Fire In The Mountain Luge Racing

Fire On The Mountain

Street Luge Championship

Publication Date: December 1999

The third annual Fire on the Mountain Street Luge Championship was held in Ansted, West Virginia October 17. Participants came from all over the United States and Europe, as a crowd of nearly 2,500 turned out to catch a glimpse of the action.

Each year the event gets bigger and better with luge pilots descending on the small town. Held on the Sunday after Bridge Day, a field of 44 pilots showed up to try their skills on the most technically challenging course in the National Street Luge Association (NSLA) series. It seemed that all were up to the task however and made an immediate assault on the mountain to see how far they could push it.

"I have been a racer for nine years," said race coordinator Michael Shannon. "When I got involved, I wanted to see more happening on the East Coast. Everything was scheduled around the west. I saw a need for competition here, so I started the first race. It has grown from two to five races now. The biggest reason for luge racing is the big adrenaline rush you get. Your heart is pumping, and what a high."

The course at Ansted, the most technical on the circuit, is 1.1 miles with 19 turns. Bales of hay line the course and preventive measures protect the luge pilots from telephone and power poles, as well as going over the mountainside.

It's a good thing they have catch fences and hay bales, for everyone REALLY pushes it. The fastest time of the day was 73 mph, a full ten mph over last year's speed. Just imagine the road disappearing in front of you (because it drops so quickly) and speeding over that edge at 70+, going airborne! Sick. The pilots in this year's event were attempting to set a new Guinness Book world record of 79 miles per hour. The top four racers will qualify to compete in this year's X Games on ESPN.

As always there was a wonderful, warm welcome from the people of Ansted who turned out to cheer on their favorite pilots. Not enough can be said of the friendly folks of this small West Virginia town. All racers agree the course in Ansted is the highlight of the season for numerous reasons, 90-degree turns, and the speed they are able to reach. All also agree the town presents an air of acceptance they don't receive everywhere they race. Someone poured oil on the track in a town in North Carolina where they raced previously.

Just as the number of racers increased, attraction this year was the addition of a training session where racers gave anyone the opportunity to ride a street luge. Numerous people ranging in age from 10 to 60 tried them out.

Ansted Mayor Geoffrey Skaggs said, "The Road Racers Association for International Street Luge (RAIL) currently has over 100 pilots, so with Ansted having 44 of those in competition on Sunday, Shannon is doing a good job in getting interest in the event growing. The town welcomed the luge racers and are looking forward to next year's race."