TheFIL World Luge Natural Track Championships, part of theInternational Luge Federation (FIL) have taken place on an almost biennial basis in non-Winter Olympics years since 1979.
These championships are held for and uponnaturbahn or natural tracks, runs packed with snow and ice but featuring no artificial banking or artificial refrigeration as would be found on artificial and refrigerated tracks used in the mainstream Luge competitions. (SeeFIL World Luge Championships for all artificial track events that have taken place since1955.)
Thenatural track discipline is an ancient and somewhat more organic form of the sport, requiring more rider intervention and hard braking over rougher tracks made across natural undulations of the path. That intervention, in turn, breaks the track up more for later riders and makes it more unpredictable. As a result, the discipline is often not as fast, but more physical and technical than luge onkunstbahn on the artificial, refrigerated tracks that are shared with bobsleigh and skeleton races.[1] The concept of natural track can be compared with thecross-country discipline in athletics orskiing, or thecyclo-cross andmountain bike disciplines in cycling.
Although natural track luge is not an Olympic event, andvenues are limited by climate and topology, FIL remains committed to supporting its inclusion in future Winter Games.
1979:Inzing,Austria
1980:Moos in Passeier,Italy1982:Feld am See, Austria
1984:Kreuth,West Germany1986:Fénis-Aosta, Italy
1988:Montreux,Switzerland (cancelled)1990:Gsies, Italy1992:Bad Goisern, Austria1994: Gsies, Italy1996:Oberperfuss, Austria
1998:Rautavaara,Finland2000:Olang, Italy2001:Stein an der Enns, Austria
2003:Železniki,Slovenia
2005:Latsch, Italy
2007:Grande Prairie, Alberta,Canada2009: Moos in Passeier, Italy2011:Umhausen, Austria2013:Deutschnofen, Italy2015:Sankt Sebastian, Styria, Austria
2017 :Vatra Dornei, Romania2019:Latzfons, Italy2021:Umhausen, Austria2023:Deutschnofen, Italy2025:Tyrol, AustriaDebuted: 1979.
Debuted: 1979.
Debuted: 1979.
Debuted: 2001.
Updated as of the2025 FIL World Luge Natural Track Championships.
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy | 50 | 40 | 38 | 128 |
| 2 | Austria | 24 | 31 | 30 | 85 |
| 3 |  Russia | 8 | 11 | 6 | 25 |
| 4 |  CIS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 5 | Russian Luge Federation | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 |  Poland | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| 7 | Germany | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Slovenia | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
 Soviet Union | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Totals (9 entries) | 83 | 83 | 83 | 249 | |
