Sports — About Skeleton

“People look at skeleton and think it’s just a bit of laugh, going down the ice on tea tray. But it’s not. It’s a technical sport, and you need athleticism.” — Kristan Bromley (a former skeleton racer)

Considered to be the sport of the daring, Skeleton is a winter sport in which an athlete uses one or both of his hands to push a sled away from the starting line. Once the sled has picked up acceleration, the athlete dives on the skeleton sled and descends on the track to become the fastest athlete to reach the finish line.

Equipment

During a skeleton race, an athlete can reach speeds of up to 150 kilometers per hour, with his chin only millimeters away from the track. Therefore, in order to ensure the safety and minimize the extent of injury in the event of an accident, the following equipment must be worn by every athlete taking part in a skeleton race.

A skeleton helmet with chin guard, made specifically for skeleton
Skin-tight racing speedsuit
Goggles
Elbow and shoulder pads
Spiked shoes

Track

The same tracks that are used for Bobsleigh are used for skeleton as well. These are 1,200 to 1,300 meter long ice tracks with several tricky turns and some straight sections.

United States	2	2	1	5
Canada	2	1	0	3
Russia	1	0	1	2

Great Britain	2	1	1	4
United States	1	2	0	3
Switzerland	1	0	0	1

United States	3	4	1	8
Great Britain	2	1	3	6
Canada	2	1	1	4