It's the Formula 1 of the Winter Olympics.
So what do we know about this daredevil sport?
It might surprise you to learn
that one of the most adventurous sports
on the planet wasn't originally a sport at all.
Before the Jamaican bobsleigh team made it cool,
bobsleighs were actually invented
to ferry wealthy visitors
around the posh ski resort of St Moritz.
They were literally too posh to push.
Soon, people couldn't resist racing them around the streets,
so before someone got seriously hurt,
the first official track was built at the Kulm Hotel park,
ending in the village of Cresta.
This track ended up hosting the sliding events
at two Winter Olympic games and is still in use today.
Modern bobsleigh tracks are made of concrete
and then coated with ice.
That sounds pretty scary just saying it -
concrete coated with ice,
the two hardest substances known to man.
There's actually a lot of technology going on
to make sure it's safe for all the athletes.
First, the design of the track is modelled on a computer.
Then it is simulated in a laboratory in order
to measure accurately the amount of friction that'll
be created between the sled and the ice
when travelling at high, high speeds.
Basically, this means they can calculate
the maximum speed a sled can reach.
The designers take into account numerous factors,
even the differences in the ice itself.
The ice in Canada, for example,
is different to the ice in Russia, which
is different to the ice in Hawaii because it -
because it had melted. It's like a little joke.
It doesn't matter.
Then the track is constructed out of reinforced concrete
with evaporators embedded in it to cool the track
to exactly minus 11 degrees.
Not minus 10.
Not minus 12.
Minus 11.
The track is then sprayed with water
to create a layer of ice two inches thick.
Like snowflakes, no two courses are exactly the same,
but there are certain elements that each course has to have.
They are required to have at least one straight section
and one section made up of three turns
in quick succession.
This is known as a labyrinth.
A modern track should be 1,200 to 1,300 metres long
and have at least 15 curves.
The most distinguishing feature of the tracks
is the Petersen turn.
The 180-degree turn with a 270-degree bank angle
is a compulsory feature on all Olympic runs
and is named after pioneering track designer
Heidi Petersen.
These tracks are so specialised,
there are currently just 16 in the world.
All of them are artificially cooled
with ammonia refrigeration, with the exception
of St Moritz, the very first track,
which is still naturally cooled.
Of these, the track at Lake Placid
is considered the most technically demanding,
featuring 20 tricky turns, the most
for any competitive sliding track.
The fastest track in the world is
in Whistler, built for the 2010 Winter Games.
It is also the steepest track in the world,
featuring a vertical drop of 148 metres.
That's like jumping out of a 10-storey window
in a bobsleigh with Lycra for fun.
Getting the track spot-on is essential.
As we've said, speeds can exceed 120km per hour,
and some curves can subject the crews to 5G of force.
That's similar to a fighter pilot -
I mean, a fighter pilot wearing Lycra.
The crew is made up of a pilot, a brakeman,
and in the four-man bob, two pushers.
Athletes are selected based on their speed and strength.
Pilots must have the skill, timing, and finesse
to steer the sleigh along the path or line that'll
produce the greatest speed.
If you think you've got what it takes, you're in luck.
Several tracks offer tourist rides in bobsleighs,
so if you fancy yourself as the next Shauna Rohbock
or Pierre Lueders -
those are two famous bobsleighers,
but I mean, you knew that -
now is your chance.
So there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this edition of "Burning Questions".
Don't forget to leave your Burning Question in the comments!