The 1,600-meter track winds its way through 20 curves and plunges more than 400 feet throughout its length. Competitors reach speeds approaching 80 miles per hour on sleds not much larger than the ones children use upon snowy hillsides. In the freestyle skiing competition, skiers launch themselves about 60 feet in the air and perform somersaults or twists. Half-pipe competitors ride their snowboards up and down the sides of a tube covered with snow. They twist and flip at each side to turn themselves back into the pipe for another run.
Judges watch from the bottom of the pipe to judge each snowboarder s moves.
The skier with the shortest time wins, providing he or she has no infractions. Bobsled Participants ride a two-person sled down a steep, twisting track. A good running start can propel the bobsled over the starting line at nearly 20 miles per hour. Participants skate 500 or 1,000 meters on a track in an ice hockey or figure skating arena. Skeleton Competitors ride a small sled down the luge track, stomach down, head first and arms back, reaching speeds up to 80 miles per hour.