This trip, we had the option to try out bobsleigh With Rob and Justin taking the plunge and me taking photos of their descent. During winter, the bobsleigh rides down an ice track on blades, where in the summer, the bobsleigh is mounted on wheels. The ride does reach an impressive 125+km/hr speed with up to 4g forces.

You start at the Whistler Sliding Centre’s visitor center which also has Olympic artifacts, seating, visual learning/interactive displays, retail store and registration. We thought that Rob and Justin would be in the same bobsleigh together with an expert but when we arrived, we found out that was not the case.

There are about 4 or 5 timeslots per day which are in the afternoon. Morning is for athletes training and other track activities. Each timeslot can handle a maximum of 15 people. The bobsleigh holds 4 people with one of those four being the trained pilot.  To keep the bobsled balanced everyone needed to be weighed. Once they have been weighed they put them into groups of four with a seating order to make sure the sled is balanced correctly.

Prior to taking the ride, you attend a short session in a classroom – this is so you understand how the bobsleigh works and how to be safe while in it. Shortly after the safety demo, riders head up to one of the starting points.

I decided to go to an area to get good photos of them coming down. They do announcements of who about to come down on the sled which is great for friends and family watching. Unfortunately, by the time they were done saying who was coming down the track, you did not have enough time to take position for photos. As well, I realized you would never know exactly who was in any of the sleds. They move extremely fast, passing you with a thunderous roar. Watching it up close was very cool but it was only for the brief couple of seconds that you see.

Both Rob and Justin said it was a complete rush. It is not easy riding the sled. You hold on for dear life at speeds up to 125 km/hr and try to hold your position. If you shift your weight while it is moving, you can flip the sled over. Staff that were hanging around me said that flips have happened during training practice with the athletes, but it is very rare. While you are in the sled, you are also squeezing together with strangers to hold your shape.

Just like if you were going down it during a competition, a time is recorded, and photos are taken at the end. You can also order a video of your journey down the track. There is a wait time between each one of the bobsleds as they reset the track and sleds at the top and bottom, but the wait is still worth it for those watching them come down.

If you are into getting your adrenaline going, this is for you. This is the real thing, not an amusement park ride so you get a good idea of what happens during the Olympics. If you follow some of the famous bobsledders like Simon Dunn, you will understand why their bodies look the way they do. When you go down it, you are wearing your winter clothes to stay warm but professionally, you want to reduce the amount of drag as possible to give you the best time while at the same time have the strength to hold on tight. The ride is going to be fast and exhilarating.

Whistler Sport Legacies does do other activities too including skeleton, cross country skiing in the Whistler Olympic Park, biathlon and more. The Whistler Olympic Park is located a short drive from the Whistler Sliding Centre.

Related Articles

Contributor Steve Polyak |

Locale British Columbia | Whistler |

Topic Sports | Travel | Whistler Pride |

Photo Gallery Travel |Whistler |