Bobsledding at Utah's Olympic Park

PARK CITY, Utah -- Ensconced in a shell of fiberglass and steel, I stare straight forward, my heart hammering at a staccato pace. Quivering hands grip steering-cable D-rings. I test each, but nothing budges. The runners remain locked because I sit at a dead stop.

That will soon change.

Ahead lies a twisty, half-mile chute of ice-covered concrete. Through it, my banged-up bobsled will hurtle at speeds touching 60 mph. I sit in the driver's seat, realizing that only skill and experience separate me from a gurney ride to the ER. I, of course, have neither.

"You ready?" one of the attendants asks.

"Sure," I lie. "Let 'er rip."

Ever since I saw the John Candy movie "Cool Runnings," about a Jamaican bobsled team, I've wondered what it would be like to pilot one of these gravity-powered bullets. The Stephan Bosch Bobsled Driving School at Utah Olympic Park, or UOP, has provided me with an opportunity to do just that.

Located near Park City, UOP was built for the 2002 Winter Games. Besides the bobsled track, it offers ski jumps, freestyle hills and museums covering skiing and Olympic history. Today, the UOP provides a training ground for winter athletes, which include camps for otherwise sane folks who think that careening down a frozen trench might be fun.

"You could crash," instructor Stephan Bosch tells us up front. "It's not likely if you do what I tell you. If you do the opposite, you probably will crash. In bobsledding, anything can happen."

Born in Germany, Bosch started bobsledding more than 20 years ago. In 1994, he missed qualifying for the German Olympic team by 1/100th of a second. Bosch moved to the U.S., hoping to make the American team. He's still hoping. In the meantime, he has been working at Utah Olympic Park where he drives passenger rides and is responsible for sled maintenance and safety.

Although the school can take six students per session, there are only three of us enrolled in today's class. Bosch asks each of us why we're here.

Ryan Pezely, 27, from Salt Lake City, says he has wanted to bobsled since he saw Hershel Walker do it in the Olympics. "This is a rare opportunity for me to do something elite athletes do."

John Sears, 57, from Franktown, Colo., says he likes going fast in anything he does. "Just to be able to say I was able to get in a bobsled and drive down a run will be fantastic."

And my excuse for being here?

"My wife suggested I do it," I tell Bosch, "right after she upped the coverage on my life insurance policy."

We will drive two-man bobsleds, with the pilot in front and brakeman in the back. Each weighs about 375 pounds. When new, they would cost more than a well-equipped Lexus, but these are far from new. Mine bears liberal amounts of duct tape.

Dating back to the late 1800s, the first bobsled runs were built from blocks of ice piled on slopes. Today, tracks are molded from concrete and laced with cooling tubes. There are only three in North America: Park City, Calgary and Lake Placid, with a fourth at Whistler Blackcomb on its way.

"Nobody builds a track without getting the Olympics," laughs Bosch.

UOP's track offers 15 turns over its 0.8-mile length, but we will not launch from the top. Our rides begin at the Junior Start, located at the full course's Curve Six.

"We had a deer jump into Six," employee Tyler Beck tells us. "He went down the track at about 20-30 mph. We got him out and he shook it off. Fifteen minutes later, the deer walked back up and did it again. We like to think it was on purpose."

To keep from doing our own deer-like slides, my compatriots and I strap cleats to the bottom of our shoes for a bottom-to-top hike up the course. Turn by turn, Bosch tells us where to run and where to steer.

"Curve 15 is the finish curve," he says. "Where you see out to the straightaway, you start steering down a little bit."

At Curve 14, we should pull softly when we reach an expansion joint. Curve 13, he assures us, is relatively easy as long as we get the entry right. That means negotiating Curve 12 correctly. It's the toughest turn on the track, and we'll soon discover that coming through on target is like trying to lace a needle with 60 mph thread.

"It's a big curve. Don't let the sled ride up. You see the red dots up here?" he asks, pointing to two egg-size circles. "You have to start squeezing on the right side handle here. You want to go straight with the curve. If you go to the right wall, you're not going to have much fun, believe me."

We cover the nuances of Curves 11 through Seven as we continue up the track. Just beyond Curve Six, our sleds await, lined up like cars on a freeway on ramp.

Unlike competitions where driver and brakeman push their sleds, we start already seated. I strap on my helmet and squeeze into the driver's position. My brakeman, a fellow student, slithers in behind.

The PA system blares our names, telling nonexistent spectators who we are. I take a deep breath. It's possibly the last one I'll enjoy for 50-plus seconds.

The attendants push and we start moving down the track. Curve Six, our first turn, comes slow and easy. It's like driving through a school zone. Speed builds and Curve Seven comes swiftly.

Walls flash by, seemingly at the speed of light. Runners scream, steel against ice. Their zing becomes a raspy, high-pitched whine.

Like an ice cube in a martini shaker, I feel jolted and jerked. There is no resting, no thinking. I focus straight down the track, praying that I don't tip or flip. It's a fleeting prayer -- no time for an "amen."

The bobsled whips through the turns they call the Labyrinth. As speed mounts, the sled rides higher, nailed to the wall by centrifugal force.

I swing through 10, clear 11 and head toward Curve 12, the crux of the run. With the track a blur of featureless ice, there's no way I'm going to see expansion joints or red dots.

The sled rides upward on a trajectory toward Great Salt Lake. I pull the steering cable. At 60 mph, a little pressure begets a lot of turn. In my adrenaline-crazed state, I jerk too hard -- way too hard.

We descend, reaching the bottom of the track well before the transition into Curve 13. That can only mean one thing.

WHAM!

The bobsled whacks the track like a cue ball banking off a concrete pool table. We continue, caroming through Curves 14 and 15. Finally, a one-minute lifetime after we started, the sled cruises across the finish line and coasts to a stop. I pry myself out, grinning like a chrome-toothed Buick.

I didn't tip! I didn't flip! It wasn't pretty, but I did it! I've joined the elite group of individuals who have actually driven a bobsled.

Just like that deer, I look forward to improving on the next run.

If you go

Bobsledding in Utah

GO: If you're a speed freak craving an exciting, new experience

NO: Those freaked by speed would be better off watching

Need to know: Utah Olympic Park, (435) 658-4206, www.olyparks.com; Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, (800) 453-1360, www.parkcityinfo.com

Getting there: Utah Olympic Park is off I-80, about 28 miles east of downtown Salt Lake City. At Kimball Junction (Exit 145), turn south onto Utah Route 224 and follow the signs to the park.

Bobsled Driving School: Classes are one day in length and include an introductory classroom session, track walk and as many runs as can be fitted into a pair of four-hour sessions. Generally, students will get at least four runs driving and four riding as brakeman. For 2008, the Stephan Bosch Bobsled Driving School classes will be held on March 9, 10, 16, 17, 23 and 24. The cost of $500 includes admission to the park, instruction, safety equipment, use of bobsled, snacks and a light meal. Contact Utah Olympic Park, ((435) 658-4206, www.olyparks.com) for information and reservations.

Physical requirements: Participants must be at least 18 years old and in good health with no heart, neck, back or kidney problems, recent surgeries or pregnancy. Folks prone to motion sickness might want to take precautions, and individuals of larger girth might find it tough to fit inside the cramped quarters of a two-man bobsled. Bobsledding is a rough sport, especially with sleds piloted by novice drivers. Expect to come back with a few bruises.

Bobsled rides: Those who would like to experience the thrill of bobsledding, but don't want to drive one themselves, can opt for the commercial "Comet" ride. These modified four-person sleds, driven by trained professionals, start from the top and reach 80 mph as they pull five-Gs. Cost is $200 and participants must be at least 16 years old. Contact Utah Olympic Park, ((435) 658-4206, www.olyparks.com) for information and reservations.

Accommodations: The Park City area offers lodging choices ranging from discount motels to multi-star hotels. Contact the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau ((800) 453-1360, www.parkcityinfo.com) for a complete list of options.

Park City skiing:

The Canyons ((435) 649-5400, www.thecanyons.com) lies on the northwest side of Park City. The resort features 3,700 acres of skiing on eight mountains, and its base area is stuffed with lodging, eateries and services.

Deer Valley Resort ((800) 424-3337, www.deervalley.com) occupies the hills southeast of Park City. Snowboards are banned from this 2,026-acre resort, which is famous for its super grooming, restaurants and skier services.

Park City Mountain Resort ((800) 222-7275, www.parkcitymountain.com) lies on the western edge of Park City. Its 3,300 skiable acres include four terrain parks and an Olympic-caliber superpipe. They also offer night skiing.

Other bobsled venues: New York's Lake Placid offers a bobsled course that is nearly a mile long with 20 curves. Public rides start at the half-mile point, reach speeds of up to 60 mph and cost $65 for adults. There is no age limitation, but participants must be at least 4 feet tall. Contact the Olympic Regional Development Authority ((518) 523-4436, www.orda.org) for information or reservations.

Canada's Calgary bobsled track stretches about 0.9 miles in length and sports 14 curves. Public rides cost about $150 per person and descend the entire track, reaching speeds of up to 75 mph. Contact Canada Olympic Park ((403) 247-5452, www.canadaolympicpark.ca) for reservations and information.