It's not the 90-mile-per-hour luge (artificial track) you see in the Winter Olympics, but Alpine Luge (natural track) is on the rise and located right in Wisconsin's backyard."It's definitely unlike any sport I've ever done," sa id McKenna Wnuk, a U.S. Alpine Luge Team member.The Upper Peninsula Luge Club, located in Negaunee, Mich., is the only natural luge track in the Americas.Instead of using a refrigerated, artificial ice track, alpine luge tracks are completely natural and only made possible by natural terrain. For the Upper Peninsula Luge Club, its track lies in the Marquette Iron Range. "It is a really technical hill. It's great for training," said Elise Palecek, a U.S. Alpine Luge Team member and Oshkosh native."In my opinion, one of the Top 5 most difficult out of the tracks I've experienced," Wnuk added.In fact, this half-mile course named Lucy Hill is considered one of the toughest in the world. Since it is the only natural track located in North America, the Upper Peninsula is home to the U.S. Alpine Luge Team.Watch: Testing the Torch: America's only alpine luge track is located right in Wisconsin's backyard America's only alpine luge track is located right in Wisconsin's backyardWhile alpine luge isn't an Olympic sport at the moment, it could be in the very near future."I never thought that I could possibly be working towards being in the Olympics, but if it comes to be that that's a path that I can take, I'd love to keep working toward it," Palecek smiled.However, this hill isn't just for the pros. This track is open to the public, and people with no experience can come here and try it out."The public portion of the track is the very bottom portion," said Rich Matthews, Upper Peninsula Luge Club vice president. We have had kids quite young three, four and on up in age. We've also had people even up in their 80s out here at the track.""You can experience what these athletes experience only at a much lesser speed but you can experience it," said Keith Whitman, U.S. Alpine Luge head coach. I decided to give it a shot, but not without a quick lesson first, including what to do if you find yourself heading straight for a wall. Little did I know I would end up needing that advice.The speeds on this natural track are slower than artificial Olympic tracks, reaching around 50 miles per hour compared to 90 miles per hour on refrigerated courses. The location has been operating since the early 1990s and has hosted World Cup races.Whitman, 74, has been involved in alpine luge since the 1970s and serves as the lone alpine representative on the five-person U.S. Olympic Luge Selection Committee. He played a role in selecting Brookfield's Marcus Mueller and his partner Ansel Haugsjaa for the 2026 Winter Olympics in men's doubles luge. 20-year-old Brookfield luger Marcus Mueller earns first Olympic berthThey earned that spot," Whitman stated. "They weren't given a thing. They worked. They dedicated themselves. They spent their time. They've earned that.Wnuk has been sliding for two years after discovering the sport by chance at a public sliding event. She now competes in World Cups in Austria and Italy while attending Northern Michigan University.Palecek, who followed her brother into luge three years ago, is a junior at the University of Minnesota who takes the train home to Oshkosh and drives up for weekends to train.For information on public luge events, click here.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error ...read more read less