Brits in Naked Sledding Champs

14th February 2014, by Abi Butcher

We thought this was a more tasteful picture to put up than a naked one!

With all the excitement over the Sochi Olympics, how about something a little different — the Naked Sledding World Championships? For the first time, Britain is fielding a team at the unusual event.

Billed as the “bare-all alternative to the Sochi Winter Olympics”, the Naked Sledding World Championships takes place tomorrow, 15 February, at the Magdeburg-Cochstedt Airport in the aptly-named Hecklingberg in the east of Germany.

The Naked Sledding World Championships usually take place in Braunlage, Germany, but the warm weather has caused a severe lack of snow. Instead, organisers have built a 7m high, 70m-long ramp in the grounds of the Magdeburg-Cochstedt Airport, and shipped in 89 tonnes of snow.

The competition takes place at 4pm, and two Brits will be among the nearly naked field — Sunderland firefighter Holly Garshong, 29, and British Army soldier Thomas Chursciel, 21, from Eastbourne. The pair was chosen from around 500 applicants keen to take part in this bizarre sport.

Around 30 competitors must wear a helmet, shoes and a pair of pants or shorts (so no, they’re not completely starkers). The winner is the person who conquers the 89m sledding distance and is first on target at the finish line — in front of crowds nearing 25,000 people.

If you’re not glued to the Sochi Winter Olympics, you can watch the Naked Sledding World Championships here.

• snow
• competition
• olympics
• sochi
• taboggan
• sledding

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