Section 3: Playing Area
3.1 Track Specifications
- Track length: 1200–1650 m (3937–5413 ft) from the skeleton/bobsled start to the finish
- Vertical drop: 100–150 m (328–492 ft) from start to finish
- Number of curves: 15–20 curves, including S-curves, hairpins, and high-banked turns
- Average gradient: 8–15% overall; sections may reach 20% on steeper passages
- Tracks are shared with bobsled and luge competitions (skeleton and bobsled use the same start; luge starts lower)
3.2 Track Construction
- Artificially refrigerated: ammonia or Freon-based refrigeration coils embedded in the concrete track structure maintain ice at -5 °C to -8 °C (23–18 °F)
- Ice surface: 2.5–5 cm (1–2 in) thick, built up by hand-spraying water layers and shaped by track crews
- Track walls: raised concrete walls lined with ice; roofed sections on some modern tracks to protect from sun and precipitation
- Only 16 artificially refrigerated sliding tracks exist worldwide (as of 2026), making track access a limiting factor for the sport’s growth
3.3 Start Area
- Running start zone: Approximately 30–40 m (98–131 ft) of level or slightly downhill ice surface
- Start block/handles at the beginning of the start zone for athletes to position their sled
- Start timing: Electronic timing beam at 15 m marks the push start time; second beam at approximately 50 m records the “start time” (critical performance metric)
- Start area is grooved or textured for spike shoe traction
3.4 Finish Area
- Electronic timing beam at the finish line records time to 1/100th of a second
- Deceleration zone (braking stretch) after the finish: minimum 100 m of uphill track for the sled to slow naturally
- Foam padding on the terminal wall at the end of the braking stretch
- Sled recovery area where athletes exit the track and equipment is collected for post-race inspection