The Berchtesgadener Land has fascinating mountains, lush green hills, and the region’s lakes. When resident George Hackl looks there, he sees a spectacular landscape. He has neglected sports and exercise lately, he just stood and worked out very often in the workshop in his basement, and at some point he had to admit that his body weight had become a bit excessive. But it doesn’t matter, because now that his everyday life has changed a lot anyway, he can train pounds.

Former top tobogganist Haeckl has gone within his game. For a few weeks now, he has now been in charge of the German luge team, not as a specialist in fast sledges, but in charge of the Austrians. Instead of working on the German railways, they would have to work on the Ischnale in Igels, south of Innsbruck, but this is not the only move. Perhaps more important is another change of location, namely from the basement to the fresh air.

“Independence Is Important At My Age,” Haeckel Says—He Doesn’t Know What It Feels Yet

At least for the summer. Because the Austrian Luge Association RV athletes are already riding on good material, which they can get from high-tech companies, for example, Hackl now has its independence, which was the deciding factor for a new life. “Independence is important at my age,” Hackl says, “even though I don’t know what it feels like.” His time in the Bundeswehr is over, Haeckl is safe and retired and has time for his personal life. He can climb mountains, ride bikes and do any sport he wants.

But is that all? For someone like him? No, Hackl has the freedom, but by the latest winter he will be able to continue his old hobby of customizing sleds on Austrian sleds. He has now fixed his professional activity, building sledges, with his personal life, just like his own sled. The sport has produced many medalists, with Haeckl perhaps the most distinguished being German. He collected 16 medals in major events, including three gold medals in Albertville, Lillehammer and Nagano as Olympic champion and three times as individual world champion. And later he perfected his art as a physical specialist, a kind of guilder, as an adaptor for the last hundredth of his German successors in the Ice Channel.

Such a person can get a job anywhere. The fact that Hackl, despite his expertise, never went to Canada to build a team, or that he didn’t find his own content company, for example, may be because he just missed the timing. But it is more likely that he simply preferred something else, namely his homeland. and elaborate tampering with the sled. His saw, his hammer, his file, his cellar.

Hackl also acts as a trainer, luge, such as bobsleigh or motor sports, depending on both the material and the person who has to operate it. Except that on a flat sunbathing platform mounted on skids, the slightest inattention, touching the rink, tarnishes all dreams of a medal. Tobogganists have to feel good, have confidence and be at one with their vehicle. A good sled builder lays the foundation for this.

He knows double success: on the track and in the basement of the workshop

This doesn’t happen quickly. “You have to perfect your sled all winter,” says Hackl, “otherwise you may not be as effective and successful as a trainer and technician in the game of luge.” The fact that this work, which has probably been a solitary activity for a long time, fascinates him to this day, is probably due to the first time he realized it. Proud of the first double success, victory on the track and in the basement of the workshop: “If you can achieve sporting success with an instrument that you build yourself, like I did then, you develop a great passion.” But there are also great expectations in the environment.”

He attracted attention not only with his driving skills, but also with a certain brilliance to say the least. In November 2005, shortly before the Olympic Games in Turin and Cessana, Haeckl was still very weak due to the after-effects of a hand injury. Heckl (“I’m like the SPD, I have a problem with the Left”) was hard to execute with the penguin’s nudge, which is already a deciding factor in victory and defeat.

So now Hackl has proceeded to check by himself that his plan is good. The time to move to another continent is probably over, as is the time to start something new. Haeckl can stay hackl, he can climb mountains in summer and he doesn’t need to adjust to foreign culture because: “Austrians speak the same language, they are also influenced by the Alps and they have the same mentality.”

And he can disappear into his workshop basement in autumn and winter looking for solutions to the fastest sledges with files, hammers and saws.