Skeleton Technique: The Head-First Slide

Skeleton Technique: Head-First at 130 km/h with No Brakes

Skeleton is the most elemental of the Olympic sliding sports: one person, one sled, prone and headfirst. The technique, honed over years of training on the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) circuit, covers three phases — the start, the ride, and the finish — each demanding a different skill set.

The Sprint Start

The start is skeleton’s most athletic phase and the one that most directly correlates with final results:

Approach: the athlete stands beside the sled at the start line, gripping the handles on the sled’s sides.
Sprint: the athlete sprints while pushing the sled, building speed over 30–40 meters of ice. Specialized spiked shoes provide grip.
Loading: the athlete dives onto the sled in a smooth, controlled motion. A clumsy load (body shifting, sled rocking) wastes energy and disrupts the glide.

Start times (measured over ~45 m) range from about 4.7 to 5.3 seconds among top competitors. The fastest starters typically come from sprint or power-sport backgrounds. At Beijing 2022, Christopher Grotheer’s starts were consistently among the fastest in the field — a key factor in his gold medal.

The Riding Position

Once prone on the sled, the athlete assumes a specific body position:

Head: slightly raised to see the track ahead. The chin hovers 3–5 cm above the sled.
Shoulders: pressed against the sled for steering input.
Arms: reaching forward to grip handles or pressed against the sides.
Torso: flat and centered on the sled.
Legs: extended behind with toes pointed — creating the most aerodynamic profile.
Feet: the tips of the spiked shoes hover just above the ice, ready for toe-dragging steering.

Steering Techniques

Shoulder pressure (primary):

Pressing the right shoulder into the sled shifts the center of gravity, causing the sled to veer right.
The same applies to the left shoulder.
The effect is subtle — centimeters of shift produce degrees of direction change.

Knee and hip pressure (secondary):

Pressing a knee against the sled provides additional directional input.
Used for fine-tuning the line through curves.

Toe dragging (tertiary):

Touching the ice with the toe spikes acts as a rudder or brake.
Effective for directional correction but costs speed — every contact with the ice creates friction.
The best athletes use toe dragging as little as possible.

The ideal run uses almost exclusively body-weight steering, with toe drags only for unavoidable corrections.

Line Selection Through Curves

Skeleton athletes aim for the same “late apex” approach used in luge:

Enter the curve high on the wall.
Arc smoothly to the apex (lowest point).
Exit high, carrying speed into the next section.

The critical difference from luge: skeleton athletes can see the track ahead (they’re face-down, looking forward), giving them visual feedback for line adjustments. Luge athletes go feet-first and cannot see where they’re going as easily.

The Finish

The finish line is triggered by the sled crossing a photocell beam. Athletes maintain their prone position through the finish — there’s no need to sit up or brake until after the timing beam. Immediately past the finish, the track’s deceleration zone (an uphill section) slows the sled, and the athlete can then drag their feet to come to a stop.

Mental Aspects

Skeleton technique is as much mental as physical. At 130 km/h, the ice surface is a blur centimeters from the athlete’s face. The G-forces through curves (up to 5 Gs) make it difficult to move the head or body. Athletes describe the experience as sensory overload that must be filtered into instinctive steering responses. Visualization — mentally rehearsing every curve before each run — is a universal practice among elite skeleton athletes.