1 Start Group sleds start from the sheds, but students in the new class will take off from the "Junior Start." From here, says teacher and World Cup slider Stephan Bosch, "even if you make a mistake, it's hard to crash." Drivers control the sled by pulling on a pair of rings tethered by ropes to a steering mechanism.

2 The Labyrinth Students reach 40 mph through these turns, experience up to four G's, and begin to steer. "You feel pressure in your body, most likely in your butt," says Bosch. When the pressure's greatest, "that's when you have to steer."

3 Olympic Curve Don't pull a Prince Albert (Monaco's highness crashed here during the Olympics). "You don't want your sled to rise up," says Bosch. "Stick to the middle of the track."

4 Final Turn Aim low. "If the sled slides up the side of the tube," Bosch says, "you'll lose time."

5 Finish After the initial 50-to-55-second, 3,121-foot run, students go twice more. "The only way you can tell if you're good is by driving down the track," says Bosch. "Some people have it and some don't."