History
Skeleton is considered the world's first sliding sport.
It originated in the Swiss town of St. Moritz in the late 1800s and rapidly gained in popularity. The St. Moritz Tobogganing Club was formed in 1885 and sliders raced down an icy road from St. Moritz to the nearby village of Celerina.
It wasn't until 1887 that riders began competing in the prone position used today. A Brit named McCormack started the head first technique. His down times were so much faster using the new technique that in 1890 all competitors at the Grand National has adopted his driving style. Thus the sport of "Skeleton" was officially born.
The sport actually got its name in 1892, when a new sled made mostly of metal was introduced. People thought the steel support bars inside the sled looked similar to a human skeleton.
In 1928 the Winter Olympics were held in St Moritz and Cresta was included in the event program. This was the first year that Cresta (it wasn't technically skeleton yet) was an Olympic sport. St Moritz again held the Games in 1948 and Cresta was included among the regular events.
With a few exceptions because of bad weather and two world wars, the track in St. Mortiz gets built by hand every year.
Artificial Refrigeration
In 1969 the world's first artificial refrigerated, combined Bob-Skeleton-Luge track was built in Königssee, Germany. Nowadays tracks around the world are constructed in the same way, allowing all three sliding sports to race on the same track.
World Cup tracks are concrete super-structures, with metal refrigeration pipes imbedded inside the cement to cool the ice when the weather is warm. Unlike skiing the new tracks can host racing in the summertime, much like ice hockey or figure skating rinks.
However the energy needed to freeze a mile of ice in warm weather costs a great deal, so tracks compromise and usually opens for training in mid October and close in early March.
The new artificial tracks revolutionized the sport. Tracks got safer, sleds got faster and athletes became far more professional in their training and setup. Nowadays any city wishing to host an Olympic Games must build a combined artificial racetrack for bobsled. That means the sliding sports will continue to grow as long as it is an Olympic sport. As a result Skeleton has become an accessible, high performance sport for elite athletes around the world. Cresta on the other hand is very small slow activity with only one track in Switzerland. Cresta riders do not encounter the high G forces experienced in Luge or Skeleton. Cresta sleds also go significantly slower only reaching about 80KPH where as Skeleton sleds can hit 140KPH. Cresta remained a small elitist hobby for a select few members of the St Moritz Cresta Club.
Modern Skeleton
Skeleton athletes race on the same ice track as Luge and Bobsled pilots.
 The run is divided into three main techniques. The first part is the accelerated sprint start. One of the skeleton runners is placed into a bobsled ice groove and the 'slider,' as Skeleton athletes are called, pushes the sled along the groove as fast as he can. After about 30 meters the slider launches himself onto the sled and assumes the headfirst position. He will maintain that form down the rest of the track.
After 50 meters the ice groove disappears and the slider takes control of the sled. The groove helps keep the sled stable and in line until it develops enough speed to make it drivable. This is similar to the catapult on an aircraft carrier, keeping the plane stable and in line until it builds enough speed to gain lift.
The second part of the run starts here. Driving the sled is no easy feat. Steering techniques differ from slider to slider but most athletes use a combination of shoulders and knees. Applying pressure on the body of the sled with the shoulders and knees changes the flex of the sled and thus how much of the runners are in contact with the ice.
A slider can also use his head to change the aerodynamics of the rider and sled and thus make minor steering adjustments. For more immediate changes of direction a slider can use his toes on the ice.
Choosing the best line is a matter of choosing the path of least resistance. The more the athlete works the sled the more friction he produces on the ice and perhaps creates a bigger aerodynamic signature. Since there is no way of gaining lost speed, the idea is to lose as little as possible and thus drive as little as possible.
This is mind over instinct. When you are under 5G of pressure heading for a dangerous exit one tends to want to steer hard to ensure a safe line out of the curve. However a safe line isn't the fastest line. So one must over ride the desire to be safe in order to go fast. Staying relaxed is also an important element. The more relaxed a slider is the more his body can absorb the vibrations of the ice and thus the sled runs faster.
Skeleton competitions are held over two runs with the fastest combined time being the winner.
It is not unusual to see sliders reach speeds in excess of 130km/h or 90mph. Sliders can also be subject to G-forces upwards of 5G going through some of the corners, (in Luge it is up to 7G) as much as a fighter pilot can 'pull' banking steeply in a fast jet aircraft.
Skeleton Becomes An Olympic Event Again
The sport's governing body, the Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et Tobagganing (FIBT), was founded in 1923.
 Cresta was part of the official program at 1st Olympic Winter Games in Chamonix in 1924. It returned again as an Olympic sport in 1948 when the Games returned to St. Moritz. However it was left out of the Olympic program for over half a century.
Due to its perceived dangerous nature, Skeleton wasn't admitted to the Olympics again until 1999 when IOC reintroduce it into the event program for the 2002 Winter Games in Salt Lake City.
Skeleton is now back for good and will race again at the 2006 Olympic Games in Torino, Italy.
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