Winterberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track
The Winterberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located in Winterberg, Germany. It is the only track of its kind in the world with a turn that has corporate sponsorship with turn seven being sponsored by Veltins, a German brewery which has its headquarters located in neighboring Meschede.
History[]
Completed in 1977, the track underwent a redesign of its start house area where the women's luge start house was moved from before turn four to near the men's luge start house prior to turn one in 2006.[1] This was done under the auspices of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT) and the International Luge Federation (FIL) and included a completely covered sled storage area,[1] new changing rooms, and facilities for coaches and officials.[2] The women's singles luge start house was integrated near the men's singles luge start house during the construction.[2] The track hosted the first two-woman bobsleigh world championships in 2000.[3]
Statistics[]
| Sport[4] | Length | Turns | Vertical drop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh and skeleton | 1,330 metres (4,360 ft) | 14 | 110 metres (360 ft) |
| Luge - men's singles | 1,324 metres (4,344 ft) | 14 | 110 metres (360 ft) |
| Luge - women's singles | 1,293 metres (4,242 ft) | 14 | 110 metres (360 ft) |
| Luge - men's doubles | 945 metres (3,100 ft) | 11 | 90 metres (300 ft) |
The venue includes a maximum grade of 15% and an average grade of 9.8%
| Turn number[4] | Name | Reason named |
|---|---|---|
| 1, 2, 3 | Omega Kurve | After the Omega shape. |
| 7. | Veltins Kreisel | 270-degree Kreisel (circular) curve sponsored by Veltins, a German brewery located in neighboring Meschede. |
| 11, 12, 13 | Labyrinth (not listed on track map) | Three turns in quick succession without a straight (labyrinth) |
Turns 4–6, 8–10 and 14 have no names listed in the track diagram.[4]
| Sport | Record | Nation - athlete(s) | Date | Time (seconds) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bobsleigh two-man[5] | Start |  Switzerland - Beat Hefti & Thomas Lamparter
|
29 November 2008 | 5.07 |
| Bobsleigh two-man[5] | Track | Switzerland - Beat Hefti & Thomas Lamparter
|
8 December 2012 | 55.42 |
| Bobsleigh four-man[6] | Start |  Germany - André Lange, Alexander Roediger, Kevin Kuske, & Martin Putze
|
5.01 | |
| Bobsleigh four-man[6] | Track | Germany - André Lange, Alexander Roediger, Kevin Kuske, & Martin Putze
|
30 November 2008 | 54.54 |
| Bobsleigh two-woman[7] | Start |  Canada - Kaillie Humphries, Heather Moyse
|
12 December 2009 | 5.54 |
| Luge - men's singles[8] | Start | Andi Langenhan - Germany
|
7 December 2007 | 4.536 |
| Luge - men's singles[8] | Track | Anton Dukach -  Ukraine
|
7 February 2015 | 52.037 |
| Luge - women's singles[9] | Start | Natalie Geisenberger - Germany
|
31 October 2009 | 4.915 |
| Luge - women's singles[9] | Track | Natalie Geisenberger - Germany
|
14 December 2008 | 56.192 |
| Luge - men's doubles[10] | Start | Germany - Tobias Wendl & Tobias Arlt
|
9 January 2010 | 3.616 |
| Luge - men's doubles[10] | Track | Germany - Walther & Grüneker
|
10 January 2009 | 44.106 |
| Skeleton - men[11] | Track | Aleksandr Tretyakov -  Russia
|
28 November 2008 | 56.88 |
| Skeleton - women[12] | Track | Kimberley Bos -  Netherlands
|
10 December 2021 | 56.70 |
Championships hosted[]
- FIBT World Championships: 1995 (bobsleigh),[13] 2000 (women's bobsleigh),[7] 2003 (women's bobsleigh), [7] 2015 (bobsleigh and skeleton)
- FIL European Luge Championships: 1982, 1992, 2000, 2006[14]
- FIL World Luge Championships: 1989, 1991, [15]
References[]
- ^ a b New start area for the luge and bobsleigh track in Winterberg. at the Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course (14 September 2006 article accessed 20 February 2008.)
- ^ a b A lot is being done at the world's artificially-iced tracks. at the Fédération Internationale de Luge de Course (23 November 2006 article accessed 20 February 2008.)
- ^ List of two-woman bobsleigh championship medalists since 2000.
- ^ a b c Track information (in German) - accessed 20 February 2008.
- ^ a b Hefti Wins in World Cup Bobsleigh Debut as Pilot at the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (28 November 2008 article accessed 29 November 2008.)
- ^ a b Lange Sets Start and Track Records in Winterberg at the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (30 November 2008 article accessed 30 November 2008.)
- ^ a b c "Humphries and Moyse smash bobsleigh start records". CAAWS. (accessed 2 January 2010)
- ^ a b FIL Luge World Cup Winterberg 9 January 2010 men's singles results. - accessed 9 January 2010.
- ^ a b FIL Luge World Cup Winterberg 10 January 2010 women's singles results. - accessed 10 January 2010.
- ^ a b FIL Luge World Cup Winterberg 9 January 2010 doubles results. - accessed 9 January 2010.
- ^ Grassl Tops Tretiakov In Men's Skeleton Opener at the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (28 November 2008 article accessed 29 November 2008.)
- ^ https://www.nu.nl/sport-overig/6172500/skeletonster-bos-schrijft-historie-in-winterberg-met-eerste-wereldbekerzege.html
- ^ List of two-man bobsleigh championship medalists since 1931.
- ^ List of men's singles luge European championship medalists since 1914
- ^ List of Men's singles luge World championship medalists since 1955
External links[]
- BSD-portal.de track profile (in German)
- FIBT track profile - Click on video to ride down the track. Men's and women's singles luge will intersect with the bobsleigh and skeleton part of the track prior to turn one while men's doubles luge will intersect with the track prior to turn four.
- FIL-Luge track profile
- Official website (in English and German)
- Bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks
- Sports venues in North Rhine-Westphalia
- Hochsauerlandkreis