47 Seconds of PURE ADRENALINE

There are only 17 bobsledding tracks in the world, and only a handful (5 or 6) are open to the public. Latvia has one of those tracks.

The Sigulda Bobsled Track

The bobsled with our pilot

Yesterday, feeling like I needed to do a little more in Riga, I signed up for my hostel's bobsledding trip. When in Latvia, do as the Latvians do, right? Since independence, Latvia has won 3 silver and 3 bronze medals in the Winter Olympics, all in skeleton and luge, bobsledding's sister sports. Latvia's comparative advantage in the sport is that Sigulda, about 30 miles west of Riga, has an Olympic-quality bobsledding track. Many athletes from around Europe train here, but Latvians have it right in their backyard.

Part of the track

It's hard to describe what going down a bobsled track feels like other than it's exhilarating and you lose all sense of perception. Your body gets thrown left and right at every curve, and at the end, the bobsled is slowed down by an up-ramp, but we all were convinced we were still going down. The bobsled picked up intense speed on the straightaways, and the wind in the face, even with a helmet covering most of the face, makes it hard to breathe. I was in a four-person bobsled, and our pilot on the trip was a member of the Latvian Skeleton Olympic Team.

The entire trip down the 1200 meter track lasts only 47 seconds (our official time was 47.184 seconds). After getting out of the bobsled, I found it hard to walk, and essentially stumbled around for a few minutes before I could regain my footing. There was another group after me, and watching them go down the track made me realize just how fast we were actually going. I would do it again in a heartbeat, especially in Latvia. It was truly a unique and amazing experience.

FINAL TIME: 47.184 seconds

 

Here's a video of a young girl, my guess is 12 or 13, training in luge.