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TracksChamonix

Ruin 1923–1950

Chamonix

Piste olympique de bobsleigh des Pèlerins

Les Pèlerins, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Haute-Savoie · France

Racing ended in 1950; its stone curves survive as a listed monument.

No mapped line survives for this track yet.

Real track · Published figures

First raced
1923
Last raced
1950
Length
1,370 m
Drop
156 m
Curves
19

Explore the track

The Slidensa model, drawn over the real ground. Follow the run into every curve.

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In Slidensa

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Game model · Two-man bobsleigh reference run. These lengths, speeds and loads come from Slidensa’s physics and can differ from the real track’s published figures.

Length
1,594m
Drop
156m
Curves
19
Top speed
148km/h
Peak load
3.6g
Reference run
0:54.20
Curve-by-curve guide · 19 curves

The three curves in lime pull hardest in the reference run.

  1. 1 25° right 1.1 g · 61 km/h
  2. 2 26° left 1.2 g · 75 km/h
  3. 3 27° right Les Myrtilles 1.4 g · 86 km/h
  4. 4 29° left 1.5 g · 95 km/h
  5. 5 29° right 1.7 g · 104 km/h
  6. 6 29° left 1.8 g · 110 km/h
  7. 7 30° right Les Pouteretz 2.0 g · 116 km/h
  8. 8 29° left 2.1 g · 122 km/h
  9. 9 30° right Place Verte 2.4 g · 126 km/h
  10. 10 29° left 2.7 g · 127 km/h
  11. 11 29° right L'Eau Noire 2.4 g · 129 km/h
  12. 12 29° left 2.6 g · 133 km/h
  13. 13 30° right J. Balmat 2.7 g · 137 km/h
  14. 14 29° left 2.8 g · 139 km/h
  15. 15 30° right Les Écureuils 2.9 g · 142 km/h
  16. 16 29° left Le Pylône 3.2 g · 144 km/h
  17. 17 29° right Téléphérique 3.2 g · 146 km/h
  18. 18 29° left Téléphérique 3.6 g · 146 km/h
  19. 19 30° right Arrivée 3.5 g · 146 km/h

The story

Chamonix built this run for the 1924 Winter Olympics, making it the first Olympic bobsleigh track. Its curves were dry-stone walls, and every winter the course was laid again in packed snow, with sleds reaching about 115 km/h. Competition stopped in January 1950, after three men were killed in two crashes in a race held before the French Championships; later accounts say five. The local club kept using the run until 1966, and part of it was later demolished for the Mont Blanc Tunnel access road.

  • At the 1924 Olympics, crews of five raced alongside crews of four.
  • Surviving curves keep their old names, such as Myrtilles, Eau noire and Jacques Balmat.
  • France listed the track as a historic monument on 17 December 2024.

Today

Stone curves survive in the forest above Les Pèlerins and can be visited on guided tours.

See the place on OpenStreetMap
Stone remains of the 1924 Olympic bob run in the forest at Les Pèlerins, Chamonix.
Stone remains of the 1924 Olympic bob run in the forest at Les Pèlerins, Chamonix. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Moss-covered stone banking on a curve of the old run.
Moss-covered stone banking on a curve of the old run. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A dry-stone curve wall, still standing a century after the 1924 Games.
A dry-stone curve wall, still standing a century after the 1924 Games. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The old track bed leaving the forest at the edge of a meadow.
The old track bed leaving the forest at the edge of a meadow. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A straight stretch of the track bed between the trees.
A straight stretch of the track bed between the trees. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Raised banks on both sides of the old track bed.
Raised banks on both sides of the old track bed. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The track bed running straight through tall spruce.
The track bed running straight through tall spruce. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A banked curve, its outer wall now grown over with moss.
A banked curve, its outer wall now grown over with moss. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The track bed curving between low stone walls.
The track bed curving between low stone walls. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A path along the line of the run, past a mossy stone wall.
A path along the line of the run, past a mossy stone wall. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Mossy boulders of the old banking, with houses of Les Pèlerins beyond.
Mossy boulders of the old banking, with houses of Les Pèlerins beyond. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The line of the run reaching a clearing at the edge of the forest.
The line of the run reaching a clearing at the edge of the forest. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scattered stones of a collapsed curve wall.
Scattered stones of a collapsed curve wall. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A grassy stretch where the track bed is barely visible.
A grassy stretch where the track bed is barely visible. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A row of stones marking the edge of the old track.
A row of stones marking the edge of the old track. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A tumbled section of stone banking above a meadow.
A tumbled section of stone banking above a meadow. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Ferns growing in the old track bed.
Ferns growing in the old track bed. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Fallen timber across the line of the run.
Fallen timber across the line of the run. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The line of the run near the road through the valley.
The line of the run near the road through the valley. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A sunken stretch of the track bed between grassy banks.
A sunken stretch of the track bed between grassy banks. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A grassy section of the track bed in the forest.
A grassy section of the track bed in the forest. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Moss-covered stonework along the edge of a curve.
Moss-covered stonework along the edge of a curve. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A high dry-stone wall on the outside of a curve.
A high dry-stone wall on the outside of a curve. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A tall section of dry-stone curve wall.
A tall section of dry-stone curve wall. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Pale stones of the old track floor showing through the forest path.
Pale stones of the old track floor showing through the forest path. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The track bed winding down through the forest.
The track bed winding down through the forest. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A forest path following the line of the run.
A forest path following the line of the run. Photo: Rémih, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Racing history

Earliest and latest recorded race of each event at this level, from published results.

Olympic Games

Four-man bob 1924
Five-man bob 1924