The village of Absam has a long and proud tradition of toboggan building which continues to be upheld by companies such as Prantner Rodeln. Owner Josef Prantner Jr today builds toboggans using experience passed down through many generations.
The quiet village of Absam at the start of the Halltal Valley, a side valley branching off the Inntal Valley, has played a very important role in toboggan building over the centuries. Why? The Halltal Valley is over 7km long and ends at a salt mine which for more than 700 years (until the 1960s) provided salt for the saltworks in Hall in Tirol.
Therefore, there were plenty of people who had an understandable interest in travelling the long distance out of the Halltall Valley as quickly and easily as possible. It is therefore maybe a little surprising that the first toboggans designed to carry people were not introduced until around 1900. These were named "Halltaler" in reference to the Halltal Valley and quickly became popular. One of the main producers of toboggans at this time was the Prantner family of wainwrights.
Three, two, one ... go!
The company was founded by Andrä Prantner and has been owned by the same family since 1859. As the demand for carriages slowly declined, the Prantners began to focus more on building toboggans. The owner today, Josef Prantner Jr, has been in the business since 1992 and benefits from the experience and expertise passed on to him through the generations.
The range today includes toboggans for children, teenagers and adults as well as, of course, two "Halltaler" models made using air-dried ashwood with a rubber-dampened chassis and stainless runners.
The quiet village of Absam at the start of the Halltal Valley, a side valley branching off the Inntal Valley, has played a very important role in…
