Bobsledding | History, Rules, & Facts - Britannica

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Bobsledding, luge, and skeleton sledding courses
Bobsledding, luge, and skeleton sledding coursesIn many competitions, the sports of bobsledding, luge, and skeleton sledding share the same course, although different events start at different points.(more)

The bob run used in international competition is between 1,200 and 1,600 meters (1,312 and 1,750 yards) long, with an average slope of between 8 and 15 percent. There are generally from 15 to 20 turns per course, ranging in size up to huge hairpins of more than 180°. Most bob runs have permanent foundations of concrete or stone, which are covered with several inches of ice. The straightaways have sidewalls of reinforced ice about 46 cm (18 inches) high. The large turns are banked very steeply, built up as high as 6 meters (20 feet), and may have an overhanging lip of ice to prevent the fast-traveling bobsleds from flying out of the turn.

Two-person boblet
Two-person bobletLearn about the parts and dimensions of a boblet (two-person bobsled).(more)

Early bobsleds were built mostly of wood. Steel runners were adopted within a few years and, by the mid-20th century, steel and aluminum were used throughout. The four runners are generally mounted in pairs on two axles. Steering is accomplished by turning the front axle either with ropes or by a wheel linked to the axle by cables. The brake is a toothed bar that is pressed against the ice between the rear runners.

Racing bobsleds have a streamlined cowling (rounded shell) in front of the driver to reduce wind resistance. Three types are used: one-person monobobs; two-person boblets, as they often are called in Europe; and four-person bobsleighs. Rules limit combined team and sled weights to 390.5 kg (861 pounds) for men’s boblet and 631 kg (1,391 pounds) for men’s bobsleigh. The maximum team-and-sled weight for the women’s monobob is 248.5 kg (548 pounds) and for the two-women competition is 330.5 kg (729 pounds). Other sled dimensions are also specified by the IBSF.

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