If you want to enjoy the unparalleled thrills of winter sports, but lack the balance and coordination necessary for snowboarding and skiing, get acquain
| Muskegon Winter Sports Complex 462 Scenic Dr., North Muskegon msports.org, (877) 879-5843 |
Luge involves zipping down a hill with a thin fiberglass platform and two steel blades between your back and an unforgiving ice trough. If that sounds dangerous, that's because it is, especially when its maximum speed (world record, 96 mph) can outpace freeway traffic.
Adopted as an Olympic sport in 1964, luge has attracted spectators through the drama created by a lightly padded athlete laying on an uncovered sled traveling at breakneck speeds.
Fortunately, luge enthusiasts in West Michigan can get their fix before the 2014 winter games.
| "Learn to Luge" Schedule
Friday: 6:30 - 9 p.m. Saturday: Sunday |
The Muskegon Winter Sports Complex, located inside Muskegon State Park, has been operating its 650-foot luge track since 1985, and with an average rider speed of 30 mph, it is considered to be one of the most publicly accessible courses in the country.
"The luge is awesome," said MWSC Lodge Manager Pam King. "It's a thrill that you can't even imagine. It gets less frightening each time because you feel more comfortable on the sled, and you relax more."
The MWSC's "Learn to Luge" clinics last two-and-a-half hours and cost $40. During the first 15 minutes of each clinic, instructors fit the lugers for pads and teach them how to steer the sleds. The rest of the clinic is spent sliding down the track and working on technique.
"Luge is one of those sports where it's going to take us about 15 minutes to teach you the basics of the sport, but then it takes you a lifetime to perfect the sport of luge," King said.
"Learn to Luge" clinics are offered once on Fridays, four times on Saturdays and three times on Sundays. To enroll in the clinic, a luger needs to show proof of health insurance.
The MWCS is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Saturday, weather permitting. Check out its website, msports.org, for current weather conditions and more information on the luge and other activities offered, including ice hockey, cross country skiing and a quarter-mile ice skating trail.
