WASHINGTON — The Olympics can be a stressful affair for the athletes involved. Most have trained the better parts of their lives, possibly for one single shot at glory on the world’s biggest stage. So it’s nice to see that some of them are finding time to have fun at the 2018 Winter Games in PyeongChang.
Specifically, we’re talking about the Swiss Free Ski Team.
Yes, that’s two Olympians bobsledding a pallet jack down some sort of … I don’t know, parking lot?
That’s good push, solid form, and surprisingly effective steering of a hydraulic storage tool. But that’s not the only thing in South Korea that the Swiss are turning into a ride.
A low-key aspect that puts of both of these videos over the top is the innocent bystanders’ reactions. The group in the jack-sledding video seem entirely non-plussed, while the guy passing on the descending escalator does the full, dramatic wait-what-is-happening-here head turn upon seeing nothing but an arm and a beanie on the far side of the glass.
Now, remember that while these may look simple, and definitely fun, that they probably aren’t the smartest idea.
It’s a minor miracle that barreling down a ramp on an oversized Battlebot didn’t result in some kind of serious injury, and that second little stunt requires a good amount of upper body strength. That’s a world-class athlete riding the, uh, handrail up that escalator.
So, you know, don’t try this at the mall. Or IKEA.
