Women lugers have bemoaned the shortened race on the Olympic track, describing the start as 'abnormal' and fit for a child.
"It's not a ladies' start, it's a kinder (child's) start," Germany's Natalie Geisenberger blasted after training.
"We trained the whole summer and we are strong and fast and now the fastest starters are slow. It's not good for us. It's not fun."
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Modifications were made to the track and events in both the men's and women's events shortened following the death in training of Georgia's Nodar Kumaritashvili.
The 21-year-old was killed on Friday after he lost control of his sled and was flung off the track before hitting a metal pillar at high speed.
"I'm not happy about the new start," continued Geisenberger, ranked second in World Cup rankings.
"I think it's good because of this terrible accident, but they had to do that one year earlier, but not when someone is dead. It's too late. They are afraid now."
Team-mate Tatjana Huefner, who was fastest down the track in the day's two training runs, even suggested that the athletes might require a different luge if starting from the juniors' start.
"It's the rule and I'll make the best of it," the World Cup leader and reigning Olympic singles bronze medallist said. "But you need another sled for this or you need to prepare the sled differently.
"It's not easy," she added of the lowered start. "You're still going at 130 kilometres per hour. That's difficult. The most difficult thing now is the start curve.
"For good starters, and I am a good starter, it's not so good.
We can start fast but the first corner makes us be slow again."
American Julia Clukey agreed with her German rivals that "it's really taken the start aspect out of the competition".
"It doesn't favour people with strong starts, and I'm one of the strongest starters in the world. So we've definitely lost that advantage."
On the first curve, Clukey added: "It's make or break. If you don't get through that curve clean, you don't really have a chance after that.
"It's an abnormal start. Normally, you start straight, then settle in and drive. Now you're starting, then getting immediately into your drive.
"You do as many as seven paddles on some tracks. Now, you have to do two or three, then immediately turn the sled."
But Clukey, fifth in last year's luge worlds, added that she believed that the International Luge Federation had acted correctly after the accident involving Kumaritashvili, whose death overshadowed the Games' opening ceremony.
"I have full faith in (local organisers) VANOC and our federation, and we're going to do what they need us to do."
US team-mate Erin Hamlin, the reigning world singles champion, added: "Something had to be done. It couldn't be ignored. There weren't very many options. You can't change the track in 24 hours."
