# Is the Winter Olympics just various types of sliding? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** olympic-sports\ **Created:** [February 11, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586 "2026-02-11T19:18:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/81 "2026-02-13T13:37:00Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Winter Pentathalon was a demonstration sport in 1948. It had cross-country skiing, fencing, downhill skiing, shooting, and horseback riding. I’m guessing that at least the fencing and shooting didn’t involve any sliding. I guess horseback riding was impacted by snow, but isn’t sliding. As I’m reading this a certain James Bond action sequence came to mind. Change the horses to modified Lotuses and we could re-introduce this in the 2030 games. Sure to be a hit. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/82 "2026-02-13T14:05:55Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Change the horses to modified Lotuses and we could re-introduce this in the 2030 games. Nah, underwater driving would be in the _Summer_ games 😉 ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/83 "2026-02-13T14:10:58Z")
> [@tracer](#): > > Hockey is basically soccer on ice. Pretty much all ball sports are soccer. Basketball is bouncy soccer. Baseball and cricket are stick soccer. Water polo is pool soccer. American football is full-contact soccer. Lacrosse is throwing soccer. Tennis/pickleball/volleyball/badminton are one-net soccer. Racquetball and squash are wall soccer. Dodgeball is no-net soccer. Curling is rock soccer. They’re all basically “put the thing in the thing” or more specifically, “put the thing through/past the thing, while the opposing team tries to stop you.” Golf (even more boring soccer) and bowling (knock things down soccer) use scoring instead of direct competitors. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/84 "2026-02-13T14:12:17Z")
Baseball is not soccer. It’s rounders. Or maybe croquet. ---
**Author:** ![jjakucyk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3d9bf3/32.png) [@jjakucyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjakucyk)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/85 "2026-02-13T14:21:13Z")
I suppose you also don’t agree that all foods are tacos? 😋 ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/86 "2026-02-13T14:49:44Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Perhaps some sort of gymnastics vaulting thing where the dismount ends up in a snowdrift Olympic Getting Off The Bus In Winter When They Haven’t Cleared The Snow Banks In Three Weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/87 "2026-02-13T14:55:16Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > Seems like drinking should be part of the competition as well. I’m pretty sure they were drinking when they invented this: > **[Snowmobile skipping](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowmobile_skipping)** > > Snowmobile skipping, snowmobile watercross, snowmobile skimming, water skipping or puddle jumping is a sport and/or exhibition where snowmobile racers hydroplane their sleds across lakes or rivers. > Snowmobile watercross consists of crossing water while riding a snowmobile, which is possible because snowmobiles have wide tracks for traction and flotation in the snow. If one hits the water at an adequate speed (5 mph per 150 lb or 12 km/h per 100 kg of weight) and keeps the sled's throttle open, t... ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/88 "2026-02-13T15:05:56Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > Does this somehow demean the value of the Games? Demean the Winter Olympics? Most of the sports involve careening downhill 80 miles an hour with nothing to protect you but a helmet. Or dancing on rock hard ice, spinning and turning (and flipping) with knives on your feet. Or jumping 100 meters, or skiing off a hill flipping and turning… again with nothing to protect you but a helmet. I saw a guy on the downhill fly the same distance as Evel Knevil did at Caesars (~150ft). And that MFer wasn’t even trying to jump, he was just trying to get to the bottom as fast as possible. The Winter Olympics is like the Summer Olympics after some teenagers invent ways to make the sport more dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/89 "2026-02-13T16:55:56Z")
Driving without crashing. It is the opposite of sliding if done correctly. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/90 "2026-02-13T17:12:46Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > > [@LSLGuy](#): > > > > Change the horses to modified Lotuses and we could re-introduce this in the 2030 games. > > Nah, underwater driving would be in the _Summer_ games 😉 My recollection of the various Bond movies as separate stories is pretty soft. To me it’s more one big blur of ridiculous chases, close scrapes, and hot eye candy. But there’s one movie where he & she are in IIRC Switzerland and chased by baddies w machine guns. he / they end up skiing downhill, shot at a bunch, somehow end up going downhill in some car, etc. And somehow evade the baddies and live to make to a fancy hotel in time for dinner & sex before the baddies return. That’s the one I’m thinking of. ---
**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 13, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/91 "2026-02-13T18:06:01Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Baseball is not soccer. It’s rounders. Or maybe croquet. Croquet is mallet soccer. ---
**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 13, 2026, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/92 "2026-02-13T18:09:31Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Winter Pentathalon was a demonstration sport in 1948. It had cross-country skiing, fencing, downhill skiing, shooting, and horseback riding. I’m guessing that at least the fencing and shooting didn’t involve any sliding. I guess horseback riding was impacted by snow, but isn’t sliding. Sounds like they just made a minor change to the modern pentathlon to call it a winter event. I’ve sometimes wondered if there could be a proper x-athlon in the Winter Games. Some combination of downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, speedskating, and sliding, with a good mix of sprint and endurance distances. ---
**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 13, 2026, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/93 "2026-02-13T18:11:46Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I think @Spoon’s carling has great potential. > > But we need to include some more of the curling rules & play action. My modest proposals: Would the cars curve (controlably, predictably) as they slide down the ice? Curling wouldn’t be curling without that. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/94 "2026-02-13T18:23:10Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > But there’s one movie where he & she are in IIRC Switzerland and chased by baddies w machine guns. he / they end up skiing downhill, shot at a bunch, somehow end up going downhill in some car, etc. And somehow evade the baddies and live to make to a fancy hotel in time for dinner & sex before the baddies return. I’m not sure that really narrows things down all that much. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/95 "2026-02-13T18:26:02Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Some combination of downhill skiing, cross-country skiing When I did cross country skiing in high school, we had one race that was practically this. It was at a local ski hill, and it had a five kilometer loop that was essentially, “Ski around behind the hill, climb the hill, then ski down it.” We did it all on cross-country skis, but for an Olympic team, switching skis at the summit wouldn’t be difficult. Add some shooting just before the “climb the hill” part and you’ve got a triathlon right there. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/96 "2026-02-13T18:28:45Z")
> [@jjakucyk](#): > > > [@tracer](#): > > > > Hockey is basically soccer on ice. > > Pretty much all ball sports are soccer. Basketball is bouncy soccer. Baseball and cricket are stick soccer. Water polo is pool soccer. American football is full-contact soccer. Lacrosse is throwing soccer. Tennis/pickleball/volleyball/badminton are one-net soccer. Racquetball and squash are wall soccer. Dodgeball is no-net soccer. Curling is rock soccer. They’re all basically “put the thing in the thing” or more specifically, “put the thing through/past the thing, while the opposing team tries to stop you.” Golf (even more boring soccer) and bowling (knock things down soccer) use scoring instead of direct competitors. I agree that soccer, hockey, basketball, lacrosse, and water polo are all basically the same game. But i think the tennis family (tennis, pickleball, volleyball, badminton, squash, table tennis) are a different game. And golf (mini golf, croquet) are a different game. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/97 "2026-02-13T18:38:51Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And golf Golf is just long-range hockey. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/98 "2026-02-13T18:40:01Z")
Agreed. IMO @jjakucyk takes the idea of game similarity way too far. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/99 "2026-02-13T18:42:32Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > Golf is just long-range hockey. More like long-range billiards. ---
**Author:** ![Horatius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/horatius/32/3572_2.png) [@Horatius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatius)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2026, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586/100 "2026-02-13T18:43:43Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > billiards Billiards is just heavy darts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-winter-olympics-just-various-types-of-sliding/1027586.md?page=6)