It is interesting to test my risk tolerance with age. The destination selected for my advisory board’s annual retreat was Park City, Utah. Within 20 minutes from the town you can access the 2002 Winter Olympic Park. It is a great venue because the facilities are still being used as a practice facility for kids learning the sport, elite athletes training, and tourists looking for a thrill.
It was a beautiful day the weekend after Labor Day. The weekend warriors descended on the Olympic Park. We signed up for the full package. We were able to watch ski jumpers practice before we caught the shuttle to the top of the bobsled run. We watched a safety video before boarding the shuttle. It was a very brief video that left with some level of anxiety, but still good energy and a sense of excitement.
Since it was early September, there was obviously no snow. During the off-season they send the sleds down on wheels on the worn concrete track. With attention to detail we listened to the safety and instructional review and then made our helmet selection. The kid responsible for giving us life saving advice was on auto pilot having given the speech hundreds of times. His words didn’t relieve, but actually created more anxiety.
Here is the setup – There are four people to a sled; slot 1 is for the driver, passengers ride in slots 2, 3 and 4. After a variety of position changes, I found myself in slot number four, hanging on a little too tight. At this late stage I hear that the difference in force in the curves is 2G’s in seat position 2 and 4G’s in seat position number four. I am committed and feeling brave. I ask, for no particular reason, how many curves are on the run? Our guy says, “It doesn’t matter, you won’t be able to count them.”
Now it is our turn. All you can see is the first curve. As we are being pushed to the corner, I hear, “The first three curves are relatively gentle.” Once we hit turn four, someone turned on the after burners. I now know where they found the motion for the bobble head dolls. My skull, encased in a motorcycle helmet bounced off opposite sides of the sled through most of the next 13 turns.
What seemed like an eternity turned out to be 1 minute and 2 seconds which was the 6th fastest time of the day. It was one of the top 3 most intense minutes of my life. I had a headache as we moved to the extreme zip line. Now that I was a certified speed-freak, it felt like I was barely moving hurtling down the zip line at 55 mph.
Enjoy the video, although it is a bit of a blur. The headache faded at the end of day 3.
I would recommend the run, but not in the four position.
Trent
