# Bobsledding for Laymen **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 17, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358 "2010-02-17T17:36:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358/1 "2010-02-17T17:36:20Z")
Is there a mechanism by which I, a layman, can enjoy the thrill of bobsledding? Are there disused trakcs in Salt Lake City, Lake Placid, etc. where one can pay a fee and get taken down the track by a professional, with safety protocols in place? Further to this discussion, how pay-to-play use of the ski jump? Or is the risk of plunging to one’s death too great for amateurs? ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358/2 "2010-02-17T18:19:55Z")
related thread: > **[Bobsleds](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=552045)** > > (Or ‘bobsleighs’, if you must.) The Jamaican Bobsled Team did not qualify for the 2010 Olympics. I’ve heard that they’re chronically short of money, and often use equipment that is outdated. How much does a modern, current-model bobsled cost? How... Brian ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358/3 "2010-02-17T18:29:21Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Further to this discussion, how pay-to-play use of the ski jump? Or is the risk of plunging to one’s death too great for amateurs? Just find any ski jumping program and start with the training jumps. It’s not particularly dangerous since you’re barely off the snow. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358/4 "2010-02-17T18:43:14Z")
Moving to The Game Room from GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358/5 "2010-02-17T19:50:30Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Is there a mechanism by which I, a layman, can enjoy the thrill of bobsledding? Are there disused trakcs in Salt Lake City, Lake Placid, etc. where one can pay a fee and get taken down the track by a professional, with safety protocols in place? [Yes](http://www.olyparks.com/uop/rides.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Kiber](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kiber/32/317_2.png) [@Kiber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiber)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358/6 "2010-02-18T16:37:14Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > [Yes](http://www.olyparks.com/uop/rides.asp) You can (or at least used to) do this at Lake Placid too. I did it when I was training there for Luge and it was a fantastic ride. A lot of fun - not nearly as fast as during competition - but fast enough, that’s for sure. You really get a sense for the speed, noise and vibration that doesn’t come across on TV. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358/7 "2010-02-18T17:39:25Z")
A few years back I took a ride in a one man roller bobsled down the SLC track in the summer. Pretty dang fun. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358/8 "2010-02-18T18:03:00Z")
Around 10 years ago they came to town looking for people to train as bobsled pushers. They had a roller track setup for people to be timed on. I thought about doing it for fun but did not. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bobsledding-for-laymen/529358/9 "2010-02-18T20:25:13Z")
> [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > A few years back I took a ride in a one man roller bobsled down the SLC track in the summer. > > Pretty dang fun. I did that in Lake Placid, in a two-person sled. They wouldn’t let me drive, which would have been the fun part, for me. But I do get to say that I was on part of the old track, the one used for the '32 and '80 Olympics.