Bobsledding doesn’t have a single universal “start date,” but there are two useful ways to answer this: the general season and the upcoming Olympics schedule.

Quick Scoop

  • In most years, the bobsled season starts in late October or November , once temperatures are cold enough for tracks to maintain ice efficiently.
  • The international World Cup circuit typically runs from November through late February or early March , moving between different tracks (similar to how Formula 1 moves between circuits).
  • For the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina , bobsled at the Games is scheduled to start with official training runs on Thursday, February 12, 2026, at 6:50 a.m. ET.
  • The first medal event at those Games is slated to be women’s monobob on Monday, February 16, 2026.

General Season Timing

When people ask “when does bobsledding start,” they often mean when the competitive season gets underway. In practice:

  • Tracks open once it’s cold enough that making and maintaining ice is cost‑effective, which is usually late October.
  • The broader bobsled season then runs into early March , covering World Cup races and other continental circuits like the North American and European Cups.

A simple way to remember it: bobsledding is basically a late‑fall to late‑winter sport in the Northern Hemisphere.

2026 Winter Olympics Schedule Snapshot

If you specifically meant the 2026 Winter Olympics bobsled schedule:

  • Start of Olympic bobsled activity:
    • Official training runs begin Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, at 6:50 a.m. ET for 2‑man and women’s monobob at the Cortina Sliding Centre in Cortina d’Ampezzo.
  • Start of medal competition:
    • The first medal to be awarded in bobsled is planned for Monday, Feb. 16, 2026 (women’s monobob).

So if you’re planning to watch, mark Feb. 12 as the first real on‑ice action, and Feb. 16 as when the racing gets serious with medals on the line.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.