4. Skeleton
Skeleton is one of the most unique sports in the entirety of the Winter Olympics. The event combines different aspects from bobsleigh (running start) and luge (laying down on a sleigh to race). The competitor gets off to a running start, like bobsleigh, before hopping onto the skeleton sleigh. From there, the athlete lays on his or her stomach and races against the clock while steering his or herself through an icy track. The 2018 Winter Olympics will play host to two skeleton events, a men’s and women’s.
The times the phrase ‘I could do that’ is muttered many times throughout the events, but make no mistake: many people cannot physically compete in skeleton. During the race, athletes experience up to 5 Gs of force, enough to cause some people to pass out. Not to mention the number of uncles with beer guts that’d hinder their ability to compete in the skeleton. The bony sleds (hence the event name, skeleton) can reach speeds exceeding 130 km/h (or 80 miles per hour), which makes steering the sleigh and staying on track that much harder. Not to mention, the fear factor of the event. Sliding through a windy track at 80 mph, head first with only a helmet for protection? Hard pass, that thrill isn’t for everyone.
If after all that, your uncle still wants to give skeleton a go, by all means. However, be warned, it’s incredibly dangerous — but incredibly thrilling to watch. Like most people, I’ll stick to my couch on this one and watch the professionals duke it out, maybe your uncle disagrees.