What could be finer on a splendid Arctic day than a quick, bracing run out to catch the fresh air?

The only problem is you will racing at high speed, inches off the ice, and pulling several G.

On the famous ice tracks of Lillehammer in Norway, sailors and Royal Marines are rekindling interest in the most exhilarating of winter sports – the bobsleigh, skeleton and luge.

After a few years of apathy, fresh blood is leading to a surge of new thrill-seekers aiming to knock the RAF and Army off the (ice) block.

The squad is still tiny by RN standards – a little more than a dozen bobsleighers, half a dozen ‘skeletons’ and a couple of sailors who practise the luge.

The ice sportsmen and women are not helped by the fact that the RAF and Army have slightly better kit – not least because interest in the events has been hit and miss in recent years.

But then there’s no keeping down quality.

In Mne Lee Johnston the bobsleighers have a Great Britain driver – and the sole winter sportsman in the Senior Service who is in an Olympic squad.

At the Inter-Services he and his sibling Capt Karl Johnston became the first brothers to compete and win the individual title; fellow Royals Mne Martin Wright and L/Cpl Steve Stacey scored the fastest start.

Team bosses hope the Inter-Services contest at Lillehammer was a turning point for the three sports.

“We are drawing closer to the other two Services. This was the inaugural contest and we acquitted ourselves well in coming away with two or three major prizes,” said CPO Mark Harrold, bobsleigh team assistant manager.

CPO Chris Tuckett, who came 15th out of 16 in the National Luge Championships, thought he’d be a natural at lying on his back at high speeds.

While the Army and RAF entrants had notched up hundreds of runs – or slides – down the track, the RN’s entrants could muster no more than 20 between them ahead of the Inter-Services.

“My first experience of seeing the luge was on TV during the Olympics. I thought that it would be an interesting experience,” said Chris, who is based at Faslane.

“The speed rush and adrenaline hit is intense.”

Skeleton performances are also trailing behind the other two Forces, but for team manager PO (D) Sid Lawrence the important thing is that the RN is at least challenging the Army and RAF.

He’s certainly keeping his chin up - but not much, as skeleton riders hurtle down the track, or ice chute, at speeds of up to 80mph with their face as close as three inches to the surface of the track.

“ Our team is starting to grow, and there is a good spirit,” he said.

“Skeleton bobsleigh is now an Olympic event, and the sport has a high profile.

“A number of the Great Britain team is often selected from Servicemen and women, so I think it is vital to use occasions such as this year’s first Combined Service event as an opportunity to gain places for RN personnel in that team.”

Anyone interested in bolstering the squad’s numbers – there’s an ‘ice camp’ training session planned for Lillehammer in late October – should contact CPO(PT) Mark Harrold at HMS Temeraire on (mil) 9380 22590.

The skeleton – or toboggan as it was originally called – is a small, very low sled which the driver rides head first. It was invented by the Swiss at St Moritz in the late 19th century, and the driver steers the sled by shifting his or her weight or dragging his or her feet.

The luge is a more recent addition to the winter sports scene. The driver lies face up and hurtles feet-first down the track, or ice chute, steering the sled by shifting weight, moving straps attached to the runners or by using his or her feet.

Luge has been practised since the early 20th century but has only been an Olympic sport for the past four decades.