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so just went to Whistler, British Columbia and took the opportunity to try the Olympic BobSleigh run there that they offer to the public to raise funds to support the athletes.
in 'training' we're shown what we'll be going in (4 person sled with pro up front, two 'lighter' people in the middle, and the heavier/taller person (like me ) in the back. these sleds are different that actual pro olympic ones in that they have taller sides to stop idiots falling out.
one thing to note is the black 'ring' around the nose near the opening - that's where the entire nose cone can actually ROTATE by the driver's controls to steer! i did not know that before.
then we go out for a look at the track, a giant concrete structure with a vast ammonia plant to keep it frozen. every day people MANUALLY walk the whole track and scrape the ice to make it 'smooth' and shiny, a BIG job. here's a couple of shots i took. look at the 'wall' i'd later go around.
then i had the run and this is a shot of another team coming up the end 'hill' which is how these 'ice missiles' slow down!
so anyway, they video the run with gopros, and here's mine with a bit of promo fluff of theirs up front. i removed the part about the 'skeleton' run option (you go by yourself laying face down on what looks like a mcdonald's tray ) - i will definitely do that next time.
That is such a cool video and experience! I bet you'll be paying close attention to that event in the next winter Olympics if you didn't already after doing that.
yes it was amazing. have to say the run was much bumpier than i expected and i had some back ache after, but i have no regrets.
you experience up to 4Gs on that run! but the 'public run' does not actually start from the top of the track the athletes use which allows them to go a fair bit faster and hit up to 6Gs! they told us if we did that that most of us would just black out and they'd have to drag us out of the sleds.
on my run we hit 125kph. they show the 'standings' of all the groups that do it. i think we ended up about mid pack, all very very close though as obviously 3 of the 4 in each sled have no clue what they're doing.
What sort of legal disclaimers did you have to sign? Did they have you (and your estate) promise not to sue if you were hurt or killed? Did you have to promise to post only good pictures and videos but nothing that showed anyone who had been injured or killed?
Sounds like the kind of thing I would probably take their word on LOL
Cool experience, now I guess I need to go to Whistler!
My sentiments EXACTLY!!
As I was looking at the photos, I thought to myself.."I had no clue this existed anywhere...".
Then I saw the video and thought..."This is something the wife and I HAVE to experience!!"
This is simply fantastic, and thanks so much for sharing!
Cool experience, now I guess I need to go to Whistler!
Originally Posted by CRowe14
My sentiments EXACTLY!!
As I was looking at the photos, I thought to myself.."I had no clue this existed anywhere...".
Then I saw the video and thought..."This is something the wife and I HAVE to experience!!"
This is simply fantastic, and thanks so much for sharing!
it's the SKELETON that i will definitely do next time!!!!! it only runs a couple of times a week and it was not going on the day i was there. from their site:
besides this stuff though, whistler is a killer skiing town in winter and a biking/hiking paradise in summer. i was blown away at the size and scope of the skiing area. it has 12x the amount of skiing area as Aspen for example! over 200 runs... i'm no great skier though so couldn't take advantage of much of it, but still, i went to the very top and did this run down the side that was so natural it was like nothing i've done before...
Simply gorgeous!
I've heard about Aspen as well as the skiing in Montana, but never heard anything about the mountains in BC.
I went to Vail last year and though its a great ski "town", I wasn't overly impressed with the array of slopes.
Very nice little town they have there though.
From the sounds of it, it seems like this area in BC has a nice selection of things to do whether there is snow or the ground is dry.
My wife is a nature buff as well as can be an adrenaline junkie, so I think she'd love this!
Thanks again for sharing and the additional info!
Looks beautiful. I would like to ski more, I skied a lot when I was younger, I've gotten away from it over the last 15 years or so. My wife doesn't ski so taking ski trips together doesn't do a whole lot for us. I have buddies that ski but they ski at a much higher level than I do (although I do okay), they take awesome trips but I would slow them down lol
Well you missed the best part for car guys Bitkuhana. That's the drive up to Whistler on the Sea-to-Sky Highway from Vancouver. It was actually a part of the Olympic infrastructure. Amazing scenery and twisty roads with an amazing backdrop.
02-03-16, 05:57 AM
not quite a 'car' experience, but exhilerating...
) in the back. these sleds are different that actual pro olympic ones in that they have taller sides to stop idiots falling out. 
