competition have their starthouse located farther down the track. Artificial track luge is the fastest and most agile sledding sport. Natural track luge Natural tracks are adapted from existing mountain roads and paths. Artificially banked curves are not permitted. The track's surface should be horizontal. They are naturally iced. Tracks can get rough from the braking and steering action. Athletes use a steering rein, put out their hands and use their legs in order to drive around the tight corners. Braking is often required in front of curves and is accomplished by the use of spikes built on the bottom of the shoes. Tracks have a slope of not more than 15%. Most of the tracks are situated in Austria and Italy, with others in Germany, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, Croatia, Liechtenstein, France, Turkey, Sweden, Norway, Romania, Slovakia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States. The Upper Peninsula Luge Club in Negaunee, Michigan, is the only natural luge track in the United States. The over 800 meter (half-mile) track features 10 full corners along its vertical drop. Canada has tracks in Camrose, Hinton Luge, Alberta, Calgary and Ontario Luge Club. The track in Naseby, New Zealand is the only one in the southern hemisphere. The track is 360 meters long, and is open to the public through winter. World championships have been held since 1979 while European championships have been held since 1970. In season 2015/16 FIL started with the Junior Worldcup. Events There are five luge disciplines. Men's singles Men’s doubles Women's singles Women’s doubles (debuts in 2026) Team relay These are further broken into several age classes - multiple youth and junior classes that cover the range of age 7–20, and general class (ages 21 and older). Older competitors may enjoy the sport in masters (age 30–50), and senior masters (age 51+) classes. In a team relay competition, one man, one woman, and a doubles pair form a team. A touchpad at the bottom of the run is touched by a competitor signaling a teammate at the top of the run to start. Rules and procedures for races are very precise: A drawing is held to determine start order for the race. Athletes are assigned a number which is displayed on a bib. For most races, all categories race 2 runs. During the Olympic Games the Men's and Women's singles races are held over 4 runs. Conversely, Men's