Ski Games – The defining beat-the-clock event at the Winter Olympics is downhill skiing, a thrill ride that pits athletes against five g-forces per turn for up to 90 turns.
A skier’s skill, strategy, and guts are crucial for success in this sport. But the weather, starting numbers, past injuries and equipment can also affect a racer’s chances of victory.
Skiing:
The thrill of racing down the slopes is one of the most exhilarating things to experience while on a skiing trip. It’s something that you won’t forget and will bring you back for more each time you go.
Skiing for All Ages and Abilities:
It’s also a great way to get the family involved and have some fun together! You can take in the sights, laugh at each other when you fall and enjoy the view.
Skiing is a sport that’s enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. It can be done recreationally or competitively.
In competition, there are many different disciplines to choose from. They all have their own rules and regulations.
Skeleton:
One of the most ominous looking sports at the Winter Olympics is skeleton, which is played on an ultra-thin sled that vaguely resembles a human skeleton. The sport has its roots in Switzerland’s winter sport mecca of St. Moritz, which hosted the first skeleton track in 1884.
Like luge and bobsled, the goal in skeleton is to race down the ice as fast as possible. In most races, each slider gets to try four times over two days, and the person with the fastest combined time wins.
Skeleton Racer’s Journey to the World Cup:
Skeleton is organized by the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF). It has three tiers of competition: Continental Cups, Intercontinental Cups, and World Cups.
Ami Wallace has swapped a sprinting track for an icy slide in a bid to one day represent Australia in skeleton racing at the winter Olympics. She’s only been doing it for eight months, but her speed has already landed her in the World Cup circuit.
Speedskating:
Speed skating is a competitive sport that requires body-balancing and high concentration. The sport originated in the Netherlands and is now played all over the world.
There are two types of speedskating: short track and long track. In both, skaters race against the clock in time trials, but long track races feature more skaters.
Speed Skating in the Long Track:
In long track, skaters race around 400-metre oval tracks. While there aren’t many skaters going against each other at any one time, there is still a great deal of excitement.
The most popular speedskating event at the Olympics is the men’s team pursuit, a race where three skaters follow each other around a 400-metre oval. It’s much more exciting than the individual events, and it has been a major part of the Winter Games since it was introduced in 1924.
Bobsled:
Bobsleigh racing is a team sport that involves making timed runs down narrow, twisting and banked iced tracks. A bobsleigh sled typically holds two or four people, and is designed to carry a team of a driver, pusher and brakeman down the course with speed and precision.
To start the race, riders, wearing cleated shoes, run alongside the sled, pushing it until it is ready to accelerate to maximum speed. The pilot (the person driving the sled) and the brakeman, who pushes against the rear of the sled to slow it, enter the run last.
Mastering the Bobsled:
The pilot steers the bob using two “D rings” attached to cables that turn the front axle. The brake, a toothed bar between the rear runners, stops the sled when the pilot wants to slow down. There are strict rules about the design and weight of a bobsleigh, and the International Bobsleigh & Skeleton Federation oversees the sleds used by competitors in races.
