For those who love speed & adrenalin!
Norwegians love to play in the snow and for many of us sledding in the street was our first encounter with speed and g-forces when we were children. Now we take it a step further, when the world's best athletes in luge, bobsleigh and skeleton come to Lillehammer to set new high-speed records. Look forward to getting to know this unique sport in the Nordics' only bobsleigh and luge track!
BOBSLEIGH
Bobsleigh is one of the world's fastest sports with speeds of up to 140 km/h! The athletes are exposed to extreme stress with a pressure of 5G in the turns. There are three different categories, monobob (1 person), two man bob and four man bob.. Explosive strength from the start and position in the curves is crucial to get good results.
SKELETON
Lying on their stomachs, head first, only a few centimeters above the ice , with a speed up to 140 km/h. The sledge is controlled by the athlete's small movements, weight adjustment and carefully thought-out positioning in each curve. The name comes from the frame on the sledge that looks like a skeleton.
LUGE
In contrast to skeleton, the athletes lie on their backs with their legs first. Luge can be done as "single" and "double", The start is also different and you use the hands to achieve the greatest possible speed from the starting position, Luge is actually the fastest sport on ice, with speed records over 150 km/h!!
PARA SPORT
Para sport is an important part of the bobsleigh sport. In parabob, men and women compete in the same class.
The athletes are pushed out from the start using a catapult, so that everyone gets an equal start. Position in the curves and technique are therefore extremely important for getting the best time.
Lillehammer olympiske bob- & akebane
The track is unique and the only one of its kind in the Nordic region. Today there are a total of 16 courses in the world, but Lillehammer is known for being the first to start the winter season in October every year. The arena was built for the Olympic Winter Games in 1994 and has been an important attraction for tourists in the area for 30 years. In recent years, the sport has returned and there is activity at all times of the day and night throughout the winter. A number of World and European Cups have now also been added to Lillehammer calendar and we are proud to be the organizer of World Championship in bobsleigh & skeleton in 2027.
-
Total length: 1,710 m
-
Competition length: 1,365 m
-
Height difference: 114.3 m
-
Biggest drop: 15%
-
Calculated maximum speed: 128 km/h (4-bob)
-
Number of curves: 16
Good to know
Bobsleigh, skeleton and sledding are crowd-friendly sports with simple "rules of the game" that you can easily learn, even without any experience. We have collected the most important information you need to know to enjoy being a spectator.
to observe:
-
Athlete's Technique: Look for how the athletes handles the curves, using their weight, and react to the track.
-
Starting process: In bobsleigh and skeleton, the start is critical; Watch how quickly and efficiently the athletes begin. You will be able to see the start time on the screen. This is the time they spend from the starting line until the first time measurement which is located just after the starting area.
-
Timing: Results are decided by the time it takes to complete the course, with timing down to thousandths of a second. You will be able to see several intermediate times along the way.
This is how they win
-
The one with the shortest total time over a certain number of runs wins. Usually, each athlete/team has runs., and the total time for the runs is added together.
Does it ever go wrong?
With high speed and G-forces comes a good dose of risk. Nevertheless, there are few serious accidents in this sport as the focus on safety is an extremely high priority. But it is not unusual for a bobsled to turn over or for an athlete to fall off the sledge. So follow along all the way and always stay within the audience fences.
