After an eight-year hiatus, Matt Lauer and Al Roker have returned to the luge.
[tweet https://twitter.com/TODAYshow/status/434281101520285696 align=’center’]
The “TODAY” show hosts first attempted the event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino and are now going for Round 2 in Sochi. Dressed in patriotic, skintight attire, the duo was ready to take to the icy chute, but not before receiving advice from two members of the U.S. men’s doubles team, Matt Mortensen and Preston Griffall.
After a very involved discussion, it was decided Matt Lauer would ride on top after Al Roker took that position in their last attempt. After some practicing and laughs, Griffall left them with words of encouragement, saying, “I think you can only get better from last time, because it might be impossible to get worse.”
The makeshift luge team successfully completed its first attempt but then experienced the danger of the Winter Games event when pushing luck with a second run. The pair crashed into the walls of the course on the second attempt, sending Mortensen hurdling over the barriers to stop the sled.
Lauer and Roker celebrated the Olympic bonding experience with a hug.
Check out the epic experience, from the plan to the crash, in the video below.
Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@TODAYshow
