Sochi (pps) The reactions of the international luge elite after their first rendezvous were quite enthusiastic. “From my point of view the track can be negotiated by all athletes because not every mistake is punished right away,” explained Germany’s Olympic Champion Felix Loch after the International Training Week in November 2012. The two-time Olympic and record World Champion Armin Zoeggeler of Italy said: “The track in Sochi combines the different traits of tracks such as Cesana, Nagano and Whistler. This is why it’s unique.” The artificially refrigerated track at the “Sliding Center Sanki” runs through the northern slope of the Aibga Ridge, which is protected against direct sunlight, in the village of Krasnaya Polyana. The upward sections of the track help to put the brakes on the competitors’ speed. Additionally the athletes’ security is ensured by a generous radius of turns. “The entrances as well as the curves are long so that you need to really control the sled,” describes Latvian Andris Sics of the demanding ice labyrinth. Together with his brother Juris he claimed the Olympic silver medal in the doubles at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. The total length of the track is 1,814 meters, 314 meters of which is the breaking zone. The artificially refrigerated track reflects, to the greatest possible extent, the existing relief in the existing topography of the locality. “I like the track very much. It is a fine but difficult track,” disclosed Olympic and four-time World Champion Tatjana Huefner of Germany.