Millionaires at Play

Enjoy the chilly thrills and spills of a bobsleigh ride in an exclusive New York suburb.

Ten years before the first Winter Olympic Games, British newsreel crews crossed the pond to discover the latest million-dollar sports craze: bobsleighing. A cleverly positioned camera allows us to enjoy the thrill of the ride, as the sleighs hurtle towards us, showering ice. Upper-class sporting pursuits like this were a newsreel favourite, granting the cinemagoing masses a taste of the highlife.

Bobsleighing came from Switzerland in the late 19th century - a cunning ruse to encourage wealthy English tourists to holiday during the winter season. In 1914 the sport was still in its infancy, the preserve of rich socialites who gathered at snowy resorts. Huntingdon, the Long Island village where this film was shot, held winter carnivals regularly between 1907 and 1920.