Sitting in the back of a bobsled with your head tucked between your knees hurtling down an icy run at speeds of up to 140kmh is no joy ride, according to PhD student Angus Ross.
He should know.
Mr Ross returned last month from Nagano in Japan where he competed in the Winter Olympics as a member of New Zealand's two-man bobsleigh team.
While disappointed in an overall placing of 28 from the field of 42, the 29-year-old describes the two weeks as 'the best in my life'.
A former decathlete, Mr Ross started his bobsleigh career after a letter from a New Zealand expatriate and friend living in Calgary in 1994.
'I went over there and along with half a dozen other guys we did some physical testing. I did reasonably well so I pushed for him that year until he suffered an injury and pulled the pin,' he said.
'Another pilot, Alan Henderson, gave me a call the next season and we have been together ever since.'
Mr Ross said while the ride was rougher and more physical than most people realised, the start of a run provided the adrenalin rush.
'You're looking down that icy hill and running as fast as you can and that's the buzz for me.'
With the high speeds and the limited manoeuvrability from inside the sled, crashes are an almost-expected part of the sport.
'It's pretty scary when it happens because all of a sudden you're on your head and while the pilot can get under the nose the brakeman is a lot more exposed,' he said.
'But people react in different ways. The first time I crashed was in a four-man bob and I just got out and was buzzing and basically wanted to do it again. Another guy wouldn't get back in for days because he was so freaked out. It really depends on your attitude.'
Attitude to the sport also varies with Mr Ross agreeing many see it as a strange event for a New Zealander.
'It's the same as in Australia. It's poorly funded, poorly recognised. And then you get the people who say you haven't done well and you know if they gave you the backing then New Zealand and Australia could be bringing home real results from the Winter Olympics,' he said.
'But at the end of the day we are the ones competing there and it is all worthwhile whether there are medals or not.
'The feeling in Nagano was just awesome. Everybody has put in years to get there and although I was originally a little cynical about the camaraderie that everyone talks about, it really is there and I have been smiling ever since I got back.'
Whether or not Mr Ross makes the trip in 2002 for his second Olympics 'depends on a couple of things' including completing his research on exercise physiology.
Once completed he hopes to work with athletes in one the many sporting institutes in Australia and around the world.
'In the long term I see myself in New Zealand but you have to be where the work is and at the moment that's Australia.'
For information contact Mr Ross (telephone (07) 3365 6983).
