A possible new hobby

Scott and I headed up to Whistler this weekend, but it's still early in the season and the skiing is currently less than ideal. So instead of heading up the mountain, we explored other parts of town. One new part of town is the recently opened Whistler Sliding Centre.

The name gives very little away but the venue is actually home to bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events. Obviously built in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics in 14 short months, the centre is already completed and the Canadian athletes are getting a leg up, so to speak, on practicing on what rumour has is the fastest track in the world (training times remain unproven until the venue hosts international competition, which will happen in early 2009 with World Cup events)

We dropped by the centre to check out the national development skeleton team take a few turns down the track.
The thing that looks like a bug stuck to the windshield is actually a person on a rickety little skeleton, travelling head first and sideways down the track at over 100km/hr.

This 15 second video might give you a better sense of the speed



Inspired, we all trooped back to the information centre and signed up on the spot. It turns out that this is what a skeleton looks like:

Not exactly a piece of equipment that inspires confidence for travel at up to 140km/hr.

But our hardy crew was not deterred. Bobsled is an alternate way to get down the same track, and who doesn't love bobsled teams? Here's James, Eva and Scott practicing their technique:


And here they are practicing their medal acceptances:


And here they are fighting Scott for gold:

Ah, the spirit of competition... let the games begin!