Quick update.

Alright - no new pics. It's not that I haven't taken any - it's just that they were kind of sucky, so no point in posting them. And nothing really new to report otherwise - the wet weather has returned

I did get a chance to work the four-man bobsled runs one and two today. It was really quite an experience. I was at the bottom of turn 16 - and luckily didn't have to do any 'work', but it certainly was an amazing experience. They fly past you at an incredible speed... sometimes upside down. Luckily no one was seriously hurt.

Only two days left to go - and as much as it has been a whirlwind of activity the past two and a half weeks, it will definitely be sad to see it go!

Talk to you soon!

Mountain Biking in Squamish.

So, I had a day off yesterday. My homestay host and I had set up a ride for Saturday through some of the Squamish trails. Considering it's been over 10C and sunny for the past several days, it was promising to be a great day of riding.

It certainly did not disappoint. The riding was, in a word, epic. I wish I could say that I cleaned every trail that we rode... but I would be lying. However, the sights were fairly impressive, as you can see above. There were a lot more 'features' than what I am used to seeing back in Ontario (known as 'Onterrible' here in BC) - we didn't go off a lot of them; but there are some where you really don't have an option. It's either ride the skinny... or walk your bike. There's no go-around.

Overall, the cross-country singletrack is very reminiscent of Ontario. But you can see where the downhillers and freeriders can have some fun too. All told, our ride was about five hours long, and there are aapparently tons of other trails to explore. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to do so before I leave!

Today was a pretty slow day at cross country - it was a training day in preparation for the tag-team sprint race tomorrow, which should prove to be exciting.

Carrying the torch

One of my homestay hosts' friends was a torch bearer duing the run. He brought it over yesterday while they all went to watch the women's and men's luge finals - so we took the opportunity to snap a quick picture of it:


It is surprisingly light for it's size. Apparently they do take out the fuel canister (it only lasts for about 12 minutes anyway) before they sell it to you (yep, you get to buy it if you want it). I know I would have had I been a torch bearer... and likely many others would have as well!

So Friday, I was asked to help out with spectator first aid. Alright, I admit it - I volunteered. It's not that I don't enjoy doing athlete care - it's just that I wanted a small change of pace. So during the women's cross country race yesterday, instead of being assigned to a post out on course, I was walking around talking to course marshals, volunteers and of course spectators.

While I haven't had to do any real 'first aid' yet, what I have enjoyed doing the most is talking to people. While most of the volunteers at the games are from Canada, there are also several from various other places as well. It has also been really interesting to talk to people from around the world about their country and their experiences in Canada - many of them here for the first time.

Have the day off today (my third day off). Today the Rocky will be put to the test in it's own backyard - Todd and I are going riding. Will take pics (because I CAN do that on my day off), it's supposed to be 14C (note the lack of a minus sign) and there's already not a cloud in the sky. Should be a good day!

Another day at the office.

Well, another day at the 'office'. While I would love to snap pictures, we've been asked to not take pictures while we are on duty. Which of course is unfortunate, since the backdrop for the cross country venue is quite nice. I'm sure you can find some pictures online of it.

We had the sprint races today - a really short course (about 1.5 km) - and it was very, very quick. I worked spectator first aid for a while, then worked the 'Canada corner', which is the last major downhill corner going into the stadium, so I got to watch the finish of the races for the first time.

And for the first time, we had great weather all day. Sunny and just above freezing. Supposed to be the same for the next few days too. I am looking forward to doing some mountain biking soon too - we've had some 'scheduling difficulties' between my tour guide and me, but we should get out soon!

Czech please...

So, while I was out skiing today on my day off, I found some members of the Czech Republic Olympic team out for a fun day at Whistler - thought they have some cool uniforms:



Well, I was out skiing on another day off today with Geoff and Terry (two very distingushed members of the Canadian Ski Patrol). While having a quick lunch, we were approached by the Whistler Blackcomb podcast producers wanted to do a quick interview. Terry was quick to volunteer.


And here are Terry and Geoff in a rare moment. They are actually stopped.

Yet again, it was a cloudy day in Whistler. We did have breaks in the clouds - but this gives you a good perspective of what we've been skiing in at the alpine. Note how the clouds are at the same level... they used to be hovering over the ski area:

Here's just a shot from the Whistler gondola of Blackcomb mountain:

...and these are from the "Peak 2 Peak" Gondola, which allows you to travel between Whistler and Blackcomb.

If there are two things affecting the Olympics the most from my perspective, it has to be weather and transportation. Quite frankly, I think that they are doing the best that they can with the transit issue. They are covering an extreme amount of area and there are only so many buses you can have driving around. Granted it could likely be a little more efficient; but all things considered, I think they are doing a good job. It's just that I hate waiting for buses! When I don't have to wait it's great. When I do.... well, it's a pain.

Weather has, by far, been horrible down low and great up high. The good news is that on my days off, I spend them 'high' on the mountain. Last night 20cm fell - and I took advantage of every single centimetre! However, it usually has fallen as rain when down low... and when I am working, I am, by definition, in a valley. It's something that no one can do about it - and I am just lucky that my uniform jacket seemed to have an extra layer of waterproofing. I'm not complaining! The forecast is for sun and warm temps for the next few days. It will be nice to work without the ever-present threat of rain for a change.

From a patrolling perspective - it is very similar to working a marshal station at Chico Racing. You are asked to monitor a specific area of the course for safety concerns, and deal with any issues as they arise. I was lucky enough to be placed near a spectator pathway - which meant easy access from one perspective, and I got to interact with a lot of members of the public who were asking about the race going on. It was certainly exciting to be part of the action -and if you know me at all, I also have the gift of gab.

After the races on Monday, I was able to get out for a ski. There's nothing more humbling than having a bunch of Olympians passing you like you're standing still. Can I use the excuse that I'm carrying a radio and pack? Nah, I really can't.

Tomorrow is another race day at cross country. Cross country events haven't got a lot of air time on TV - however, from what I understand, that's not the case in Europe, where it gets a significant amount.

I did snap a bunch of pics - but with the flat light, many didn't turn out. I plan on hitting up the Whistler village sometime soon (...again...), I'll be sure to snap some pics of the Olympic stuff going on around town. My last visit was a little spur of the moment - which is pretty much what happens every night around here! All the best!

Alright - I suck at blogging.

I admit it. I suck at blogging. I probably could find time at the end of the day to write something out - however, to be honest, there hasn't been much to report. Friday was my first shift - it was a training day at cross country, so we took the time to further familarize ourselves with the other venues at the Whistler Olympic Park (biathlon and ski jumping), as well as the facility itself. I also managed to get out for a ski in the afternoon. There's now (unofficially) a turn named after me (Ted's Turn), as I fell in front of my supervisor during the ski in the mashed potato-like snow. Whoops.

I had the day off today - the top of Whistler is much differernt than the bottom. At the top, it was snowing, foggy and very windy. While I remembered to bring my camera this time, a lot of our time was spent in the clouds. I had to correct the few images below just so you could make something out. I spent the day skiing with my homestay host, Todd, who shows up in the second and third pictures.

They also had a small trial area for ski jumping - Nancy was nice enough to snap some pics while I took a 'jump':

First competition for cross country is tomorrow. We'll see what happens. Right now, we're not just hoping for cooler weather... we're hoping it won't rain!!

Now in Squamish...

Sorry everyone - I have no pictures. However, I am happy to report that everything has gone fairly seemlessly to date. No hiccups in the flight, all my bags came off at the other end, the rental car is an excellent idea as opposed to depending on busing from Vancouver to Squamish (if nothing more than a freedom thing -we were able to go out for dinner and pick up groceries without depending on anyone), and even getting accreditation and picking up the uniform was fairly painless.

Tomorrow, however, will be the real test: as I do not have a Hwy 99 road pass and parking pass, I need to take the bus from Squamish to Whistler. Maggi and I have managed to decipher (we think) the bus schedule, where we need to go and meet the bus, and how long it will take us to get there so we aren't late for our training.

Promise to get some pictures posted soon! My first day off is Saturday - so I'll bring the camera around with me then.

Oh - overage costs? $125. for the extra bag and overweight charge for the bike box. My duffel was officially a few pounds overweight... but she let it slide. Plane was full of people going to the Olympics. I know - shocking.