Bobsleigh Riding Experience: the craziest business seminar, made in La Plagnemade in La Plagne
Become a pilot of a Formula 1 ice machine!
A thrilling experience that is unique in France, piloting a 2-person competition bobsleigh.
In this original and exclusive experience, you become a bobsleigh pilot with your colleagues, partners or clients as passengers in this unique sport. You start the day with the traditional “track walk” down the inside of the track wearing crampons, along with a professional pilot, so that you can learn each of the bends and choose the best trajectory.
Piloting a bobsleigh starts with choosing your line. The bobsleigh must pick up speed to « stick » to the ice through centrifugal force. At that exact moment, you will feel the pressure on the ropes at your fingertips. Any pressure has an impact on the bobsleigh’s trajectory. You really need to know the bends! “Middle, middle, middle” says Thomas Girod, your instructor and former competitor for France in the luge (22nd in the Vancouver Winter Olympics in 2010).
You arrive at bend 12 with your teammate and your bobsleigh. The air is cold but you don’t even feel it. You are concentrated and just a little apprehensive. So far, so good. The first teams set off. You hear shouts (of joy? of fear?). It’s your turn. You climb in. For this first descent, you are the pilot. Your hands grip the controls. Thomas’s advice is going round in your mind. You’re off! (You forget all the advice – that’s quite normal!). The bobsleigh speeds up and 45 seconds later, you cross the finish line at 80km/h without really understanding what just happened. But you are a bobsleigh pilot. And off you go for the second descent!
This time, you're moving up to the big league. A 4-person bobsleigh with a professional pilot at the controls. You start right from the top, but it will only take about the same time to go down the track as when you started from bend 12.
19 bends, 1,500 m in 60 seconds. You will see Bruno Thomas, the general manager of the track and a former pilot for the French team, who still holds the record for the Olympic track built for the 1992 Albertville Olympic Games. What a legend. It’s time to go. 3, 2, 1... A few seconds later, the bobsleigh has reached 100 km/h. One bend after another. "OK, is this top speed? Yes… Well, to within 20km/h or so. "Oh, I think I recognise that bend". You’re right and 10 seconds later, the brakes are scraping the ice. You've arrived. Congratulations, you're one of the few people in the world who can claim to be a bobsleigh pilot. Forever 😄
You are hosted and taught by professionals, including federal instructors. The Olympic track and the panoramic room where we hold briefings, offer feedback and analyse your line and speed, are reserved for you.
10am: Welcome to the Olympic Bobsleigh track / briefing in the panoramic room
11am: Track Walk, a walk down the track with a professional pilot. Technical advice and anecdotes
12 noon: Lunch & pairing up
2pm: DRIVING A 2 PERSON BOB. 2 descents per person, one as pilot, 1 as passenger, from bend 12
4pm: technical and emotional debriefing ^^
6pm: 4 PERSON OLYMPIC BOBSLEIGH. Descent with a professional pilot from the top of the Olympic track
7pm: You are now a bobsleigh pilot!
