"My father died when I was two, before I knew him, and that led to all this. I suppose I got to a certain age and I wondered what he was about, what made him tick and one of the things he enjoyed was throwing himself down the cresta run. So I went to St Moritz and decided to get up to what he got up to. Then there was the skeleton as a natural progression. But when you've done it once you go through stages. You're curious to start with, then it becomes a bit of an interest.

There's a fascination, then a passion and all of a sudden it's an obsession. I've gone beyond that last stage now."

For a man involved with skeleton, his mind is as level as snow. The track to Salt Lake City four years ago involved a few runs, a chance meeting with a Canadian with an Irish passport, a World Cup circuit and that was it. Suddenly an Olympics. Suddenly he's looking back alone. "I owe my father a hell of a lot, for being here, but also giving me the inspiration to go out and do the thing in the first place. But you are very much by yourself after that. You quickly realise you haven't got a guiding hand helping you through, so you're very much there doing it for your own sake. Also, I've now got a kid and one on the way, and you're also doing it in terms of building a legacy for them. It does fill me with a lot of pride knowing I've been able to follow him to a certain extent and hopefully exceed even what his expectations would have been of me as a young kid, as my father."

His memories of the day are far from vivid. He remembers planning things meticulously, but that could probably apply to making his breakfast. There's the finish too.

Third. Gregor Staehli, Switzerland, 1:42.15.

Fourth. Clifton Wrottesley, Ireland, 1:42.57.

Disappointment? "For about a split second. Then I thought I've done way better than anyone thought I'd do.

And to have been in that position is a privilege. To know that you were within a whisker of a medal. To me it doesn't matter that I didn't do it because I didn't do it for the glory, I wanted to do it for the fun and prove myself against other people. To prove to the people that if you put in the time and do something properly, you can do what you want to do. So no, I have absolutely no regrets. I've achieved enough in the rest of my life to feel satisfied in that respect."

After Salt Lake City the sled got a rest, through no decision of his own. It was made very clear that the funding wasn't there to keep Wrottesley at the top and lords aren't financially what they once were. He's back hanging round the ice now, sledless, in Turin as Chef de Mission of the Irish team. He reckons he'll miss the excitement of participating, but behind the scenes he's hoping the likes of Steve Martin, the new chief executive of the Irish Olympic Council, will make sure others don't suffer the torture he will over the coming weeks.

"I will miss competing. But as long as I can see I've been here and I'm helping someone achieve their dream, well that's enough satisfaction as far as I'm concerned. And we want to get at least two Olympics out of these athletes.

From my point of view I have far better things to do than try and help someone to the games for a one-off experience. And talk to the athletes.

It's not the case of a novelty factor as maybe it was 15 or 20 years ago. They won't want to attend as a tourist and they put their heart and soul into this. They sweat blood and guts."

Propelling others towards his winter highs? He's back with his toboggan wondering what brought his father here.

It's all in front of him again.

TEAM IRELAND Kirsty McGarryWomen's Downhill, 15 February; Women's Super G, 19 February; Women's Giant Slalom, 22 February Rory Morrish Cross Country Skiing 15km, 17 February David Connolly Skeleton, 17 February, 5.30 pm Thos Foley Men's Super G, 18 February, 11.00; Men's Giant Slalom, 20 February