Ice-making morning: Park City’s Luge, Skeleton and Bobsled track kicks off early in an Olympic year

Recreational Bobsled Pilot and Track Tower Operator of Timing and Scoring, Ryan Krusi hauling hoses on ice-making morning. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

PARK CITY, Utah — In this, an Olympic year, when Team USA’s luge, skeleton, and bobsled athletes want to get a JUMP on the season to start training as early as possible,  in this case, two weeks sooner than a non-Olympic year, the track crew at the Utah Olympic Park says, ‘How High?’

As such, this morning they “flipped the switch” as they say, when for the very first time each winter season, they fire up the Refrigeration Plant and start the flow of chemicals which circulate within the Track, permeate through the Track, and create the 100% human-made ice on which the sleds slide.

Track Crew member Carl Roepke, a nine-time Olympics announcer (incl. Winter, Summer, Para, and Youth), turned on one of the many hoses, as seen in the video below, for what was the first time this season, but will likely not be the last. Crew members will work around the clock for the first couple of weeks, after patching, painting, and power-washing the Track. Then, during the season, they will meticulously ensure, for the safety of all stakeholders, that the Track is checked and double-checked before, during, and after every sled goes down the Track until closing day in April.

Pre-season training camps and comps will start within weeks, along with facility-rental video-shoot buyouts by big brand names that partner with the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee. During that time, the athletes who will represent America in February at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics will be selected. Then the popular Public Bobsled Ride Program gets started on the Comet Sleds.

Comet rides cost $225 per adult and can be purchased online before they sell out.

Venue rentals are available to the public and can be booked by emailing sales@uolf.org. Many different corporate and friend/family groups enjoy gathering at the Utah Olympic Park during the Olympic and Paralympic months.

When not making ice, and when not managing the Track Tower, Ryan Krusi is one of the professionally licensed bobsled pilots who drive passengers down the Track in the Comet Sleds. He told TownLift this morning that he doesn’t mind making the two-and-a-half-hour drive down to the Track from his home in Southern Idaho each shift he works.

He grew up competing on the track and field team in far northern Utah, right in the middle of his now home and his now workplace. His sheep and chickens at home may miss him on his long workdays. Still, Krusi  wouldn’t have it any other way saying, “Winter Olympic seasons, of which this’ll be my second, after working here for six years, bring a whole higher level of excitement to this job, and making ice today to start the year off right for the national and local athletes is just the kind of unique experience that makes this venue super special.”

The International Luge Federation (FIL) will hold a World Cup race in Park City, December 11 – 13. This is the second stop of the 2025-26 World Cup season, following a race in Innsbruck, Austria, and serving as a crucial event for Olympic qualification before the 2026 Winter Games.

Additionally, the International Bobsled Skeleton Federation (IBSF) North American Cup returns to Utah Olympic Park in Park City, November 28 – December 4, 2025, as teams from around the world compete for crucial points on the road to the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina.