Piste Olympique de Bobsleigh des Pèlerins
A natural track built on a foundation of granite blocks, the Piste Olympique de Bobsleigh was built for the first time for the 1924 Games and rebuilt every winter season up to 1950.
Nicknamed the “19 curves of hell”, it was reputed to be a dangerous track and was closed to competition after five athletes were killed at the 1950 French Bobsleigh Championships. The local sports club continued to use the site until 1966, at which point the City of Chamonix withdrew the concession and the track was abandoned.
Parts of the 1.3km course, which runs through the forest of Les Pèlerins and sits at the foot of the glacier of the same name, remain visible today. These days, the track is frequented by mainly by hikers and cyclists. More recently, the local authorities have initiated a project to renovate some of the curves made in stones, commemorate its Olympic past, and attract more visitors to the site.
Bobsleigh was still a fairly young sport in 1924, having only been invented in the late 19th century. The International Federation for Bobsleigh and Tobogganing (FIBT) was founded in late 1923, just months before the Olympic Winter Games Chamonix 1924, which were the first major international championships in the sport. The World Championships were not established until 1930.