Blog
Categories
© Tirol Werbung / Rodler Ilvy
Food & Drink
© Bert Heinzelmeier
People
© Tirol Werbung / Aichner Bernhard
Arts & Culture
© Tirol Werbung / Moore Casey
Recommendations
© Tirol Werbung / Herbig Hans
Family
© Tirol Werbung / Schwarz Jens
Bits & Pieces
© Tirol Werbung / Neusser Peter
Sports
Jagdhausalmen Alpine Pastures, Defereggen, East Tirol, Austria, Europe
Specials

How I Tried Figln – Testing Out My Skiing Prowess on Supershort Figl Skis

Updated on 12.03.2018 in Sports

Figl an den Fuessen

As the winter season grows short in Tirol, so do the skis. In spring, figl skis are king. The figl is a special, supershort ski. It is an acronym for firngleiter, meaning “firn glider”, called Figl for short. Firn is the German word for spring or corn snow. Both, the snow called Firn and the stubbies named Figl are extant in numbers in Tirol in spring. Before moving to Tirol, I had never heard of figls. “Let’s get figln!” I said to my friends, preparing for an intriguing investigation of this barely known phenomenon known as figln. I had never tried that before…

Having lived in Tirol for five years, I’m sometimes scared of myself. In the past, I liked to sunbathe by a lake, reading a book. These days, however, I tend to come up with ridiculous ideas like figln. I have swapped lakes for mountains and books for hiking guides. I have got 5 pairs of skis and a mountain bike in my basement. Did I transform into a Tirol mountain man? What is more, I know at least five long-time locals who were born and reared in Tirol and still haven’t done anything like skiing or hiking or mountain biking. They feel as far away from the mountains as I feel from the beaches of Nice.

That’s what figln looks like. No, it’s not me pictured here… unfortunately. The picture was taken in steep Karrinne Couloir on April 2nd.That’s what figln looks like. No, it’s not me pictured here… unfortunately. The picture was taken in steep Karrinne Couloir on April 2nd.

Only recently, I, the wannabe Tirolean, heard the mountains calling—and I had to go. Scaling the heights of Judentörl Peak on Saturday and Hafelekar on Sunday. Together with friends, who are all hard-core Tirol buffs like me. At least, they work and play here. One was born in the Austrian Province of Salzburg. Then there’s a Swedish woman. A Finnish woman. And one from the Austrian Province of Vorarlberg. “Let’s get figln!” I said to my Tirolean friends. I had been ski touring a dozens of times and felt that I was ready for it. On Saturday, we laced up our hiking boots and attached Figl skis made in Tirol to our backpacks.

We started our adventure at Gasthof Straßberg Inn above Telfs and climbed the southern side of the mountain. As hard-core mountain buffs like me know, south-facing aspects will start to soften up and thaw once they have been sun-kissed in the spring. Nevertheless, the snow was still plentiful up there and we plodded through snow for the last 30 minutes of climbing atop the 1,935-meter peak of Judentörl. Anyway, we made it there. We tied on our firngleiters and scud on down through the cirque filled with armpit-deep snow. I fell over, I got back up. I fell over again and kept going. And fell over again. It seemed to me as if falls, many of them head-pounders, were inevitable. “That snow is tricky and not easy to ride!” said my Salzburg-native friend, a seasoned figl ski veteran. It felt like my first time skiing. In fact, it was my first time skiing on firngleiters. The grade was gentler on the lower section and I started having the things, figl skis that is, under control.  We planed through the snow and it was great fun, indeed.

Figln is fun! #lovetirol #figl #firngleiten #firn #skiing #frühling #alplhütte #judentörl A post shared by Michael Gams (@smagichim) on Apr 6, 2017 at 9:42am PDT

Second try on Sunday. Innsbruck, Hafelekar, 2,334 meters above sea level. This time, though, we opted for the less exhausting and more convenient ride aboard the gondola. Next to me in the gondola cabin were what I christened other figlers. Figl skiers. The typical Hafelekar figler wears ski boots and ski pants. Instead, I, the hard-core mountain buff, was wearing hiking boots and hiking pants. We got off the gondola and climbed to access the steep Karrinne Couloir for five minutes. With a gradient of 70 per cent, it is one of the steepest runs in the world and not for the faint hearted. “Do you dare to?” is what they ask on the Innsbruck Website. Ridiculously laughable. I started to scud on down. I fell over. Head over heels. And over again. Three times. Five times. Kids planed through on their little stubbies like weasels, furrowing their way gleefully down the whole length of the steep couloir, little sloppy slides of snow pushing down with them. In my hiking boots I did not have the things under control. One lap was enough. Hafelekar, I will be back – next time in my ski boots.

Kids planed through the steep couloir on their little stubbies like weasels.Kids planed through the steep couloir on their little stubbies like weasels.

When he is not working, Michael Gams is out exploring this beautiful region, hiking, mountain biking, freeriding and ski touring to the most beautiful spots in Tirol.

Last article from Michael
Hängebrücke Highline 179_576378(c) Naturparkregion Reutte, © Naturparkregion Reutte
Updated on 17.07.2023 in Recommendations
21 Reasons Why You Should Never Visit Tirol
6 min reading time
Skiing above the city at Patscherkofel, © Tirol Werbung / Stefan Voitl
Updated on 31.10.2022 in Sports
How to Be a Better Skier: Nine Ways to Improve Your Skiing
10 min reading time
Schloss Tratzberg (c) W9 Studios, Tirol Werbung
Updated on 17.05.2022 in Arts & Culture
Discover the Myths and Legends of Tratzberg Castle
3 min reading time
Skigebiet Alpbach in Tirol
Updated on 13.12.2021 in Recommendations
A Day In The Snow: Skiing in Alpbach
10 min reading time
Beckna Harakiri schmal
Updated on 01.09.2021 in Recommendations
A Day In The Snow: Snowboarding in Mayrhofen
8 min reading time
1_Skifahren in Ischgl_Pardatschgrat
Updated on 02.03.2021 in Recommendations
A Day In The Snow: Skiing Ischgl
5 min reading time
Snowshoeing in Hochfilzen, Pillerseetal Valley. (Photo: Tirol Werbung)
Updated on 10.12.2018 in Recommendations
Top Ten Places for a White Christmas in Tirol
4 min reading time
Portrait Vreni Meijerink (c) Bert Heinzlmeier
Updated on 31.07.2018 in People
One of 757 thousand: How Vreni from Holland came to Tirol
6 min reading time
Bernhard Neumann_Olperer_Gipfelgrat
Updated on 09.05.2018 in People
Summit Stories: Bernhard Neumann, Olperer
7 min reading time
Kilian Scheiber_Wildspitze Portrait
Updated on 12.03.2018 in People
Summit Stories: Kilian Scheiber, Wildspitze
9 min reading time
Updated on 04.12.2017 in Family
Winter holiday through a photographer’s lens
1 min reading time
Portrait_Sara_(c) Carlos Blanchard_S34B5610
Updated on 03.07.2017 in People
One Out of 757 Thousand: How Sara came to Tirol from Sweden
9 min reading time
Bergfuehrer_Matthias Wurzer_Gipfel Großglockner (c) Tirol Werbung_Jens Schwarz
Updated on 28.06.2017 in People
Summit Stories: Matthias Wurzer and Großglockner Mountain
8 min reading time
Left behind the snowcapped spire is our destination: The Summit of Großvenediger.
Updated on 27.06.2017 in People
Summit Stories: Sigi Hatzer, Großvenediger
9 min reading time
Left behind the snowcapped spire is our destination: The Summit of Großvenediger.
Updated on 27.06.2017 in People
New Blog Series: Mountain Guide Summit Stories
5 min reading time
Ort:
Updated on 20.03.2017 in Family
The ABC’s of Skiing With Kids
6 min reading time
Updated on 01.06.2016 in Sports
What to Bring: The Ultimate Multi-Day Hiking Packing List
2 min reading time
All articles from Michael
No comments available
Write comment

Keep reading

Go up

Is your inbox in need of a holiday?

Then subscribe to our weekly newsletter full of exclusive holiday tips from Tirol!