United States Air Force Major Brady Canfield, 2003 U.S. skeleton champion, shows his takeoff form.

Skeleton is a winter sport in which competitors aim to drive a one-person sled in a prone, head-first position down an ice track in the fastest time. This differs from luge, where the rider drives the sled from a supine, feet-first orientation. Top speeds attained in skeleton—approximately 130 km/h (80 mph)—are slightly slower than in luge. This Olympic sport is known in some parts of the world as tobogganing. It takes its name from the stripped-down sled, which originally was a bare frame, like a skeleton. There is also a theory about the name that it is a mispronunciation of the Norwegian word kjelke ("sled", "luge"). Image File history File links Canfield_skeleton. ... Image File history File links Canfield_skeleton. ... Aircraft of the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing and coalition counterparts stationed together at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, in southwest Asia, fly over the desert. ... A winter sport is a sport commonly played during winter. ... Scene from winter nearly anywhere snow may fall on a handy hill—Children at play sledding. ... A luge is small one- or two-person sled on which one sleighs supine and feet-first. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... The current program of the Olympic Games includes 35 different sports, 53 disciplines and more than 400 events. ... A toboggan is a simple sled used on snow, to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill or other slope, for recreation. ...

Skeleton originates from St. Moritz, Switzerland, where in 1884 the Cresta Run was built by Major Bulpetts. Skeleton is the oldest competitive sledding sport in the world.^{[citation needed]} When the Winter Olympic Games were held at St. Moritz in 1928 and 1948, the Cresta Run was included in the program. Skeleton "sliders" use similar equipment to Cresta "riders", but Skeleton "sliders" share tracks with bobsleighers and lugers; the tracks are quite different. Skeleton and Cresta are different sports, and should not be confused. Skeleton itself was added to the Olympic program beginning with the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. St. ... 1884 (MDCCCLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Tuesday (click on link to calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The Top at Cresta Run This article also covers in context some related terms which may land you here by redirection in the search engine. ... An athlete carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games or the Olympic Winter Games, are a winter multi-sport event held every four years. ... The II Olympic Winter Games were held in 1928 in Sankt-Moritz, Switzerland. ... The V Olympic Winter Games were held in St. ... The 2002 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XIX Olympic Winter Games, were held in 2002 in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. ... The Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Salt Lake Citys top tourist draw. ...

Popularity in the sport has grown since the 2002 Winter Olympics and now includes participation by smaller countries that do not have or cannot have a track becasue of climate, terrain or monetary limitations. Athletes from such countries as Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, South Africa, Argentina, Iraq, Mexico, Brazil and even the Virgin Islands have become involved in the sport in recent years. However, the FIBT (the governing body of the sport) narrows the field greatly and only a few dozen countries compete in the Olympic Games.

Olympic rules

• Skeleton must use the same track as bobsleigh and luge, at least 1200 m (1312 yards) long
• A run begins with a running "push" phase (typically 25 to 40 metres)
• After pushing, the athlete dives onto the sled and descends down the track
• Athletes must lie prone, facing downhill, with arms at their sides
• Only the force produced by the athlete and the force of gravity are permitted to propel the skeleton
• The skeleton must be steered by movements of the athlete's body

The metre, or meter (U.S.), is a measure of length. ... A yard (abbreviation: yd) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

Tracks

Most races take place on man-made ice surfaces, though some natural ice tracks, such as St. Moritz, are still used.

Sleds

Sled standards are specified by the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Toboganning (FIBT).

Equipment worn by athletes

• alpine racing helmet with chinguard, or a skeleton specific helmet
• skin-tight racing 'speed' suit
• spiked shoes, similar to track spikes
• goggles or face shields
• optional elbow and shoulder pads under their suits

Track shoes, or track spikes, are shoes used at most athletics events. ... Watersport goggles Blowtorching goggles and safety helmet Goggles and safety glasses are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the eye area in order to prevent particulates or chemicals from striking the eyes. ...

External links

• Skeleton Italia official site
• Torino 2006 Skeleton rules
• Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Toboganning (FIBT) World governing body.
• UBSBF Governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in the USA.
• Bobsleigh CANADA Skeleton Governing body for the sports of bobsled and skeleton in Canada.
• Alberta Skeleton Association The Provincial governing body for the sport of Skeleton in Alberta.
• British Bob Skeleton Association British governing body for bob skeleton.
• NewSliders.com Introductory site about the sport, from a participant.
• SliderGuide.com A slider community site with a satirical news take on the sport.