Hunderfossen

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Hunderfossen (officially called Hunderfossen Bob- og Akebane AS in Norwegian) is a bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track located 15 km north of Lillehammer, Norway. Part of Lillehammer Olympiapark AS[1], it hosted the bobsleigh and luge competitions for the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Contents

[edit] History

In 1988, Lillehammer was chosen for the 1994 Winter Olympics over Östersund, Sweden; Anchorage, Alaska, United States; and Sofia, Bulgaria.[2] Track officials used consultants who had experience from constructing tracks at Altenberg and Oberhof, Germany; La Plagne, France; and Calgary, Canada.[3] Location for the track was selected by the Organizing Committee in December 1989 with the Norwegian government approving of funds to build the track on August 24, 1990.[3] Track construction was completed on October 1, 1992.[3] A wheel bob for tourists opened in July 1993 that continues to serve to this day.[3] Since then, it has served as training for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton athletes worldwide, especially among countries that do not have their own track facilities.[3][4]

[edit] Track technical details

Costing NOK 201 million to complete, the track consists of 31 separate reinforced concrete sections.[3] The refrigeration system contains 90 metric tonnes (99.2 tons) powered by 3100 kW (4155 hp) cooling units through 80 km (49.71 miles) of piping (divided into 94 sections) that can keep the track iced at outdoor temperatures up to 20 deg C (68 deg F)[3] Adapted to the main contours of the track, the track included sound and lighting to accommodate up 10,000 spectators to view all competitions taking place.[3]

[edit] Statistics

Physical statistics
Sport Length (meters) Turns Vertical drop (start to finish) Average grade (%)
Bobsleigh and skeleton[3] 1365 16 114 8.5
Luge - men's singles[5] 1365 16 110 8.5
Luge - women's singles/ men's doubles[5] 1185 13 85 6.9

No turn names are given for the track.

Track records[6]
Sport Record Nation - athlete(s) Date Time (seconds)
Luge - men's singles Track Georg Hackl - Flag of Germany Germany January 17, 2003 49.712
Luge - women's singles Track Sylke Otto - Flag of Germany Germany January 17, 2003 47.982
Luge - men's doubles Track Flag of Germany Germany - Patric Leitner & Alexander Resch January 18, 2003 47.829

[edit] Championships hosted

[edit] References

  1. ^ Official website (English) & (Norwegian). - accessed February 19, 2008.
  2. ^ Gamesbids.com archives of past awards of Olympic Games. - accessed January 30, 2008
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i 1994 Winter Olympics official report - Volume 3. - accessed February 19, 2008.
  4. ^ FIBT track profile
  5. ^ a b 1994 Winter Olympics official report - Volume 4. - accessed February 19, 2008.
  6. ^ USALuge.org tracks. - Click on Lillehammer, Norway track and scroll down for track records on luge track records. Accessed February 19, 2008.
  7. ^ FIBT men's skeleton world championships results since 1989
  8. ^ FIL World Luge Championships men's single results since 1955

[edit] External links

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List of bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton tracks
Current artificial tracks
Former artificial tracks
Natural luge tracks