The track crew at the Utah Olympic Park began the process of making ice on the track this week. Photo: Michele Roepke // TownLift

PARK CITY, Utah — On Tuesday, the Utah Olympic Park began its annual autumn process of ice-making on the sliding track venue utilized for the sports of bobsled, luge, and skeleton.

An on-site refrigeration plant pumps a specialized solution through pipes under the track which makes the smooth concrete cold enough to freeze water on. Track crew then spays the track with water using hoses, working in sections to layer the ice. It’ll take a week and a half for the ice to grow thick enough to support the weight, force and inevitable destructive interaction of the sleds.

Once the round-the-clock track crew initially aids the ice’s setting and settling, they will set about shaping and forming the top layer to accommodate some of the fastest athletes in the world. Night time lighting will become visible throughout the Kimball Junction area.

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This is Crew Leader Austin Carter’s 10th season of ice making. “Although it’s a lot of hard work, this is an exciting time of year on the track. It’s hugely gratifying to help the American sliders train and compete here on our Park City track, then it’s thrilling hosting all the international athletes who come through each winter too,” he told TownLift.

After the initial ice-making weeks, members of the public get the unique opportunity to ride in the back of a bobsled with a professional, certified pilot. The program, offered after the ski lifts stop turning every afternoon, historically sells out, so potential participants register on line as early as possible.