Feb 13: Games On, but sorrow for Georgia

Yesterday was the final training day prior to the opening of the games and I was on the women's downhill course when I learned of the tragic death of Nodar Kumaritashvili at the sliding centre.  I was in disbelief that this could happen.  I know very little about the sport of luge, but I had thought that the tracks and associated safety measures were designed to effectively prevent such terrible crashes.  I hope that the sport officials are correct in their assessment that the track is safe and that this sort of crash won't be repeated.

I was very glad that this young man was remembered at the opening ceremonies and to me, it appeared that John Furlong was deeply upset.  I hope Kumaritashvili's Georgian teammates will be able to carry on and have success at the games in his honour. 

I had a day off today, given the postponement of the men's downhill and the women's training runs, so I went skiing with one of my roommates.  Lou had never skied Whistler or Blackcomb before, so I did my best to show him around.  We skied the Whistler Peak area for a few hours, then had lunch in the Roundhouse before catching a ride to Blackcomb on the Peak-to-Peak cable car.  That ride is impressive!   The cars have comfortable seating, but the ride is so smooth,  I think you could stand and drink a cup of tea during 11 minute journey.  We then skied the 7th Heaven area of Blackcomb for a while, before skiing out to Whistler Village.  Conditions ranged from knee-deep powder at the summits to knee-deep slush at the Village level.

Whistler is really buzzing now that the Games have started.  Up on the mountains, it seemed like an ordinary day on the runs, except for the course closures in Whistler Creekside.  But down in the Village, the streets were packed with people from all over the world. Athletes, coaches, spectators, media.  TV and still cameras every 30 metres or so along the Village Stroll.  We made our way through the throngs in our ski boots, with skis on our shoulders, and caught the bus back to Creekside.

I don't think any training or races are scheduled for Sunday, given the poor weather forecast.  I'm encouraged by the latest forecast - hopefully, over the next week, we can get some clear nights to firm up the courses and some good visibility in the daytime so we can get caught up!