La Plagne bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
Encyclopedia
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
.
, Bulgaria
; Falun
, Sweden
; Lillehammer
, Norway
; Cortina d'Ampezzo
, Italy
; Anchorage, Alaska
, United States
; and Berchtesgaden
, West Germany
. The track was constructed from September 1988 to December 1990 designed for use in bobsleigh and luge competitions with the drivers in mind. Ice team staff was recruited in August 1990 while the first ice test was performed in January 1991. The first bobsleigh test event was in February 1991 while the first luge test event was in March 1991. The track hosted the skeleton event of the FIBT World Championships
in 1993
. Since the 1992 Winter Olympics, the track has been host to programs on bobsleigh rides performed by 1998 Winter Olympic medalist Bruno Mingeon
. The track is now part of neighboring Annecy
's bid package for the 2018 Winter Olympics
which was submitted to the International Olympic Committee
on 15 October 2009.
cooled by 80 km (49.7 mi) of 10 cm (3.9 in) diameter ammonia
refrigeration
piping that can keep the track cooled to -15 C. When water is applied to ice up the track, a total of 15 ice workers manually apply the water to generate ice up to a thickness of 4 cm (1.6 inch) that is kept at a temperature of -7 to - 10 °C (14 to 19 °F). The outside of the track is covered with insulation
and wood
. 40 km (24.9 mi) of electrical conduit connects the track from start to finish, including timing
, television
cables, computers, and sensors. Technicians from the bobsleigh and luge track
in Igls, Austria
assisted the ice workers during production and maintenance of the ice for the 1992 Winter Olympics.
There are no turn names listed 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...
track located in La Plagne
La Plagne
La Plagne is a French ski area in the alpine valley of the Tarentaise . Since 2003, La Plagne and the neighbouring resort of Les Arcs form Paradiski's ski area...
, 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...
. The track hosted the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1992 Winter Olympics
1992 Winter Olympics
The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
located in neighboring Albertville
Albertville
Albertville is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.The town is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics.-Geography:...
.
History
In 1986, Albertville was awarded the 1992 Winter Olympics over SofiaSofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
; Falun
Falun
Falun is a city and the seat of Falun Municipality in Dalarna County, Sweden, with 36,447 inhabitants in 2005. It is also the capital of Dalarna County...
, 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....
; 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...
; Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Cortina d'Ampezzo is a town and comune in the southern Alps located in Veneto, a region in Northern Italy. Located in the heart of the Dolomites in an alpine valley, it is a popular winter sport resort known for its ski-ranges, scenery, accommodations, shops and après-ski scene...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
; 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 Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
. The track was constructed from September 1988 to December 1990 designed for use in bobsleigh and luge competitions with the drivers in mind. Ice team staff was recruited in August 1990 while the first ice test was performed in January 1991. The first bobsleigh test event was in February 1991 while the first luge test event was in March 1991. The track hosted the skeleton event of the FIBT World Championships
FIBT World Championships
The 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...
in 1993
FIBT World Championships 1993
The FIBT World Championships 1993 took place in Igls, Austria and La Plagne, France . This was Igls's fourth time hosting the championships, doing so previously in 1935 and 1963, and 1991 . Meanwhile, La Plagne was hosting its first championship event.-Selection issue:Igls was not the first...
. Since the 1992 Winter Olympics, the track has been host to programs on bobsleigh rides performed by 1998 Winter Olympic medalist Bruno Mingeon
Bruno Mingeon
Bruno Mingeon is a French bobsledder who competed from 1988 to 2006. Competing in five Winter Olympics, he won a bronze medal in the four-man event at Nagano in 1998...
. The track is now part of neighboring Annecy
Annecy
Annecy is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It lies on the northern tip of Lake Annecy , 35 kilometres south of Geneva.-Administration:...
's bid package for the 2018 Winter Olympics
2018 Winter Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XXIII Olympic Winter Games, is a winter multi-sport event scheduled to take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea, between 9 and 25 February 2018. The elected host city was announced on 6 July 2011 by the International Olympic Committee , after the...
which was submitted to the International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
on 15 October 2009.
Statistics
The track consists of 6500 cubic metres (8,501.7 cu yd) of concreteConcrete
Concrete is a composite construction material, composed of cement and other cementitious materials such as fly ash and slag cement, aggregate , water and chemical admixtures.The word concrete comes from the Latin word...
cooled by 80 km (49.7 mi) of 10 cm (3.9 in) diameter ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
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...
piping that can keep the track cooled to -15 C. When water is applied to ice up the track, a total of 15 ice workers manually apply the water to generate ice up to a thickness of 4 cm (1.6 inch) that is kept at a temperature of -7 to - 10 °C (14 to 19 °F). The outside of the track is covered with insulation
Building insulation
building insulation refers broadly to any object in a building used as insulation for any purpose. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation, fire insulation, and impact insulation...
and wood
Wood
Wood is a hard, fibrous tissue found in many trees. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression...
. 40 km (24.9 mi) of electrical conduit connects the track from start to finish, including timing
Timing
Timing is the time when something happens or the spacing of events in time. Some typical uses are:* The act of measuring the elapsed time of something or someone, often at athletic events such as swimming or running, where participants are timed with a device such as a stopwatch...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
cables, computers, and sensors. Technicians from the bobsleigh and luge track
Igls bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Olympic Sliding Centre Innsburck is a venue for bobsleigh, luge and skeleton located in Igls, Austria . The most recent version of the track was completed in 1975 and is the first permanent, combination artificially refrigerated bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track, serving as a model for other...
in Igls, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
assisted the ice workers during production and maintenance of the ice for the 1992 Winter Olympics.
Track lengths and turns
| Sport | Length of track | Number of turns | Vertical drop (start to finish) |
Average grade (%) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| meters | yards | meters | feet | |||
| Bobsleigh and skeleton | 1507.5 | 1,648.6 | 19 | 124.5 | 408.5 | 8.29 |
| Luge - men's singles | 1249.5 | 1,366.5 | 15 | 110.62 | 362.9 | 8.8 |
| Luge - women's singles/ men's doubles | 1142.6 | 1,249.6 | 14 | 92.24 | 302.6 | 7.5 |
There are no turn names listed for the track.
| Sport | Record | Nation - athlete(s) | Date | Time (seconds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luge - men's singles | Track | Markus Prock Markus Prock Markus Prock is an Austrian luger who competed between 1983 and 2002. Born in Innsbruck, Prock competed in six Winter Olympics winning three medals in the men's singles event with two silvers and one bronze .At the FIL World Luge Championships, Prock won 13 medals, including five gold Markus... - |
11 December 1995 | 45.176 |
| Luge - women's singles | Track | Angelika Neuner Angelika Neuner Angelika Neuner is an Austrian luger who competed from 1987 to 2002. Competing in four Winter Olympics, she won two medals in the women's singles event with a silver in 1992 and a bronze in 1998... - |
10 December 1995 | 45.277 |
| 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... |
9 December 1995 | 45.022 |
Championships hosted
- 1992 Winter Olympics1992 Winter OlympicsThe 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games, were a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 8 to 23 February 1992 in Albertville, France. They were the last Winter Olympics to be held the same year as the Summer Olympics, and the first where the Winter Paralympics...
- 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...
: 1993FIBT World Championships 1993The FIBT World Championships 1993 took place in Igls, Austria and La Plagne, France . This was Igls's fourth time hosting the championships, doing so previously in 1935 and 1963, and 1991 . Meanwhile, La Plagne was hosting its first championship event.-Selection issue:Igls was not the first...
(Skeleton)
External links
- FIBT track profile - Men's single luge starthouse is located above turn three and intersects with women's singles/ men's doubles luge prior to intersecting with the bobsleigh/ skeleton part of the track prior to turn five.
- Official link to the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track. &
- La Plagne bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton club website.