The Winter sport of skeleton is comprised of two main parts; the start and the drive:

The Start
This is where a race can be won or lost... making the start crucial. Athletes need speed, power and skill to push the sled over a distance of around 30m before jumping onto their sled.

The Drive
On the sled athletes need full focus to respond quickly to the ice conditions and the tracks' corners. Concentration and precision are key, as the competitor's head is centimeters from the ice and their feet dangle off the edge of the sled. On high speed corners an athlete's chin will scrape across the ice. Skeleton racers can experience up to 5Gs in pressure and top speeds of up to 140 kmh/85 mph.

Steering
Skeleton athletes shift their body weight to move them in the direction they want to go. This is predominantely done by using their knees and shoulders. However, athletes can also use their toes to help them turn.