# Which is the fastest way down an icy mountain? Bobsled, luge, or skeleton? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** olympic-sports-track\ **Created:** [February 9, 2022, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140 "2022-02-09T06:06:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/1 "2022-02-09T06:06:10Z")
Assuimg everything else is equal. I gotta assume it’s either bobsled or skeleton since those get running starts… This article dodged the question. > **[Which is faster? Luge, skeleton or bobsled at the Winter Olympics?](https://www.cbs8.com/amp/article/sports/olympics/rules-of-the-game/bobsled-luge-skeleton-explained-olympics/507-fd60e491-7f0e-4cf9-a2d4-005f177f7faa)** > > With speeds of 80 mph and higher, the sliding sports are among the fastest and most treacherous at the Winter Olympics. P.s. i encourage smartass/jackass answers. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/2 "2022-02-09T07:40:25Z")
Fastest way down? Skis and parachute. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/Gvv2lv2s_gM/hqdefault.jpg "JAMES BOND FLAG PARACHUTE JUMP") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gvv2lv2s_gM) Smartass enough for you? ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/3 "2022-02-09T07:49:42Z")
…and they really did that stunt, skiing off the edge off a huge cliff. > **[The Full Story Behind James Bond’s Greatest Stunt](https://boldentrance.com/the-spy-who-loved-me-ski-jump/)** > > The Spy Who Loved Me is considered Roger Moore's best Bond film, and one of the very best in the Bond franchise. Producer Albert "Cubby" Broccoli, free of his producing partner Harry Saltzman, pulled out all ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/4 "2022-02-09T11:59:01Z")
Wouldn’t the fastest way down be jumping off that cliff without the parachute? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/5 "2022-02-09T16:08:40Z")
Do they all use the same course? In the 2018 Olympics the fastest was doubles luge at 45.82 seconds. The slowest was skeleton at 50.02 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/6 "2022-02-09T17:45:13Z")
Yeah, and maybe a cannon? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/7 "2022-02-09T19:11:06Z")
A real answer: skeleton is slowest, then luge, and bobsled is fastest. > [Luge racers] can reach speeds in the upper 80s. Austrian racer Manuel Pfister set a record before the 2010 Olympics when he hit 96 miles per hour. > … > [Skeleton racers] get up to around 80 miles per hour. It’s the slowest of the three sports here. > … > The average speed [in bobsled] is higher than the other two sports, sitting in the low 90s. Though, the fastest speed recorded was about 125 miles per hour. We now return to smartass answers. > **[Here's How You Can Tell the Difference Between Luge, Skeleton, and Bobsled](https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/winter-olympics-2022-luge-skeleton-bobsled-difference-explained)** > > Ooooohhhhhhh. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/8 "2022-02-09T19:34:48Z")
I’d say the fastest way is Clark Griswold’s sled. [![](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/MadeupMixedEmeraldtreeskink-size_restricted.gif) ](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/MadeupMixedEmeraldtreeskink-size_restricted.gif) ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/9 "2022-02-09T19:57:55Z")
👍 Bingo. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/10 "2022-02-09T20:59:05Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Wouldn’t the fastest way down be jumping off that cliff without the parachute? This is some quality smart-ass, right here! ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/11 "2022-02-09T21:06:08Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Do they all use the same course? They do, though my understanding is that different events may start at different points on the course. For example, here’s a map of the sliding track in Calgary: [![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Calgary_Olympic_Park_Bobsleigh_Luge_Skeleton_Track.svg/522px-Calgary_Olympic_Park_Bobsleigh_Luge_Skeleton_Track.svg.png) ](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Calgary_Olympic_Park_Bobsleigh_Luge_Skeleton_Track.svg/522px-Calgary_Olympic_Park_Bobsleigh_Luge_Skeleton_Track.svg.png) ---
**Author:** ![3AxisCtrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/ecd19e/32.png) [@3AxisCtrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3AxisCtrl)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2022, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-is-the-fastest-way-down-an-icy-mountain-bobsled-luge-or-skeleton/959140/12 "2022-02-11T04:38:28Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > A real answer: skeleton is slowest, then luge, and bobsled is fastest. Makes sense. With gravity as the motive force over a course that offers friction (from ice and air), you’d expect the fastest device to be the one with the best ratio of mass to frontal area. In response to the OP’s question, it may be worth noting that all of these work well only on a carefully prepared ice course. None would worth much on a generic icy mountain.