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Thunder on ice, followed by giggles

Live sounds of Whistler Sliding Centre event are like HD TV for the ears

Dolby, THX, 6.1 surround sound — throw all the fancy adjectives for the latest and greatest audio format for your 50-inch, flat-screen TV out the window. Bobsleigh is something you have to hear to believe.

Having been a radio reporter for years, I am always listening for the sounds that can help communicate an experience. Watching the two- and four-man Bobsleigh and Skeleton World Cups last weekend had me salivating over how much fun it would be to weave audio clips and sound effects into a story about what it’s like to see this event live.

With a sled in the start area awaiting the green light, the quiet is broken by microphones picking up a thwack-thwack as the athletes’ shoes are being cleaned of snow. Then, with explosive grunts of power just like the start of a football play (without the crashing of pads and helmets), the sled is propelled down the track.

With rock ’n’ roll music and the announcers calling the race, you wait, ears keen to pick up the sound of the approaching sled. Then, like thunder rolling down the track, it comes from several corners away. As the sled rips by, it feels like the Norse god of thunder, Thor himself, is cranking the volume control on a monster subwoofer up to 11.

With the first sled, fans react with disbelief. Exclamations that start with “Oh my (fill in the blank)” crossing everyone’s lips, followed immediately by giggling fits. Sled after sled, the giggles continue seemingly an uncontrollable response to being so close to a bobsleigh travelling more than 140 km/h. Standing a metre away, you can feel the track shake and the wind created by the passing sled.

After a couple sleds go by, a huddle of ski racing fans were starting to analyze the line the bobsleighs were taking through their corner, already able to determine whether a sled is fast in the two seconds that it takes to fly by.

Spectators trying to take pictures were also fun to eavesdrop on. The challenge of photographing a sled at 140 km/h instantly becomes a shared experience. Even on the high-speed “sports” setting, you can fire off a burst of shots and you’ll be lucky to catch a bit of the bobsleigh’s nose or backside. People who got a sled “full frame” were proud even if it was a blurry image of the action.

Then there was something different: the ripping, grinding sound of a crashed sled. No longer the rumble that brings giggles; it was gasps of concern as the sled and riders rocket by on their side at 90 km/h. There’s quiet as the crowd waits to see the fate of the athletes and then cheers when they’re OK.

The top bobsleigh reached an amazing 153 km/h. Now officially the fastest track in the world, Whistler sliding insiders say the lugers could top that speed at the Feb. 16 to 21 World Cup. Bobsleigh sold out, so avoid disappointment and get your luge tickets early at whistler.com.

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