“It’s night and day compared to before”
– Bryan Bergstrom, Sliding Sport Operation Manager,
Olympic Regional Development Authority,
Lake Placid, NY
Night and Day
“I wanted to take a moment to send you my heartfelt thanks after an incredible season using the REALIce system on our track. We didn’t start the season with it, but once we put it in, the difference in the hardness and quality of the ice was night and day compared to what we’d had before.
Something Different
From “Day 1” with REALice, it was clear something was different. The way the ice felt under our traction devices was very different from the softer ice we have grown accustomed to. The first time we watered the track, I needed to assure the operator that the water was turning to ice behind him because it was SO CLEAR he couldn’t see that it was setting up! As for the hardness, it used to be possible to dig into a patch of ice just using a fingernail but that was certainly not the case anymore.
Over the course of the season, the ice held up beautifully. The World Championships were incredibly successful — despite every weather condition Mother Nature threw at us. We had cold weather, blowing snow,
wind, rain, sun and heat! We set:
- an unofficial track record in women’s monobob training
- new track records in men’s and women’s skeleton
- took .08 off a 22-year-old record in the Men’s 2 man race
- were within 2. of the track record in both men’s 4 man and women’s 2 man while the air temp was 57°F (+14°C).
Natural Ice
Currently all refrigeration is cut off to the track. Temperatures are hovering on freezing and the ice is holding beautifully as a “natural track” as we prepare for this summer’s busy construction schedule. I’ve said it multiple times this season, and I’ll say it again. I don’t know how we’ve ever held a race or survived a sliding season without the REALice system. I’m excited for what more durable ice can unlock for us in the future.Huge thank-you to you and your team again and the success of the World Championships would not have been possible without your support!”
Bryan Berghorn, Sliding Sport Operation Manager
