Rules: This is a short form. The real rule book is about 100 pages long.

1/ Fastest team over 2 runs (World Cup, and World Championships) or 4 runs (Olympics) wins.

2/ Ties remain as such, there is no separation.

3/ 2-man runners must be 4mm thick, 4-man - 6mm thick.

4/ 2-man sleds and crew can not weigh more than 390KG, 4-man 630KG.

5/ Runners can not be heated, or have lubricants applied. They must also be solid homogeneous steel. (no chrome plating etc. allowed)

6/ The entire team must be in the sled at the finish.

7/ You can push the sled at any time. Although, if you push after the start, you've probably lost anyway.

8/ The axles must be solid one-piece steel. (The Swiss were DQ'd from the 1997 World Championships for using 2-piece axles.)

9/ There can be no electric or electronic equipment on the sled. (sorry, no radio)

Bobsled Terms

• Bobsled: A large sled with a metal frame and fibreglass shell, that seats two or four people. It has two pair of tandem runners, brakes, seats, and D-rings. Used for competition in the sport of bobsled racing.
• Bobsleigh: See Bobsled.
• Runner: The solid steel blades bolted to the runner carriers. Upon which the sled rides down on.
• Scabbard: Wooden or metal runner guards. Used to protect the runners or travel runners while transporting the sled.
• Cowling: The front fibreglass cover of the sled. It must not be concave or clear. It must also be made of a material that deforms, not shatters, on impact.
• Push Bar(s): The handles on a sled that the driver or crewmen use to push the sled at the start of a descent.
• Handles: The name for the part of the sled that a brakeman pushes on at the start of a descent.
• Bunks: The "fins" on the front and back of the sled. Also called bumpers. In four-man they are used to help number 2 and number 3 load into the sled. A sled in turned onto the bunks to help transport it to the start line.
• Bumpers: See Bunks.
• D-rings: The handles used by the driver to steer the sled. Named because of their shape. The driver holds the flat part of the D
• Ropes: Connects the D-rings to the steering box.
• Articulation: The joint in the sled that allows the sled to twist on and off a curve.
• Descent: Any trip down the track by a sled.
• Run: See Descent
• Braking stretch: The point after the finish where the brakes are applied to slow the sled.
• Braking straight: see braking stretch
• Kriesel: A corner on a track that contains at least 270° of arc. It is the German word for Circle.
• Block: The wood at the start line that the brakeman has his feet on. This help gets a better start.
• Shades: The canvas covers over the track. These help keep the sun off, and protect the track from melting and debris.
• Load: The action of getting the driver, crew and brakeman into a sled.
• Bumpers: See Bunks.
• Runner Gauge: A device used to measure the sled's runners. If the runners are thinner than the gauge allows then the runners are illegal.
• Runner Carrier: The part of the sled that hold the runners.
• Travel runners: Temporary runners used to transport the sled from the storage area to the track. They are also used to sit in the scabbards, during storage time.
• Start Shoes: The special shoes used by the crew. They have about 400 pins located in the front of the sole. These help to grip the ice while running.
• Gouge: Any large scratch on the runners.
• Slider: Any athlete who participates in Bobsled, Luge or Skeleton (the sliding sports).
• Driver: The person who drives the sled down the hill.
• Brakeman: The person who loads last into a sled. Usually a very strong and fast person. They apply the brakes at the end of a run.
• Crew: The short name for the people behind the driver in a four man sled.
• Number 2: The second person into a four-man bobsled. He is on the right side of the sled at the start.
• Number 3: The third person into a four-man bobsled. He is on the left side of the sled at the start, behind the driver.
• Grooves: The guides cut into the ice at the start that allows the sled to travel in a straight line while being pushed and loaded.
• Omega: Any corner that contains 180° of arc.
• Finish curve: The last curve on the track before the finish line.
• Labyrinth: A collection of short left and right curves on a track.
• Push Time: The time it take the crew to push a sled the first 50 metres at the start of a descent or run.
• Down Time: The time it takes to complete a run or descent.
• Interval Time: The time it takes to complete portions of a descent. (E.g. start to corner 7, in a 14 corner track).
• Pressure: The g-forces felt by the driver and crew in a corner. A sled only steers effectively under pressure.
• Roof: The top part of a curve. To hit the roof is a very bad thing.
• Belly: The bottom of a curve. To drive through the belly is not good for speed.
• Transition: The point of the track where it goes from the flat onto the curve.
• Brush: Used by the crew to clean their shoes prior to a run. Dirty shoes have less grip.
• Helmet: A motorcycle helmet used to protect the crew's heads during a descent.
• Speed Suit: Worn by the sliders to help them run faster and slide faster due to lowered wind resistance.
• DQ: Disqualified. You've been cheating. Too much weight, runners too hot, not enough crew at the bottom.
• DNF: Did not finish. You've crashed and not made it to the finish.
• DNS: Did not start. Injury, illness, broken equipment keeps you from racing after you;ve entered.
• Push track: A practice track that allows teams to improve their push times.
• Cool Runnings: A movie about bobsled that may not be very true, but all the sliders love anyway.