Skeleton Tobogganing

a type of high-speed descent on a special sled called a skeleton. The sled is equipped with steel runners and a heavy-duty frame weighing as much as 50 kg, with a length of 70 cm and a width of 38 cm; there is no steering mechanism. The skeleton was designed in 1887 in St. Moritz, Switzerland. It is ridden in the prone position, and the rider steers by means of special spikes on the toes of his boots. Skeleton tobogganing was twice included in the Winter Olympic Games (1928 and 1948). The sport is practiced in Switzerland, Austria, the Federal Republic of Germany, and other countries. [23–1498–]