Ballast: A weight that is bolted or clamped onto skeleton sleds with lighter sliders to ensure every sled is of maximum and equal weight.
Belly: The bottom section of a track curve.
Bumpers: Cushioned areas on the sled to protect against contact with the track.
Descent: A trip down a course; also called a run.
FIBT: Federation Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing, the International governing body of skeleton and bobsled.
G-Force: Gravitational force that holds both the sled and the athlete against the wall on a banked turn. G-Forces exert a downward force on a slider's head.
Grooves: Guide channels cut into the ice at the starting area, allowing a sled to follow a straight line during the push start.
Kreisel: The German word for circle and term for a type of run curve that forms a circle by having the track cross itself.
Labyrinth: A series of three or more curves, usually short, with little to no straightaway between them.
Line: The path taken by the sled down the track. Sliders look for the optimum line, the shortest way down the track, with least resistance.
Lip: A safety barrier at the top of the track to prevent sleds from going off the track.
Omega: A set of three large curves that are connected. From above, the shape resembles the Greek letter Omega.
Roof: The top part of a track curve.
Runners: The two metal blades upon which the skeleton sled rides.
S-curve: Two connected turns that travel in alternate directions.
Skeleton: A sled with two runners. The maximum weight of sled and driver cannot exceed 115kg for men and 92kg women.
Shades: Canvas covers used to protect the track from sun and debris between races.
Slider: A term for an athlete who participates in sliding sports like skeleton, bobsleigh and luge.
Transition: An area of a bob track that goes from a straight area into a curve.
