Since moving to Switzerland I have always been amazed at the lack of health and safety regulations compared to North America. Since everybody is self insured here, the government and industry are not overly concerned with being sued. As a result, you can do stuff here that you simply could not get away with in North America. A perfect example is what my GF gave me for my 33rd birthday gift.
To my surprise, she was able to get me a ride down the Olympic Bobsled track in St. Moritz Switzerland! Now, what's so impressive about this track is that it is the only natural ice bobsled track left in the world. That's right, each winter an Italian guy comes to Switzerland with his team and constructs the exact same track from all natural ice. The implications of this is that you get one hell of an unpredictable trip down the mountain at a maximum speed of over 120 km/hr.
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| It doesn't look bad in this 2 dimensional drawing but let me tell you, it's one hell of a ride to the bottom! |
Fortunately for us, the weather couldn't have been better. It was a bright sunny February day but the temperature was still cold enough to keep the integrity of the ice. The way that it works is you show up in the morning and register. When we arrived there was an official race taking place. After the race finished we suited up, waited our turn and then jumped into the four man bobsled. Remarkably, they actually provided a helmet (the first sign of safety concern) but minus the visor. Now one wouldn't normally find this concerning but have you ever stuck your head out of the car window as it raced down the highway at speeds in excess of 120 km/hr. If you have, you'll know that it sucks!
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| The view from the starting line was terrific. This part of the Swiss Alps is really quite different from the Bernese Oberland. No matter where were are, I'm always amazed a the beauty of the mountains |
Either way, we were off. Our driver sat in the front and the brakeman sat in the back. Between them the two unsuspecting passengers.
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| The start was actually quite boring. I was hoping we were going to get to push off like they do in the olympics. Instead, they already had us sitting in the bobsled and only the brakesman gave us a little push to get going. |
This was perhaps the most intense minute and twenty seconds of my life! (enter sex joke here) The beginning of the trip was actually quite boring. We started out slowly (I was actually afraid that this was going to be it) but gradually we picked up speed. Eventually, the G force around corners was so strong that it actually compressed you into the bottom of the bobsled. I lost all ability to control my head which resulted in it flopping side to side with each corner. This was the world's most intense (and likely dangerous) roller coaster and it was great. When we finally came to a stop, the adrenaline was pumping through my veins. The experience was over!
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| Obviously, there is much more in St. Moritz to do than just bobsled. We also spent a day in the mountains skiing. Again, the weather was fantastic! |
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| There is a natural skating rink in the middle of the town. Unfortunately, the rental skates and the ice were horrible by Canadian standards but it still offered great humour as our British friends tried skating for the first time |
It turns out that running "tourists" down the track every day actually funds the tracks operations for the whole winter. I have a new respect for the amateur and professional bobsledders. Given the opportunity, I would certainly do it again only this time I would demand a helmet with a visor!
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