III.

Equipment

The curling stone is the game’s most important piece of equipment. The stone is a disk-shaped granite rock, which is 42 lb (19 kg). It has a handle attached to its top side. The bottom side is concave (curving inward), so that only a thin rim of rock is in contact with the ice. Nearly all of the curling stones in use in the world are manufactured in Scotland from rock quarried in Scotland or Wales.

Curlers wear special shoes. One shoe has a rubber sole to grip the ice, while the other has a low-resistance material such as Teflon covering the sole. This allows the curler to slide on the ice when necessary.

Curlers sweep the ice in front of a teammate’s throw with a broom or brush. Players originally used brooms made with stiff corn fibers—similar to common household brooms. However, long-handled brushes have largely replaced brooms because they sweep more effectively. The brush head is usually made of hog hair, horse hair, or a nylon synthetic. Many curlers use a pair of gloves to keep their hands warm while sweeping.