The Official CC Winter Olympics Thread....

[Speicher]

Yesterday one of the women competitors in the cross country skiing, had an accident in the warm up, (sliding out of control on a fast bend) and fell either nine feet or four metres down a bank of snow into a tree. The organisers then put up some safety netting to prevent it happening again. One of the comments was, and unfortunately I forget who said it, that "how could they have known it would freeze and be so dangerous?"

It is me, being practical and sensible, but at the venue of a Winter Olympics, so you not risk having freezing conditions?

 

[Andy in Sig]

OTH you might think that a world class expert wouldn't go sliding away at around zero miles an hour. Sometimes people make mistakes and I think that these days we have come to an unrealistic expectation that everything must be 100% guaranteed safe all the time.

Talking about mistakes, I couldn't help but laughing a lot at that poor girl who fell over about fifty feet away from the starting gate at the ladies downhill. I really, really tried not to but it was so funny.

 

[Speicher]

I did not see how she fell, but was aware that they tried to blame the fact that it was freezing.

 

[Andy in Sig]

Basically she came round the corner, seemed to slide a bit much, dug an edge in the wrong way and over she went. The sort of thing that could happen to anybody, irrespective of ability. The odd thing was that she was in the middle of a group, the other members of which negotiated the corner quite happily. It was rotten luck and even more rotten luck that there was a tree below the corner.

 

[Speicher]

I have tried cross country skiing, but found the uphill sections very hard work. I very quickly got very hot, but stopping to adjust any item meant immediately getting very cold. I would like to find a hotel with a Langlauf or two on the door step, as it were, and have another go with some proper tuition. Then I could just warm up very quickly but not carry spare kit. In the end on that holiday, I ended up winter walking, which meant getting to the Mountain huts much more quickly. That was in Pertisau in Austria.

 

[trustysteed]

Talking about mistakes, I couldn't help but laughing a lot at that poor girl who fell over about fifty feet away from the starting gate at the ladies downhill. I really, really tried not to but it was so funny.

you weren't alone. you train four years for the olympics and then 5 secs after the start....

 

[Speicher]

What about Lindsey Jacobellis? So determined to put right her premature celebration in Turin four years ago, now she has to wait another four years. I temporarily suspend being a friedly and sympathetic person.

 

[trustysteed]

just googled Jacobellis, oh dear.

 

[Andy in Sig]

I have tried cross country skiing, but found the uphill sections very hard work. I very quickly got very hot, but stopping to adjust any item meant immediately getting very cold. I would like to find a hotel with a Langlauf or two on the door step, as it were, and have another go with some proper tuition. Then I could just warm up very quickly but not carry spare kit. In the end on that holiday, I ended up winter walking, which meant getting to the Mountain huts much more quickly. That was in Pertisau in Austria.

There is a way around that which we were taught in arctic warfare training in the army. You do your skiing bit basically wearing a T-shirt and a shell and that's fine at even about -15 deg if you are working hard enough. Obviously choose the sort of clothing combination which works for you. What you have to do is carry a rucksack with a warm fleece packed at the top. If you stop for more than 60 secs, do the following: Rucksack off and between your feet. Unzip the jacket to the bottom but don't separate the zip end. Arms out of sleeves so the jacket is now hanging upside down from your hips. Fleece on, jacket back on and zipped off. Reverse the process immediately prior to moving off. Works every time and you become very quick and efficient at it so it is not an embuggerance.

 

[trustysteed]

so it is not an embuggerance.

errr, army term?

 

[Andy in Sig]

Definitely but I thought it was also used in civilian circles too.

 

[trustysteed]

only when in mufti...

 

[Kirstie]

I'm sorry but double luge is just ridiculous! It looks completely daft...

 

[Speicher]

There is a way around that which we were taught in arctic warfare training in the army. You do your skiing bit basically wearing a T-shirt and a shell and that's fine at even about -15 deg if you are working hard enough. Obviously choose the sort of clothing combination which works for you. What you have to do is carry a rucksack with a warm fleece packed at the top.

We were travelling by bus (ski bus) to some Langlaufen, and so had to carry a coat as well as a fleece in the rucksack. Waiting for the bus at the end of day, also meant we quickly got very cold, especially the tootsies in the very thin cross country slippers shoes. One resort, Achenkirch, IIRC had Langlaufen circuits starting from outside the Hotel.

I agree it would be better to carry as little as possible. Going back to a hotel to drop off or pick up extra clothing would be a good option IMO. Though I can concede that this is not ideal for Arctic Warfare training.

The commentators were saying that perhaps ten years ago, cross country skiers, especially the men, were very slight in build. I admit to preferring the chunkier build of yesterday's participants. Especially the German, Kuhn, who is also a chef and now lives in Canada.

 

[trustysteed]

I'm sorry but double luge is just ridiculous! It looks completely daft...

agreed!