You're sliding on your stomach at speeds approaching 100 km/h down a claustrophobic white tube, the force of gravity grinding your helmet-clad chin into the ice as thunder roars, then come to a stop by repeatedly slamming yourself headfirst into two icy walls.

And you can't wait to do it again.

That's pretty much the story of public skeleton at the Whistler Sliding Centre. A legacy of the 2010 Winter Games, the track was opened this week to those whose day is not complete without 30 seconds or so of heart-thumping terror before dinner.

For a mere $130 (plus HST, of course) every Wednesday through Sunday until March 20, Olympic wannabes can hurl themselves one-third the way down the fastest sliding track in the world. Not once, but twice.

Sorry, why questions are not allowed.

It all starts with a cheery introduction at the centre perched above the Blackcomb base.

You need a reservation to slide (email wscguestservices@whistlersportlegacies.com) from 2:30 p.m. and you stumble away at about 6 p.m. If you're late, you're not sliding.

Friendly and passionate staff members begin a classroom education on the sport of skeleton, and it's easy to find yourself drawn in. Things turn a little more sinister, however, when it's time for the "waiver-signing ceremony." Must have been a gold medal for lawyerspeak on that one.

Helmet fitting follows (was that a butterfly fluttering through my stomach?)

Now we're lying on the floor in the saddle of a skeleton. Keep your elbows tightly into grip position -wouldn't want to clip the wall with them on the ice wall at 90 km/hr., would we?

"The sled is our friend, the sled is our friend." Whatever you do, do not let go of this uncomfortable perch.

Doing nothing is the best course -keep your shoulders on the board and for heaven's sake, don't try to steer. Be a sack of potatoes, please.

If you should -now, this hardly ever happens -but if you should happen to start sliding backwards at the end of the run (which is, of course, uphill), do not stick your legs out to stop yourself. Serious damage there people. Simply enjoy the extra ride and the track staff will quickly come to pull you out.

At this point, one of our group gets up shaking and in tears -she just can't go on. Now, this does to appear to happen from time to time. The queasy rider is told no one will ever be forced to follow through, but to please stay with the group in case you change your mind.

She doesn't. The washroom is the final stop. You see, the g forces you're about to encounter affect every internal organ and, well, accidents can happen.

After the bladder's voided, it's up the hill and down the chute. Lie down like a good little skeletoner. Trackside announcer blurts your name, you lie and say you're ready and .... welcome to white hell.

Your vision extends less than foot in front of you ... an icy white haze. It's loud, getting louder as you pick up speed. Geez, I just grazed the wall ... no, no, don't try to correct it, you'll only make it worse.

Ugh, gravity. Pushing my face into the ice. Oh, that's an ugly sound.

Now this just feels too fast .... must be the ominous Thunderbird corner at the end of the course.

Time after time during training, you've been told never to look up; that if you do on the out run you'll start to Ping-Pong (nice way of saying being slammed from wall to wall until you shudder to a stop.)

Not going to look up, not going to look up. Oh, there's the wall .... ouch that hurt the noggin .... look, I'm headed for the opposite wall. Well, that wasn't quite as bad. Oh good, it's stopped. Hey, could I be sliding backwards now?

The track crew ends the humiliation, and it's back up the hill -pumped this time, and determined to do better.

Yep, 94.6 km/h -an improvement of 3 km/h. Track record -by the four-man Latvian bobsled team -is 153 km/h, but they got to start higher up. For the record, women generally do better as first timers on the track. "They listen to instruction better," boasts one female official.

Fear gives way to excitement; no wonder they give you two runs. Mantra from the staff is as follows:

"Fright, then delight, then 'hold on tight', then 'it just went white', then 'I'm all right.' "

Participants are a little excitable at the end of the session, but don't anyone try to pull a Jon Montgomery on Whistler.

The Canadian gold medallist from Russell, Man., was famously handed a jug of beer and swigged from it on his way through the village after his victory.

Whistler mayor Ken Melamed is no spoil sport, but he points out that the province's liquor laws prohibit a repeat. In fact, the RCMP issued a fake ticket to Montgomery during a recent return visit.

Melamed: "I guess if you win a gold medal, you can do what you want; but for the rest of us ."

If all this seems a little too intense, there are other options. The sliding centre plans to offer rides on a fourman bobsled with a professional driver next year. More comfortable as passenger in a vehicle?

Alternatively, you can drive down to another facility run by the notfor-profit Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies -Whistler Olympic Park in the beautiful Callaghan Valley, 30 minutes south.

The fascinating sport of biathlon is on offer here, or parts of it. You can push your body to the limit on the park's scenic and challenging network of Nordic ski trails -or not.

If you'd rather just get the thrill of target shooting where the Olympians did it, the Experience Biathlon program's for you. For $15, you get to pull the trigger, and you can do that year round.

Both these venues are pulling in new devotees to their respective sports, and any future profits are pledged toward athlete development.

So, go scare yourself; it's all for a good cause.

IF YOU GO

Whistler's now a two-hour ride from YVR, thanks to the new Sea to Sky Highway.

Accommodations range from the spiffy new hostel (former athletes village) at about $35, to swanky $7,000-a-night jobs. Hey, you only live once, right?

The skeleton track can now handle 20 sliders per day through March 20 (it's busy with the real McCoys the rest of the time, and is closed for the Canadian Youth Championships next week.) (wscguestservices@whistlersportlegacies.com) Sliders have to be 16 years or older (proof of age is required at checkin). A parent/legal guardian must be present if slider is younger than 19. You must sign a waiver before participating and must weigh between 90 and 220 lb. Be between 4'6" and 6'6" in height and be able to securely grasp the sled handles. Lots of other conditions apply, check http://www.whistlerslidingcentre.com/Portals/1/Skeleton%20Sport%20Experience%20-%20Important%20Program%20Information.pdf

- Experience Biathlon participants must be 10 or older. The program lasts 15 minutes, costs $15 and can be incorporated into the many other activities the Whistler Olympic Park offers. See http://www.whistlerolym-picpark.com/activities/SingleSession-Lessons/tabid/225/language/en-CA/default.aspx