“After looking at the crash footage, that “minimize required vegetation clearing and to reduce facility footprint” really jumps out at you, doesn’t it?”
No.
BTW, do the heads-first skeleton athletes use the same track?
And why the name skeleton? Morbid humor?
Yes, they use the same track. As to the name, I suppose it seems more "technical" than just calling it a "sled".
("Flexible Flyer" is probably covered by trademark issues....)