As our friends Chris, Mark, and John gather inside the start house, instructor Joe Davis leads the half-hour Bobsledding 101 orientation. Next, the thrillseekers pick sled positions, with a double-blind draw out of a basket, and pair up with an Olympic-caliber driver. Finally, the group slips on their winter wear, a good pair of gloves, a helmet, and a dose of courage, and prepares to shoot down the eight-tenths-of-a-mile-long strip of ice.

One big push and they're off.

They count the turns, which come faster and faster. They have to work to hold their heads up to watch the world rushing past. In less than a minute, the ride of their lives is over. The official time: 50.82 seconds.

"The next time I watch it on TV," brags Chris, "I'm gonna say I went through that turn."

Site: Utah Olympic Park, north of Park City.
Cost: $200 for a no-do-overs ride of your life.
Hours: By reservation only.
Season: November to January.
Details: (435) 658-4200, www.saltlake2002.com

SPEED SKATING
There's just something about the ice at the Utah Olympic Oval that makes people go fast. Less than a month after it opened, competitors at the 2001 World Speed Skating Championships Single Distances set five world records.

Top skaters approach sprinting speeds of 44 miles per hour. It probably has something to do with the altitude and a state-of-the-art facility big enough to fit two jumbo jets - comfortably.

"It's amazing how fast you go without being any good," says speed skating novice Steve O'Connor.

Speed skating appears as effortless as it does quiet and graceful, but, says program manager Lester Pardoe, it's highly technical and a lot of work. The Oval offers lessons, ice time, and skates to anyone interested in learning the sport. Strap on some blades, start moving your legs, and feel the smooth, glassy ice and the wind in your hair.