Latvia Luge and Bobsleigh Track
November 16, 2019 6:30 pm
Latvia Luge and Bobsleigh Track
I don’t want to brag, but I just zoomed down the same luge and bobsled track that Olympians do. I wasn’t in a regular bobsled like they use, but it was the same icy track that the Olympic athletes train on. How cool (pun intended) is that? This may have been the second time I’ve been on a real bobsled training track. The first time was in Jamaica, but this was faster, colder, and much closer to an actual Olympic experience than what we did there.
In a little town outside of Riga, tourists can experience what it’s like to race down the same icy track that professional athletes use to luge, do skeleton runs, or careen around the icy curves at tremendous speeds in a bobsled. Opened in 1986, it’s one of the few tracks in the world that visitors can experience when competitions are not in practice.
In order to do a regular bobsleigh ride which can reach speeds of 125mph, you need at least two passengers at (50+ Euros each) to ride with a pilot. Naturally, there are certain health factors that need to be taken into consideration as well. The track measures 1200m and includes 16 curves. I was game to try the real bobsleigh ride, but felt much more comfortable riding the Soft bob down the same icy track for 10 Euros per person.
Soft bobsleigh
When we arrived, the men told us to put on a helmet and we climbed into our soft, padded bobsleigh. They told us to keep our arms and hands inside, and then they pushed us off and away went went, soaring down the track at 60mph on our own.
Icy bobsleigh track
I laughed/screamed with exhilaration almost immediately. It was something like a roller coaster as far as the thrill element, but it was so much more than that. In a roller coaster, you know that the engineers have designed the track and cars and everything about the ride. In the soft bob, it was just us; three Americans zooming down the ice with no idea of what we should or shouldn’t do.
Icy curves on the luge and bobsled track
Since I was sitting in the front, it was similar to watching the Olympians with cameras attached to their sleighs or goggles so that you feel like you’re going down the track with them. In fact, that may have been what made me nervous — knowing that they’d trained to zip up onto the sidewalls of the curves and still sometimes crashed, or flew out of their sleds. There was nothing to prevent us from doing the same, though our speeds were lower than their aerodynamic sleighs. Still, we could have been thrown out onto the ice. We didn’t have a clue what we were doing.
Yes. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. It was a thrill! A cold wind froze our faces as we laughed through 60 seconds of twists and turns in an out-of-control ride. We finally leveled out and cruised to a stop where the men loaded the soft bobsleigh into the back of a truck that we also climbed aboard for the ride back up to the top of the track.
Ride’s over. 😦
It was over all too soon. I would have loved to race down the track again and again. But for that kind of track time, I think I’d have to really be training for an Olympic race. And then they wouldn’t give me a padded sleigh. I’d be in a real one; maneuvering the curves with a finesse I certainly don’t have. But for that one minute on the track, I pretended I did. And it was amazing.
Would you go for the soft bob version or the real thing?
Posted by Browsing the Atlas
Categories: Destinations, Latvia
Tags: bobsled, ice, Latvia, luge, Olympics, Sigulda, soft bob, sports
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Wow!!! That must have been an absolute thrill. I would jump on in a heartbeat!
By Patrick on November 16, 2019 at 7:27 pm
I hope you get the chance. It was awesome!
By Browsing the Atlas on November 17, 2019 at 8:19 am
That’s great, Juliann! What a thrill. I can see why you loved it. Thanks for sharing. –Curt
By Curt Mekemson on November 16, 2019 at 10:57 pm
So much fun! And the Latvians are a little looser than Americans as far as all the precautions. Just get in and go!
By Browsing the Atlas on November 17, 2019 at 8:21 am
Sometimes we are far too cautious!
By Curt Mekemson on November 18, 2019 at 11:23 pm
I agree! Like my son said, “We got into the sled. We knew the risks.”
By Browsing the Atlas on November 20, 2019 at 12:52 pm
Sort of like a 75 year old going on a 750 mile backpack trip, much of it solo. 🙂
By Curt Mekemson on November 22, 2019 at 9:44 pm
Now this is an “extreme” experience that I think I could do and enjoy!
By Kristan on November 17, 2019 at 5:33 am
Definitely! I know I’ll have a whole new appreciation watching it all in the next Winter Olympics.
By Browsing the Atlas on November 17, 2019 at 8:20 am
I’m so jealous! I’ve always wanted to do this. The closest I’ve come is a bobsled ride at Six Flags in Texas. It was my favorite ride!
By Britt Skrabanek on November 17, 2019 at 5:09 pm
You need to get to Latvia, Britt! You’d love it! (And probably wouldn’t scream your head off like I did.)
By Browsing the Atlas on November 20, 2019 at 12:42 pm
I would scream my head off. That’s part of the fun!
By Britt Skrabanek on November 24, 2019 at 5:13 pm
You mentioned not getting much instruction before they sent you down the track. I was just curious about safety. Did you feel safe? Also, do you recall if there are any age restrictions? I’m sure my teenage boys would love to try this!
By thetriptakesus on November 19, 2019 at 11:53 am
Honestly, I think there should have been more instruction but there was so much confusion and language difficulty when we arrived that they just put us in a soft bobsled and sent us off. It was thrilling. I think your teenagers would love it. The minimum age is 14.
By Browsing the Atlas on November 20, 2019 at 12:48 pm
OMG this sounds so amazing! I can’t believe you’ve done it twice. I love the movie Cool Runnings!!
By Ashley Hubbard on November 26, 2019 at 3:31 am
I hope you get the chance to, Ashley. Now you know two places where you can give it a try. 🙂
By Browsing the Atlas on November 26, 2019 at 12:21 pm
[…] via The Soft Bob Ride in Latvia — Browsing The Atlas […]
By The Soft Bob Ride in Latvia — Browsing The Atlas – Truth Troubles on December 7, 2019 at 3:02 pm
Neither, thank you. I’m the original ‘I’ll hold the coats’ man.
By Roy McCarthy on December 26, 2019 at 7:41 pm
LOL. Okay 🙂
By Browsing the Atlas on December 26, 2019 at 9:33 pm
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