/The Sport

Equipment

It all comes down to the driver and his equipment. Since the sport is quick and you haven't got time to really think, you have to react. Your reaction is distributed to your sled which has to react as well.
Together with to continuous eye you have to have for your aerodynamics (suit, helmet, position off the body) it becomes a huge and challenge to conquer the art of skeleton.

The Sled

• Intro
• constructors
• Parts explanation
• Saddle
• Sled stiffness
• Runner adjustment
• Suspension
• Page Counter

Intro

Is built from steel and fiberglass and padded with foam and tape. There are only a few constructors of skeleton sleds in the world.
	A steel frame bolted or welded together with a steel plate that supports the body. Around the steel frame a polyester pod is fitted for aerodynamics
	2 steel runners wirh grooves (knifes)
	20 cm max sled height (with rock)
Download a 3d rotating skeleton

Constructors across the world

Sled constructors
sKates4All	HOL
Pascal Richard	CAN
Ryan davenport	CAN
Pavel Lubas	CHE
Heini Platzer	GER
Urs Vescoli	SUI
Randy Parker	USA
Andy Walser	SUI
Thaler	GER
Josef Stastny (retired)	AUT
Kristan Bromley	GBR
Snorre pedersen	NOR
Odd Arne Almli	NOR
more to come

Since it is hard to buy a new sled and also pretty expensive a lott off people have taken the challenge to construct sleds on their own. Used sleds can be very fast aswell since the slider/ sled combination makes a sled go fast and not the slider or the sled alone

Parts explanation

Below explanation was done with pictures off the FINN skeleton sled.
This sled is for sale through the Internet and can be delivered within 2 weeks off receiving payment.

• Saddle

• sled stiffness

• Runner adjustment

• Suspension

To the right an overview off the new FINN sled.

• Features:
• Adjustable saddle plate
• Adjustable saddle
• Lasercutt stainless steel frame
• Large steering pressure plates
• Adjustable frame stiffness

The saddle

The saddle is the part off the sled where the athlete lies on. The athlete lies between two metal posts which are held on to with the hands. The saddle should be made to fit the athlete exactly because a proper fit will help you to come down the track fast and in control. The Metal saddle is padded with foam so you have a snug fit.

sled stiffness

Steering possibilities on a sled depend on sled stiffness. A sled stiffness canb be altered in a few ways:

• Choice of frame
• Bodypan
• How the sled has been covered with foam and tape

With most off the sleds you can not change sled stiffness. In the new FINN sleds we integrated a possibility to change sled dynamics by loosening or tightening screws. You can now change your sled dynamics even between runs ! You can adjust the front stiffness or back stiffness according to your liking , the coaches advice or the track dynamics.

Runner adjustment

	Loosen the outer bolt Set your Runner bow Tighten the outer bolt

The runner can be adjusted by turning the inside bolt with a align key. The bolt will put pressure on the runner which will bend and therefore will change the amount of surface off the runner which touches the ice. Less length of runner blade on the ice which results in less fraction and less control.

Suspension

By Changing the amount off hardened steel suspension plates you can change suspension on the FINN sled.

The Runners

Together with the aerodynamics the runners make up for the only friction during the run. A lott of polishing hours go into the runners. The so-called 'juicing' the runners is not permitted (smear oil over the runner area so it goes faster ). The runners are polished with sandpaper up to a grid of micron's. Before the race the runners are cleaned by officials with Acetone and sometimes some kind of concentrated lemonjuice.

This is the wording from the English protocol book distributed at the Congress Lake Placid 2002.  The rule was passed unanimously. Each runner must consist of a solid homogenous piece of austenitic stainless steel, whereas the diameter of the steel must be consistently 16mm up to the runner blocks (minus measurements of 0.3mm are acceptable).

Things that make a good runner

• Material choice of the runner
• Welding off the runner blocks and posts
• The radius of the bends
• Pre tension
• Good flexibilty steels
• Sharp groove edges
• Length off the groove

The steel must meet the following requirements:

• minimum iron (Fe) content 50%
• minimum chrome (Cr) content 12%
• maximum Ferrite / Martensite content 5%
• maximum hardness 330 HB (Brinell, sphere 10 mm, referring to 3,000 Kgs, measured at a temperature of 20° C)

The grooves in the runners must be fabricated in such a fashion that they do not damage the ice surface.  The depth of the grooves must not exceed 2mm calculated from the running surface.

The suit

A standard speedskating or langlauf suit can be used. For beginners it is wise to have some protection under the suit. Old ancle guards (lotts of them) are the best for this. sKates4All constructs specially made skeleton suits reinforced with kevlar

Spikes

You need spikes to be able to run on the slippery ice.

The rules

You can have 8 spikes on each foot with a maximum length of 7 mm and max width of 7 mm

The Bodypan

Facts

• The bodypan is also known as base plate
• Together with the skeletonslider in his suit the bodypan makes up for the aerodynamics.
• The bodypan is used for promotional uses and to identify the slider with the official startnumber and his national and personal colors. 
• The top third off the sled is reserved for the FIBT promotional space.
• Before the race the bodypan is waxed with Turtle wax or other solutions to make it as smooth as possible to reduce drag.

Things that make a good bodypan

• Material choice of the bodypan
• Aerodynamic 'wedge' shape 
• Length off the bodypan
• Always same flexibility with temperatures

Design Facts

• This bodypan graphics have been designed by Jeroen van Eijk for FINN.
• FINN is the manufacturer off the new sleds that will be used by the Dutch in the coming seasons. 
• The full color bodypan graphic design can be anything a athlete wants. 
• The bodypan will be made in Polyester and carbon Fiber layers. 
• The FINN bodypan will be interchangeable to all FINN sleds.
• The Bodypan will minimize the changing off sled dynamics when temperatures change
• The bodypan is fitted to the sled with an interlocking sytem which can be fitted with all kinds off shock absorbing rubbers
• FINN Sleds are for sale through the internet, simply click the moving sled icon in the navigational bar at the top.

The Rules

1.13.3 Starting Number

Starting number shirts are reserved by the F.I.B.T. for the F.I.B.T.-sponsors and are made available to the athletes.
Starting number shirts are to be worn during race and awards ceremony. There may not be any aerodynamic changes made nor be fastened by any supplementary means. The sled starting number (30 x 25 cm) must be attached to the bottom utmost back of the sled. Beneath and beside the starting number no publicity what­soever is permitted. Publicity rights of sled numbers remain with the organiser. The supporting body must be fixed to the frame above the base-plate.

3.6

No spring, rubber, rubber-like or energy absorbing material may be used for runner suspensions, frame and /or for all other parts of the sled.
Exeptions

• between linkage of supporting body and frame
• between linkage of base-plate to frame
• between fastening of additional weight
• padding of the supporting surface and supporting body

3.12 Fairings and Spoilers

Fairings and spoilers are prohibited. The base-plate is not considered as covering.The padding of the supporting surface, measured in a horizontal line between the supporting body and the front part of the sled, must be flat. The width of the surface is given by the distance between the runners. The padding of the supporting surface, measured from the rear of the handles to the back edge of the sled, must be flat, too. The width is given by the outside edges of the sled. Hollows or thickened parts are not allowed. The upper edge of the base-plate at the sides of the sled, measured in a horizontal line, must not exceed the upper front edge of the sled.

FIBT Rules

The Helmet

A simple downhill ski helmet fitted with a chinguard and ski goggles or selfmade visor made of lexan Helmet safety by Kurt Vicker