Wer meinem Blog verfolgt, weiß dass ich eigentlich jeden Sommer 1-2 Wochen in Oberstdorf im Allgäu verbringe (sab).

Zum Abschluss des diesjährigen Urlaubs wollten wir mit zwei anderen Rollifahrern und einer Ehefrau die Skiflugschanze besichtigen, denn man hatte sie für die WM 2018 renoviert und auch den Sessellift im vergangenen Sommer durch einen barrierefreien Schrägaufzug ersetzt. Vom Plateau aus könne man auch zu einem Bergsee wandern.

Am Kassenhäuschen sagte man uns, man käme mit dem Rolli nicht in den Aufzug des Sprungturmes. Schade eigentlich, alles neu gebaut, bei der Großschanze geht es doch auch. Wir könnten oben auf der Höhe Absprungtisch ja ins Museum gehen und im Restaurant warten bis unsere Begleitungen vom Sprungturm kämen. Nach draußen aufs Hochplateau könnten wir auch nicht, es gebe noch keine Rampe nach draußen. Wir fuhren nach oben und wollten wenigstens den Blick von dort genießen. Dies war auch nicht möglich, da die Aussichtsplattform war noch nicht fertig war, wer will das schon..… Das Museum waren ca. sechs Bilder und ein Fernseher, und das Restaurant entpuppte sich als Kiosk mit ein paar Tischen. Egal, unsere Ehefrauen fuhren den Sprungturm hoch, die Aussicht müsste atemberaubend sein.

Als die zwei den Sprungturm wieder herunterkamen, wollten wir gemeinsam mit dem Schrägaufzug wieder herunterfahren und gemütlich zurück zum Hotel wandern, doch dieser war jetzt kaputt, er blieb undefiniert immer mal stehen. Na toll… , da standen wir nun draußen oben auf der Treppe vor den acht Stufen in die Freiheit.

Man hätte uns drei Rollifahrer “nur” die Treppe herunter tragen und uns mit einem Auto den Berg herunterfahren müssen. Ob den drei Mann vielleicht der eine Elektrorollstuhl von 250 kg inklusive Fahrer zu schwerer war?

Man versuchte den Schrägaufzug zu reparieren, was nicht gelang. Die anderen Besucher gingen die steile Straße herunter oder wurden vom Berg herunter gefahren.

Wir warteten schon ca. 2 1/2h, nichts passierte.
Ich sitze eigentlich fast alles aus, doch so eine erreichbare Behindertentoilette, auch diese ist unten neben der Treppe in Planung, wäre für uns nicht schlecht gewesen.
Letztendlich ließen wir uns vom rolligerechten Hotelbus, der eine Hebebühne hat, abholen. Uns zwei Aktivrollifahrer trugen sie Treppe runter, während der Elektrorollstuhl-Mitfahrer von der kleineren Treppe des Hinterausgangs mit Behelfsrampen direkt über die Hebebühne in den Hotelbus fuhr. Die Behelfsrampen hätte man auch gut als Bierbänke nehmen können. Das hätte ich in Deutschland niemals getan, dafür gibt es die 112.

Viele Rollifahrer beschweren sich ja, wenn sie aus “Sicherheitsgründen” eine Sehenswürdigkeit nicht besuchen dürfen. In diesem Fall wäre es aber tatsächlich besser gewesen, wir wären vor Komplett-Fertigstellung des Umbaus gar nicht erst hochgelassen worden. Wenn Ihr als Rollifahrer also demnächst vor der Skiflugschanze in Oberstdorf abgewiesen werdet, wundert Euch nicht – wir sind Schuld! Die werden wohl erst wieder Rollifahrer mitnehmen, wenn der Umbau komplett abgeschlossen ist.

Uns ist glücklicherweise nichts passiert, doch der letzte Urlaubstag war “gelaufen”. Wir alle haben für nächstes Jahr schon das Hotel reserviert. Der Leiter der Sportstätten Oberstdorf versprach uns für nächstes Jahr eine Flugschanzenführung mit Rampe und Aussichtsplattform.

Brought some nice weather back home.

38° C in the shade

Click on Tags “COOLING CAP”

Translator BL

Biblis of the Alps

(Biblis is an old nuclear plant in Germany)

The decision for nuclear phase out was taken, we all have to save energy.

Innovative ideas are wanted!!!

The Bavarian alp cows are setting a good example.

Ingeniously simple, a solar powered electric fence. Hopefully the originator has already patented it.

 Thanks to a big soft drink company for the generous donation of a special casing and semiautomatic transport cart.

The company P. is seriously active in the area of solar power.

Translator BL

“McDonald’s”, a town in Bavaria???

(sign points to an underpass)

Wheelchair crossing???

I reach such a high speed with cycling that my wife can walk next to me.

I got persuaded to travel to the “near abroad” last week for a hand cycle boot camp

Oberstdorf im Allgäu (Bavaria).

I have been to many countries already and was able to communicate with the respective inhabitants in English or French quite well.

Apart from the language barrier, the weather has disturbed my whole training schedule.

My since months proven and tested training schedule with several rides in the rain per day was ruined totally by one week of everlasting sunshine. In London (Paralympics 2012) it rains the whole year, as everybody knows, so you have to be prepared.

My equipment had to be converted rapidly from high speed rain jacket to strongly braking cooling cap and vest.

Due to the beautiful sunsets every day the coaches got so melancholic that there was nothing to do with them any more. They were occupied with writing post cards and painting by numbers.

The signage of the race track must have been the result of

Fools at work.

signs in both directions meaning: all trails

Meanwhile I had completely lost my way, so that I ended up on the

Nebelhorn

middle sign meaning: panorama trail – wheelchair and stroller accessible

and finally on the

Way of St James

(in German: Jakobsweg)

OK, this was driven back quickly .

Back in Frankfurt at last.
Last night I was finally able to exercise reasonably again with 16°C and 20 litres of rain/m²!

Translator BL

London ist near!

At this stage I would like to thank Mr. Bock, the owner of a travel agency specialized on wheelchair travels. I had already booked various trips there. In December during our first personal conversion (it was about the details of a reservation) he had the idea to introduce my blog on the travel agency’s newsletter. There are some thousand people on his distribution list, so it should be possible to help effected people. He also employs a wheelchair user and knows about our challenges and projects. Such a PR would be nice!

Of course I am quite taken with such conversations, but unfortunately usually there are rarely results.

On Saturday I received the January newsletter!

There it was, the first Rollinator PR Blog, and the whole thing without any more discussions, great thing!

** client offers advice for free

Internet – Steffen L., wheelchair user and **client, writes in his Blog “Eigude” about odd experiences from everyday life and innovative ideas for wheelchair users:

“News from the Rollinator” – this title shines above the comprehensive Web-Blog of Steffen L. The hobby internet editor is in a wheelchair only since 2007, but in this short time he has collected already a considerable amount of information.

“When you, sitting in a wheelchair, have left the hospital or the rehab the drama begins. You are left on your own, and everybody has to re-invent the wheel to manage everyday life.”
“Therefore this blog with a lot of tips and tricks.”

Interested persons can find the website onwww.eigude.de
As expert for individual technical aids solutions the author offers advice for free!

** Contact details of the travel agency can be requested as usual on rollinator@eigude.de

More than 150 clicks in 24 hours, uff…

Translator BL

As already mentioned a couple of times (see older blog posts wheelchair tyres) I had

Mountainbike wheelchair tyres

built.
With my wife I wanted to make a tour around a lake in Austria:

Vilsalpsee

In combination with my shock absorbers and with assistance it is definitely possible to ride or push my wheelchair on hiking paths.
Gravel paths and pot-holes can be handled without great difficulties.
But suddenly I stood in front of a giant

Mud Hole

2 meters wide, 10 cm deep, 5 meters long, it was the path!!!
There even my

Outdoor Wheelchair

reached its limits.

After a couple of walkers who did not declare me completely insane what I am doing on their hiking paths with my wheelchair ensured me that the path would be accessible without any problems after passing the mud hole, and that they would help me, we took a chance.

New gloves, never mind!

No silly pictures were taken when I got stuck in the mud.
With pushing and pulling I got out of the mud and back on track.

At least my hand rims had to be cleaned. Then it is quite helpful when you receive from another walker a big amount of baby wipes which – as she mentioned funny enough – had an apple-peach scent.
Well, the wheelchair wasn’t clean, but smelled nicely.

The supposed accessible path presented the next challenge quickly.
Although the bridge is only 1,5 meters high the ramp is just 4 meters long. Only marginally I would like to mention that I had to go down again on the other side.

(The perspective is misleading.)

I slowly started feeling like Hobbit Frodo from the Shire.

After half of the round course the path around the sea turned into a country lane first and then into a paved highway.

It took the mouse hours with her white tissue until my wheelchair was clean again.

Translator BL

As you probably have noticed I am sometimes almost a professional complainer. One forgets to mention positively when lifts are available, curbs are lowered, or if someone really thought ahead.
Everyone can imagine that it is extremely inconvenient when you as a wheelchair driver are alone in your car, you lack of petrol and need to refuel.
The big company with the

Yellow Shell

has nicely enough re-established since a couple of years the

classic petrol station attendant

Fuel, air, water, oil and payment are “going” without saying. It is always quite funny when I roll to the station without car and want to get the air pressure of my wheelchair tyres checked.

The petrol company with the

“five legged, water shooting, black dog”

is offering a special

wheelchair service!

Sticker text: “We help – please honk!”

Here you can enjoy honking.

An error has crept into the picture, the chips cost 1,42 €.

Translator BL

The first ride with a cable car in a wheelchair is an experience in itself. When I finally arrived on the top of the mountain the cable car operator wanted to help me out of the gondola immediately even though it hadn’t stopped oscillating yet. I don’t know how other wheelchair drivers would feel, but I don’t like it if the ground is still moving while getting out.

At the Nebelhorn in Oberstdorf there was an add-on:
To surmount some stairs to the sun terrace they have installed a

Platform lifter.

Basically a great thing. These things are nothing special for me because I live on the first floor and use such a lifter each and every day.
But with this lifter it should be

mandatory to wear a helmet!! 

No joke:
Usually the bottom plate is put down, the safety bars swing out and one drives on to the lifter to get down the stairway.
This one is a little different:
The bottom plate is put down as well, then one drives on to the lifter, and now you have to duck your head quickly, otherwise you will be struck by the swinging

Safety bar 

or pushed down the stairway…

Positively to be mentioned is that the lifter operator pointed out this “specialty” in the last moment.

Translator BL

During the winter I had

Mountainbike Wheelchair tyres

 (see older blog post)

built according to my ideas to brave the quantities of snow.
Just in time with the thawing in Frankfurt the tyres were ready.
To conduct an endurance test with the tyres anyhow they were subject to a two week testing in the

Alps

Extreme up and down Snow-Riding!

Extreme Off-road Hand cycling

Extreme Haldensee- Rounding

Extreme Wheelchair Jumping

All tests were completed more or less successfully.

Broken axles, flat tyres and broken spokes were incurred only sporadically. As three to five defects per week are usual in the technical aids area there are no hurdles for serial production.

Translator BL

A visit to the swimming pool in my case turns out to be a little bit like the launch of a

Containership.

There are the most different methods to be

„watered“

Possibilities are e.g. a hydraulically swinging bench, a chair in which one is wound down to the water, or a shower chair in which one is pushed down a ramp into the wet as at a ship’s christening.
Into the sea one is pushed e.g. with a beach wheelchair.
(see older blog post).

The strangest variant reminds immediately of the good old

Chairoplane

on a fun fair. The fun begins with this

floating chair

being 10 cm higher than my cushion, and I would have had to unpack little wings to get on it on my own. Presumably for hygienic reasons the footrest was installed towards the inner side of the chair so that not everybody puts his unwashed feet on it.
If the jump on this thing was successful you swing the safety bar around. The copilot (assistant) drives you to the starting position in front of the pool, hooks you up with two belts into the hoist mounted on the ceiling, and the flight above the water may start.

Before watering put on your life vest!

Translator BL

If these German Alpine mountain people in Bavaria already have computers?

“Fire department / Fire water extraction point”

Are they still using leather buckets?

Translator BL

“Cyclists dismount”

“Hiking zone / Strictest driving ban”

At disregard of these signs you get sentenced with
“sitting“ for at least two years !!

Translator BL