Hunderfossen
Encyclopedia
Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track is a bobsleigh
, luge
, and skeleton
in Hunderfossen
, Lillehammer
, Norway
. It was built in 1992 and hosted the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1994 Winter Olympics
. It is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Lillehammer.
, Sweden
; Anchorage, Alaska
, United States
; and Sofia, Bulgaria. Track officials used consultants who had experience from constructing tracks at Altenberg
and Oberhof
, Germany (then East Germany); La Plagne
, France
; and Calgary
, Canada
. Location for the track was selected by the Organizing Committee in December 1989 with the Norwegian
government approving of funds to build the track on August 24, 1990. Track construction was completed on October 1, 1992. A wheel bob for tourists opened in July 1993 that continues to serve to this day. Since then, it has served as training for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton athletes worldwide, especially among countries that do not have their own track facilities.
(NOK) to complete, the track consists of 31 separate reinforced concrete
sections. The refrigeration
system contains 90 MT (88.6 LT; 99.2 ST) powered by 3,100-kilowatt (10,600,000 Btu/h, or 880-short-ton-of-refrigeration) cooling units through 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) of piping (divided into 94 sections) that can keep the track iced at outdoor temperatures up to 20 °C (68 °F) Adapted to the main contours of the track, the track included sound and lighting to accommodate up 10,000 spectators to view all competitions taking place.
No turn names are given for the track.
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
, luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
, and skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
in Hunderfossen
Hunderfossen
Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton in Hunderfossen, Lillehammer, Norway. It was built in 1992 and hosted the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1994 Winter Olympics...
, Lillehammer
Lillehammer
is a town and municipality in Oppland county, Norway, globally known for hosting the 1994 Winter Olympics. It is part of the traditional region of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. As of May 2011, the population of the town of Lillehammer was...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. It was built in 1992 and hosted the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
. It is 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Lillehammer.
History
In 1988, Lillehammer was chosen for the 1994 Winter Olympics over ÖstersundÖstersund
Östersund is an urban area in Jämtland in the middle of Sweden. It is the seat of Östersund Municipality and the capital of Jämtland County. Östersund is located at the shores of Sweden's fifth largest lake, Storsjön, opposite the island Frösön, and is the only city in Jämtland. Östersund is the...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
; Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; and Sofia, Bulgaria. Track officials used consultants who had experience from constructing tracks at Altenberg
Altenberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Altenberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Altenberg, Germany.-History:Altenberg raced bobsleigh as early as 1908 on a natural track going downhill. By the late 1970s, the East Germans who were already successful in luge, began getting...
and Oberhof
Oberhof bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Oberhof bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue used for bobsled, luge and skeleton located in Oberhof, Germany.-History:Oberhof had been the home of sledding activities since 1905, mostly bobsleigh. In 1931, the facility hosted the first ever FIBT World Championships in the two-man...
, Germany (then East Germany); La Plagne
La Plagne bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The La Plagne bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in La Plagne, France. The track hosted the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1992 Winter Olympics located in neighboring Albertville.-History:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
; and Calgary
Canada Olympic Park bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Canada Olympic Park bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Calgary, Canada. Part of Canada Olympic Park, it hosted the bobsleigh and luge competitions at the 1988 Winter Olympics...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Location for the track was selected by the Organizing Committee in December 1989 with the Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
government approving of funds to build the track on August 24, 1990. Track construction was completed on October 1, 1992. A wheel bob for tourists opened in July 1993 that continues to serve to this day. Since then, it has served as training for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton athletes worldwide, especially among countries that do not have their own track facilities.
Track technical details
Costing 201 million Norwegian kroneNorwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
(NOK) to complete, the track consists of 31 separate reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
sections. The refrigeration
Refrigeration
Refrigeration is a process in which work is done to move heat from one location to another. This work is traditionally done by mechanical work, but can also be done by magnetism, laser or other means...
system contains 90 MT (88.6 LT; 99.2 ST) powered by 3,100-kilowatt (10,600,000 Btu/h, or 880-short-ton-of-refrigeration) cooling units through 80 kilometres (49.7 mi) of piping (divided into 94 sections) that can keep the track iced at outdoor temperatures up to 20 °C (68 °F) Adapted to the main contours of the track, the track included sound and lighting to accommodate up 10,000 spectators to view all competitions taking place.
Statistics
| Sport | Length | Turns | Vertical drop (start to finish) | Average grade (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh and skeleton | 1365 m (4,478.3 ft) | 16 | 114 m (374 ft) | 8.5 |
| Luge - men's singles | 1365 m (4,478.3 ft) | 16 | 110 m (360.9 ft) | 8.5 |
| Luge - women's singles/ men's doubles | 1185 m (3,887.8 ft) | 13 | 85 m (278.9 ft) | 6.9 |
No turn names are given for the track.
| Sport | Record | Nation - athlete(s) | Date | Time (seconds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luge - men's singles | Start | Johannes Ludwig Johannes Ludwig Johannes Ludwig is a German luger who has competed since 1996. He won a bronze medal in the mixed team event at the FIL European Luge Championships 2010 in Sigulda.... - |
December 13, 2009 | 4.366 |
| Luge - men's singles | Track | Georg Hackl Georg Hackl Georg Hackl is a German former luger who was three time Olympic and World Champion. He is known affectionately as Hackl-Schorsch or as the Speeding Weißwurst a reference to what he looks like in his white bodysuit coming down the luge at fast speeds.Hackl was born in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria.He won... - |
February 5, 1995 | 49.375 |
| Luge - women's singles | Start | Tatjana Hüfner Tatjana Hüfner Tatjana Hüfner is a German luger who is the current Olympic Champion and has competed since 2003. She won the bronze medal in the women's singles at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin... - |
December 13, 2009 | 2.324 |
| Luge - women's singles | Track | Gabriele Kohlisch Gabriele Kohlisch Gabriele Kohlisch is a German luger and bobsledder who competed from the mid 1980s to 1997 in luge, then from 1998 to the early 2000s in bobsleigh... - |
February 4, 1995 | 47.883 |
| Luge - men's doubles | Start | - Tobias Wendl Tobias Wendl Tobias Wendl is a German luger who has competed since the 2000s. He won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2008 FIL World Luge Championships in Oberhof, Germany.... & Tobias Arlt Tobias Arlt Tobias Arlt is a German luger who has competed since the 2000s. He won a silver medal in the men's doubles event at the 2008 FIL World Luge Championships in Oberhof, Germany.... |
January 18, 2003 | 47.829 |
| Luge - men's doubles | Track | - Patric Leitner Patric Leitner Patric-Fritz Leitner is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with Alexander Resch he won the men's doubles event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. They also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing sixth... & Alexander Resch Alexander Resch Alexander Resch is a German luger who competed from 1998 to 2010. Together with Patric Leitner, he won the men's doubles event at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, United States. They also competed at the 2006 Winter Olympics, finishing sixth... |
January 18, 2003 | 47.829 |
Championships hosted
- 1994 Winter Olympics1994 Winter OlympicsThe 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
- FIBT World ChampionshipsFIBT World ChampionshipsThe FIBT World Championships, part of the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing , have taken place on an annual basis in non-Winter Olympic years since 1930. A two-man event was included in 1931 with a combined championship occurring in 1947...
: 1995FIBT World Championships 1995The FIBT World Championships 1995 took place in Winterberg, Germany and Lillehammer, Norway . This was the first time both cities hosted a championship event.-Two man bobsleigh:...
(Skeleton) - FIL World Luge Championships: 1995FIL World Luge Championships 1995-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:-References:****...
External links
- FIBT.com track profile - Click on video link to show run. Luge men's singles intersects with bobsleigh prior to turn one while luge - men's doubles/ women's singles intersect prior to turn four.
- FIL-Luge track profile
- Official link to article