Spiral (bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton)
Encyclopedia
The Spiral is a bobsleigh
, luge
, and skeleton
track located in Iizuna
village, located north of Nagano, Japan
. Used for the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1998 Winter Olympics
, it is the only permanent bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Asia
and the only one of its type in the world with two uphill sections. It is officially referred to as the Nagano Bobsleigh-Luge Park in Japan.
from the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT) on 28 March 1996 and from the International Luge Federation on 24 June 1997. This track was referred to as the "Spiral" because of the winding track and dynamic movement of the sleds.
10.1 billion. The course was constructed in conformance of the natural topography of Mt. Iizuna. Three indirect ammonia
refrigeration
systems are located along the track, limiting the amount of ammonia to be under 800 kg (1764 lbs). During construction, rocks
and tree
s that were dug up were used as materials to build settling ponds and a retaining wall
to prevent landslide
s. Topsoil
that had been removed during construction was returned to the site once groundwork
was completed. About 40,000 saplings, mainly beech
and oak
, were planted two per square meter, as part of the environmental stewardship committed during the Winter Games.
To help with ice making techniques, Nagano Organizing Committee officials recruited Ralf Mende, who works for the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
in Altenberg, Germany
to train staff to make proper ice. Mende and his crew worked 18 hours a day during the 1998 Games to ensure track thickness was 2–3 cm (0.7-1.25 in) of ice
. Sun shades are used in an effort to maintain the operating temperatures of -10 to -15 deg C (5 to 14 deg F). Track competitions were also moved to the afternoon during the games to avoid the sunniest hours. There are a total of 56 sensors located throughout the track to maintain constant ice temperature and thickness.
There are no listed turn names for the track. The track's two uphill sections are right after turn 8 with an average uphill inclincation close to 4% and between turns 10 and 11 with an average uphill inclination of nearly 10%.
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 Iizuna
Iizuna, Nagano
is a town located in the north side of Nagano City, Kamiminochi District, Nagano, Japan.The town was created through a merger of the villages of Samizu and Mure on October 1, 2005....
village, located north of Nagano, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Used for the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1998 Winter Olympics
1998 Winter Olympics
The 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
, it is the only permanent bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the only one of its type in the world with two uphill sections. It is officially referred to as the Nagano Bobsleigh-Luge Park in Japan.
History
The track was among part of the venues used for the 1998 Winter Olympics that was started in 1990. Construction on the track started in November 1993 and was completed in March 1996 with homologationHomologation
Homologation is a technical term, derived from the Greek homologeo for "to agree", which is generally used in English to signify the granting of approval by an official authority...
from the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT) on 28 March 1996 and from the International Luge Federation on 24 June 1997. This track was referred to as the "Spiral" because of the winding track and dynamic movement of the sleds.
Track technical details
Overall track construction cost ¥Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
10.1 billion. The course was constructed in conformance of the natural topography of Mt. Iizuna. Three indirect 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...
systems are located along the track, limiting the amount of ammonia to be under 800 kg (1764 lbs). During construction, rocks
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
and tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s that were dug up were used as materials to build settling ponds and a retaining wall
Retaining wall
Retaining walls are built in order to hold back earth which would otherwise move downwards. Their purpose is to stabilize slopes and provide useful areas at different elevations, e.g...
to prevent landslide
Landslide
A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments...
s. Topsoil
Topsoil
Topsoil is the upper, outermost layer of soil, usually the top to . It has the highest concentration of organic matter and microorganisms and is where most of the Earth's biological soil activity occurs.-Importance:...
that had been removed during construction was returned to the site once groundwork
Groundwork
*1. - Usually written as a single word or*2. - Sometimes written as two separate words -Martial Arts:*Judo – grappling techniques when both practitioners are on the ground...
was completed. About 40,000 saplings, mainly beech
Beech
Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...
and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, were planted two per square meter, as part of the environmental stewardship committed during the Winter Games.
To help with ice making techniques, Nagano Organizing Committee officials recruited Ralf Mende, who works for the bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
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...
in Altenberg, Germany
Altenberg, Germany
Altenberg is a town in the Sächsische Schweiz-Osterzgebirge district, in the Free State of Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Ore Mountains, close to the border with the Czech Republic, 15 km northwest of Teplice, and 32 km south of Dresden....
to train staff to make proper ice. Mende and his crew worked 18 hours a day during the 1998 Games to ensure track thickness was 2–3 cm (0.7-1.25 in) of ice
Ice
Ice is water frozen into the solid state. Usually ice is the phase known as ice Ih, which is the most abundant of the varying solid phases on the Earth's surface. It can appear transparent or opaque bluish-white color, depending on the presence of impurities or air inclusions...
. Sun shades are used in an effort to maintain the operating temperatures of -10 to -15 deg C (5 to 14 deg F). Track competitions were also moved to the afternoon during the games to avoid the sunniest hours. There are a total of 56 sensors located throughout the track to maintain constant ice temperature and thickness.
Statistics
| Sport | Length (meters) | Turns | Vertical drop (start to finish) | Average grade (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh and skeleton | 1360 | 14 | 113 | 8.64 |
| Luge - men's singles | 1326 | 14 | 114 | |
| Luge - women's singles/ men's doubles | 1194 | 13 | 96 |
There are no listed turn names for the track. The track's two uphill sections are right after turn 8 with an average uphill inclincation close to 4% and between turns 10 and 11 with an average uphill inclination of nearly 10%.
| Sport | Record | Nation - athlete(s) | Date | Time (seconds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luge - men's singles | Track | David Möller David Möller David Möller is a German luger who has competed since 2001. He won six medals at the FIL World Luge Championships with four golds , one silver , and one bronze Möller also won four medals at the FIL European Luge Championships with one gold , one silver... - |
13 February 2004 | 48.813 |
| Luge - women's singles | Track | Silke Kraushaar Silke Kraushaar Silke Kraushaar-Pielach is a German luger who competed from 1995 to 2008... - |
14 February 2004 | 49.744 |
| 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... |
14 February 2004 | 49.279 |
Championships hosted
- Winter Olympics: 19981998 Winter OlympicsThe 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
- 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...
: 2003FIBT World Championships 2003The FIBT World Championships 2003 took place in Lake Placid, New York, United States , Winterberg, Germany , and Nagano, Japan . Lake Placid hosted the championship event for the eighth time, doing so previously in 1949, 1961, 1969, 1973, 1978, 1983, and 1997...
(Men's and women's skeleton) - FIL World Luge Championships: 2004FIL World Luge Championships 2004The FIL World Luge Championships 2004 took place February 13-15, 2004 at the Spiral track in Nagano, Japan. This marked the first time the event took place in Asia.-Men's singles:-Women's singles:-Men's doubles:-Mixed team:-Medal table:...
External links
- FIBT track profile - Image is from a skeleton racer perspective shown at night. Men's single luge intersect prior to turn one while the luge - women's singles and men's doubles intersect prior to turn two.
- FIL-Luge track profile
- Official website