The Altenberg bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track is a venue in Germany for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton. Located in Saxony in eastern Germany, it is northwest of Altenberg, near the border with the Czech Republic.
History Altenberg raced bobsleigh as early as 1908 on a natural track going downhill. By the late 1970s, the East Germans were already successful in luge, and had increasing success in bobsleigh. This included a total of six Winter Olympic medals in bobsleigh in 1976 and 1980, along with five world bobsleigh championship medals between 1977 and 1979.Bobsleigh two-man Olympic medalists: 1932–56 and since 1964Bobsleigh four-man Olympic medalists: 1924, 1932-56, and since 1964Bobsleigh two-man world championship medalists since 1931 Bobsleigh four-man world championships medalists since 1930 In order to increase East Germany's effort to win more bobsleigh and luge medals both at the Winter Olympics and their respective sport's world championships, a track was constructed.RSBV.de link on luge at Altenberg. - accessed 2 December 2009. The track at Altenberg was constructed under the order of then-Stasi (Ministry for State Security in East Germany) Minister Erich Mielke.
Construction began in 1981 under restrictive access with a wire fence and armed patrols from the Landstreitkräfte (East German National People's Army) on orders from Mielke.RSBV.de link on bobsleigh at Altenberg. - accessed 2 December 2009. By 1983, construction was completed though trials were less than successful. This would result in turns 11 and 12 being destroyed and rebuilt. It was not until late 1986 when the track was officially completed with homologation received from both the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT) and the International Luge Federation (FIL) the following year. The track was part of the training used by SG Dynamo Zinnwald/ SV Dynamo until the 1990 German reunification.Link to proof the Dynamo track SV Dynamo bobsleigh link Men's skeleton first competed in 1992.Historical track records of men's skeleton since 1992 at Altenberg. - accessed 2 December 2009.
In 1997, the women's single luge start house was created before turn three after being shared with the men's double luge start house before turn seven from 1989 to 1996.Historical track records of luge women's singles track records since 1986 at Altenberg - accessed 2 December 2009. Women's skeleton first began competition in 1999 while women's bobsleigh first started the following year.Historical track records of women's skeleton since 1999 at Altenberg - accessed 2 December 2009.Two-woman bobsleigh track records since 2000 at Altenberg - accessed 2 December 2009.RSBV.de skeleton history at the Altenberg track. - accessed 2 December 2009. An 18th curve was modified during the summer of 2007 with the addition of a finish curve and straightaway.Track profile - accessed 2 December 2009.
Over the weekend of 1–3 February 2008, the track hosted the 200th FIL Luge World Cup event, which began in December 1977. (30 January 2008 article accessed 2 December 2009.) The track was awarded the 2012 FIL World Luge Championships at the 2008 FIL Congress in Calgary, Canada, on 28 June of that year, following Whistler's bid withdrawal. (29 April 2008 article accessed 2 December 2009). (28 June 2008 article accessed 2 December 2009.) Refurbishment of the track for the 2012 World Luge Championships was projected to cost €1.4 million, which included modernizing the electronics and refrigeration system and renovation of the women's and junior start houses. (11 May 2009 article accessed 2 December 2009)
Track technical details The track is powered by four refrigeration condensers each with a capacity which combined can keep the track frozen at ambient conditions up to .Technical details of Altenberg. - accessed 2 December 2009. Its storage tanks hold up to of ammonia, generating the equivalent of 12,000 household refrigerators. There a total of fifty sensors located throughout the track with its staff contacted at a moment's notice if anything bad occurs. Monitoring is done by closed-circuit television to further enhance track security The icing of the track starts in October, taking eight workers one week to evenly ice the track to a layer of at a temperature of .
Statistics +Physical statistics Sport Length TurnsBobsleigh and skeleton17Luge - men's singles17Luge - women's singles15Luge - men's doubles, team relay and junior11 The vertical drop is from the bobsleigh start, with a maximum grade of 15% and an average grade of 8.66%. The elevation at the base is above sea level.
Image Turn number Name Reason named3, 4, 5OmegaAfter the Omega shape.Image not found6, 7, 8, 9LabyrinthFour turns in quick succession without a straight (labyrinth)10.Kreisel320-degree Kreisel (circular) curve..15, 16, 17Zielkreisel"Finish curve" in . Also a Kreisel curve. Turns 1, 2, 11–14, and 18 have no names listed in the track diagram. Turn 18 is followed by a Bremshang, a finish/braking straight.
+Track records (all records from List of track records at Altenberg current as of 2 December 2009 unless noted) Sport Record Nation - athlete(s) Date Time (seconds) Bobsleigh two-man Start - André Lange & Kevin Kuske20 December 20035.12 Bobsleigh two-man Track - Alexandre Zoubkov & Alexey Voevoda7 January 201754.48 Bobsleigh four-man Start - Christoph Langen, Sven Rühr, Markus Zimmermann, & Olav Hampel12 January 19965.04 Bobsleigh four-man Track - André Lange, René Hoppe, Kevin Kuske, & Martin Putze24 February 200853.17 Bobsleigh two-woman Start (19 December 2009 article accessed 19 December 2009.) - Kaillie Humphries & Heather Moyse19 December 20095.74 Bobsleigh two-woman Track - Helen Upperton & Jennifer Ciochetti19 December 200956.79 Skeleton - men's Start Aleksandr Tretyakov - 10 February 20074.90 Skeleton - men's Track Christopher Grotheer - 7 January 201756.20 Skeleton - women's Start Kerstin Jürgens - 8 January 20055.51 Skeleton - women's Track Anja Huber - 5 January 200858.86 Luge - men's singles StartFIL Luge World Cup Altenberg 5 December 2009 men's singles results. - accessed 5 December 2009. Johannes Ludwig - 5 December 2009 7.555 Luge - men's singles Track Albert Demtschenko - 26 November 200554.222 Luge - women's singles StartFIL Luge World Cup Altenberg 6 December 2009 women's singles results. - accessed 6 December 2009. Natalie Geisenberger - 6 December 2009 6.054 Luge - women's singles Track Sylke Otto - 27 November 200553.091 Luge - men's doubles StartFIL Luge World Cup Altenberg 5 December 2009 doubles results. - accessed 5 December 2009. - Tobias Wendl & Tobias Arlt22 January 2009 6.202 Luge - men's doubles Track - Tobias Wendl & Tobias Arlt2 February 200842.109
Championships hosted FIBT World Championships: 1991 (bobsleigh), 1994 (men's skeleton),FIBT men's skeleton world championships men's skeleton results since 1989 2000 (men's bobsleigh), 2008 FIL European Luge Championships: 2002, 2016FIL European Luge Championships men's singles results since 1914 FIL World Luge Championships: 1996FIL World Luge Championships men's single results since 1955 2012, 2024
References
External links FIBT track profile - Click on video for ride down the track. It will show the bobsleigh-skeleton part intersecting with the men's single luge track prior to turn one, the women's single luge track prior to turn three, and the men's doubles luge track prior to turn seven. FIL-Luge track profile Official website RSBV.de profile with the track.