Going downhill fast

Why is the Cresta Run only open to men? Perhaps because few women would be insane enough to want to charge head first down an ice chute on a glorified tea tray at speeds of up to 87mph, says Ian Cowie in the Sunday Telegraph. The run, which was created in 1885, is privately owned by the St Moritz Tobogganing Club. It is open to outsiders, but "virgins" must first attend what is reassuringly known as the "Death Talk", where they are shown a montage of X-rays of broken bones and reminded that four riders have died in the run's history. Gazing down at the run from the start (Top Hut), these warnings seem salutary: the gradient reaches one in nine, and once you've started, there's no way of stopping, unless you crash out. But to withdraw at this stage would be ignominious, so most riders do take the plunge, and hurtle down the ice, steering and braking with their own bodies, winded by lumps and bumps, before reaching the finish - bruised but euphoric - less than 60 seconds later (ideally). Afterwards, riders meet up in the Kulm Hotel, where, if so inclined, they can swing across the bar from rings attached to the ceiling. Beginners can book five runs for about £300. ·