![bobsled vs skeleton speed bobsled vs skeleton speed](https://fansided.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/229/files/2014/02/8221374.jpg)
I would usually time my trips to avoid the track being closed for international competitions, and go when there was a local race. (I did Park City and Lake Placid a bunch before too, but it became a hassle traveling with my sled, so I left it in Switzerland, being satisfied with going for one week a year as I got older). Kind of a funny story, and a (qualified) humblebrag and explanation of how much conditions can affect the outcome. Anyway, long winded way of saying conditions could make for some unusual results, and while the Chinese probably won’t contend for medals, they could threaten for top 10, which would be a really great accomplishment for a country that literally started their program just a few years ago. The jury tests the competitive sleds’ runners versus a reference runner for temperature (I know a guy who used set his sled in the place with the brightest sun at Park City during training so he would go faster, and heard a coach jokingly call him out on it). Athletes aren’t allowed touch their sleds during “parc fermée). It should also be noted that the jury measures the runners’ temperatures before the race starts.
![bobsled vs skeleton speed bobsled vs skeleton speed](https://fansided.com/files/2014/02/8239350.jpg)
A leading team could be reeled in by a trailing competitor if they have slightly colder ice and the leader has to go in slightly warmer conditions. After the first run, the sleds go slowest to fastest for the final three runs. If the temperature is rising during the competition, that could make it closer. She executed and pulled off a stunning victory. Her coaches advised her not to drive the fastest lines on the track, but rather the ones with the least snow on them. She’s also tiny, and woke up the day of her race to heavy snow (skeleton was a one-day event in 2002). I think I mentioned this story before, but when Tristan Gale won the gold at Salt Lake, she had never won a race at the World Cup level. But having spots like that can give a home field advantage. If there are any parts of the track exposed to the sun (which I kind of doubt there would be if the designers understood these kinds of temp swings) that could cause some problems moving from hard to soft ice and back again. With artificially refrigerated tracks (and this one supposedly has the best artificial refrigeration going), you generally want colder ice at this level. Those are big temperature swings (obviously). Temps will be in the teens overnight, and rising to the mid 40s during the day, with sunny conditions. The upcoming skeleton and bobsled races look as if they may be affected by the weather.