Winter athletes train all year round

I learned that they are and many more things when I was in Salt Lake City recently. We went on a tour of the Olympic Village which was home to the Alpine and aerial jumps, luge, skelton, and bobsled during the 2002 winter Olympics. For a very small fee, we had access to 2 museums, a guided tour of the park, and 2 zip line rides and a dry tobogan run.



After going on the tour of the park, I have much more respect for the winter athletes. It's not that I didn't have respect for them, it's just that they really do train as much as other athletes. I also have lots of respect for the crews who prep/winterize the sledding track. The track is concrete through which refrigerated pipes run. Multiple crews of 2 men working non-stop for 3 days can get the track covered in multiple layers of ice. Then they have to go in and smooth the ice out by hand and also create tracks at the start area so the sleds don't go off course when they initiate their race.




The park is open all year round to the public and to the athletes, novices and professional alike. The alpine and aerial jumps are available during the summer for training. Apparently the athletes wear the same gear they wear during the winter when practicing in the summer. There are special tracks made of plastic with ceramic balls interspersed over which water is run. The water is more consistent than an icy surface. The aerialists land on a "pillow" of air in a huge pool of water which helps to soften their landing.