Poll: Which PyeongChang 2018 event is the most frightening?
Among the countless attributes required to compete in the Winter Olympics, fearlessness ranks at the very top of the laundry list. Breakneck speeds, stomach-turning heights, and inherent dangers are core elements of many events on display at PyeongChang 2018.
But which competition is the absolute scariest? Let's examine the contenders.
Honorable mentions: Moguls, Alpine skiing
Ski jumping
The rundown: Athletes go flying down an enormous ramp at speeds around 60 miles per hour (nearly 100km/h) before taking off and soaring about the length of a football field through the air. If that doesn't scare the living daylight out of you, this view from the top of your average ski jump ramp should rectify that situation:
(Photo courtesy: Reddit)
Fear factor: 10/10
Luge
The rundown: Speed like this can be scary as hell. Lugers race down an icy, winding labyrinth at roughly 85 mph (just over 136km/h), knowing the slightest mistake could fling them from their tiny sled.
Fear factor: 9/10
Skeleton
The rundown: Skeleton is (slightly) slower than its sliding peer mentioned above, but the key distinction - going headfirst down those same terrifying tracks - makes this bonkers sport a truly hair-raising endeavor.
Fear factor: 10/10
Big air snowboarding
The rundown: The name of this event tells you everything you need to know. In PyeongChang, snowboarders start their runs atop a monstrous 49-meter ramp - the largest big air ramp in the world - before trying to pull off a collection of spins and flips in midair.
Fear factor: 9/10
Slopestyle (snowboarding and skiing)
The rundown: Starting atop a gigantic hill, athletes combine tricks on rails with three massive jumps to rack up as many points as possible. Why have just one frightening jump when you can have three, right?
Fear factor: 8/10
Freestyle skiing (aerials)
The rundown: Think big air, but on skis. You have to be fearless to fling yourself through the sky like that, knowing that anything but a perfect landing will almost certainly result in serious injury.
Fear factor: 9/10
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)