How to watch luge at the Winter Olympics: A guide to understanding and appreciating the sport
What time is luge on at the Olympics? Plus all the rules, streaming information, listings, and more you need.
Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I enjoy bobsledding, but is there any way we can make it seem way more reckless and terrifying”? Brothers and sisters, it’s time to welcome luge into your life. Luge asks world-class athletes to lie on their backs on a sled and careen down the bobsled course, legs hanging out front, with no brakes. Sounds fun, right?
There are four Luge events in the Winter Olympics: men’s and women’s singles, doubles, and a mixed team relay. This was a European thing long before it was an Olympic thing, and it was one of the sports East Germans particularly dominated through the years. (Germans won every gold in 2014, too.)
That said, Erin Hamlin became the first American female to medal four years ago, grabbing the individual bronze in Sochi. The 31-year old is back in 2018 for her fourth Olympic go-round.
What time and how can I watch?
At Pyeongchang, luge events will run from Feb. 10-15 -- men’s singles on Feb. 10 and 11, women’s on Feb. 12 and 13, doubles on Feb. 14, and the relay on Feb. 15. As with everything else, luge events will be streamed at NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app. You can also live stream NBC, NBCSN, and the Olympic Channel coverage via Fubo.TV on your computer or mobile devices.
Why should I quit my job and become a lifelong devotee of luge?
Fun fact: it’s impossible to breathe watching a luge event. Even when the athlete is in complete control of his or her surroundings, it looks like things are about to go awry at any moment. It is the ultimate adrenaline event.
Even with a solid understanding of the laws of gravity, this sport doesn’t really make sense to the eye. At top speed, a luge will end up going over 80 miles per hour -- again, without brakes -- and you basically steer it with your calves and shoulders. This is not logical.
The relay event is particularly fascinating. There’s a men’s sled, a women’s sled, and a doubles sled. There is no baton, unfortunately, but when one person finishes the course, they hit a touchpad that opens up the starting gate for the next person. Terrifying speeds, technology, and gender balance? What could be better?
What are the rules of luge? Follow up: What is the weirdest rule of luge?
The rules are pretty minimal: When given the “track is clear” notification, an athlete has 30 seconds to take a deep breath and hurtle themselves down the course. In the singles event, the athlete takes four runs, and the winner is the one with the fastest combined time. There are two runs through the course in doubles, and the mixed relay is a single kamikaze charge.
The weirdest/best rule: if you don’t weigh enough to achieve a properly mortifying top speed, you can add up to 28 kilograms of ballast.
Whose jersey should I buy?
If you’re partial to the stars and stripes, start with Hamlin. She not only medaled in Sochi but also added three medals to her résumé at last year’s world championships -- she won gold in the women’s sprint and silver in women’s singles, and she took part in a silver-medal relay team. Summer Britcher is another women’s name to watch, as she just took down Olympic favorites at a tune-up race.
On the men’s side, Chris Mazdzer is taking part in his third Olympic games, and the doubles team of Matt Mortensen and Jayson Terdiman ranked third on last year’s world cup tour.
Not attached merely to American names? German Felix Loch is the top name in the sport, having won gold in both 2010 and 2014, but Austrian Wolfgang Kindl took double gold at the 2017 world championships. On the women’s side, 34-year-old Tatjana Hüfner is battling injury but could still become a four-time Olympic medalist (bronze in 2006, gold in 2010, silver in 2014), and 2014 gold medalist Natalie Geisenberger is a favorite to repeat.
What can I talk about to impress the luge enthusiast in my life?
Just say, “Loch and Kindl are fine, but I’m more of an Armin Zöggeler guy/gal.”
What is the sport’s AMERICA RATING?
Granted, we’re more of a street luge country, but luge gets a solid 3 out of 5 on the eagles scale at this point. Increased investment in analytics and technology has led to significant American gains on the luge track. There’s at least a chance that those investments pay off on the medal stand in South Korea.