Saturday, October 18, 1998 -- Ansted

A "roll in the hay" that you'd rather avoid

Fire on the Mountain

[Coverage/Recap w/Pics]
[Pics Set 1] [Pics Set 2]
[Pics Set 3] [Results]

Faster than I ever went on my skateboard!

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Fire on the Mountain Road Rage Extravaganza! More bone crushing, high speed action than should be allowed by law. They'll give you the whole road, but you'll only need the edge!!!!!!!!

"Flowing like water" on the pavement of WV

Ansted, WV was the site of the Second Annual "Fire on the Mountain" Street Luge Championship Race. The race took place on Sunday, Oct 18. It was a short ride from Fayetteville, the site of the New River Gorge and the "Bridge Day Festival." The word from the locals is that the luge will traditionally be held "the day after Bridge Day." The racers felt more welcome in Ansted than in any other race town.

The street luge (sled) is a second cousin of the skateboard. Each seemed to be hand made and custom fitted to the pilot's body.

Its a high speed game for these shredders

The course was declared in the race program to be "the most demanding course in the NSLA series-quite possibly any series." The course was approximately one mile of West Virginia backroad especially paved for the race. First, the pilots (racers) hit several sharp turns each with several hay bales and at least one volunteer fireman. Then they wailed down the straightaway where they were clocked by the Ansted police-some in excess of 70 mph (no speeding citations were issued). That's when the shoes (the only brakes they have) got hot, because at the bottom of the hill is a 90 degree right turn. Also, the brand-new asphalt turned into pine needle covered scrambled eggs.

There were over 25 pilots representing pro, amateur, and junior divisions. For more on the sport of Street Luge and more on this event, check out the Road Luge website.

Living on the edge (of the pavement)