on the rear side are then added to the existing skeleton.
Artificial matting is then laid onto the facility to cover the entire sliding area.
Both the entry and exit zones leading into and away from the banked corners are equipped with gradually rising banked walls whose top edges are covered with a hard-wearing foam protection. The same foam protection covers are also mounted on the top edge of the main banked corner area. These covers guarantee a safe ride for all guests and eliminate any danger of slipping out of the track during the descent.
The end of the track is equipped with a special braking zone which allows those using the facility to come to a safe and controlled stop at the end of the course.
The summer tubing construction represents another shining example of SunKid’s dedication to meeting the very highest quality and safety standards. Indeed, SunKid was the first company in the branch to concentrate not only on the optimal physical construction of a tubing track, but also on the efficient and effective running of a summer tubing facility as a whole.
The last few months has seen SunKid working together with the highly-respected German testing and standards association ‘TÜV Süd’ to analyse the safety of summer tubing facilities. This cooperation ended with the drawing up of a comprehensive safety report which SunKid has been able to use to produce an operating handbook to ensure the safety of both the producing company as well as those responsible for the day-to-day running of the track after its installation.
A summer tubing facility is a great way to make a region even more attractive to guests during the summer months. Indeed, busy facilities can pay for themselves after just one season! Key to this quick amortisation is the fact that, in general, only one person is required to supervise both the track itself and the SunKid conveyor.
The SunKid Wonder Carpet and snowtubes can be used both summer and in winter, thus making the entire infrastructure extremely profitable.
Right from the word go the summer tubing facility on the ‘Hochjoch’ proved extremely popular with guests of all ages and, along with numerous children, plenty of young-at-heart adults were also spied whizzing down the course. Indeed, on busy days over 300 guests zoom down the thrilling summer tubing track! Thanks to the new facility, the Schruns-Montafon region has managed to make itself an even more appealing destination for guests during the summer months.
