Go ride an Olympic Bobsled – No Really!
Every four years, I see the brave talented Olympic bobsled riders, in two person and four person sleds - shrieking down an icy chute. It's almost like watching a science fiction movie.
I never thought that I, a complete novice and fan of the Winter Olympics - would be able to experience doing it myself.
The answer is yes, you can can indeed go ride an Olympic bobsled - on a former Olympic course!
The Whistler Mountain Sliding Centre (Home of the 2010 Winter Olympics) - located between Whistler and Blackcomb skiing locations is one of only two remaining sliding center’s in North America. The other is located back East - in Lake Placid, New York (Home of the 1932 & 1980 Winter Olympics)
No experience is necessary to ride along as a passenger with two other experience Olympic caliber bobsled (or as the Canadians call it Bobsleigh) athletes.
The cost? $209 (Canadian) per rider - which helps fund the sliding center’s $10,000 per day expense to keep the track operation for Olympic training development.
You can also opt for riding down the ice course on your stomach - facing forward on a “Skeleton Sled''. This also doesn’t require any advance experience to try. You’ll get two runs at the same $209 price.
Trying out the Bobsleigh and the Skeleton sled - as a novice, won’t be exactly like the World class competitors. The more highly trained and experience riders start at a higher starting point - one third of the way higher up the Sliding Centre. Participants must be at least 14 years of age.
More information and location details below.
4910 Glacier Lane
Whistler, British Columbia
V8E 0C2 Canada
604-964-0040
https://www.whistlersportlegacies.com/whistler-sliding-centre/overview
info@whistlerslidingcentre.com
INFO SOURCE: Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, Whistler Sliding Centre