Last Day of My Olympic Adventure

Friday was the last event for the Ladies: the Slalom. All Ladies crews had a 3:00 AM load time - we were told to report to Dustys (a restaurant bar at the bottom of Creekside that is currently being used by the athletes and coaches during the day). There was breakfast being served. The reason we had such an early load time is that they anticipated snow overnight - for once during these games it didn't snow overnight so we weren't needed until 5:30 AM. They turned the lights off and most people went back to sleep - on the floor, on benches, on tables or sitting in chairs. At about 6:00 AM we headed up to mid station to wait for further instructions. We had a small job of putting up some c-fence to keep people off the course. After we finished we went up to collect the tools that we would need for the race.

Our crew were all positioned near the bottom of the course. This was an excellent position as we were close to the stadium and could not only hear the announcer but the roar of the crowd. We could also see the athletes as they entered the finish area. We all needed to put on crampons to be able to manoeuvre around on the course. Each person was responsible for maintaining their gate with both a rake and shovel - we needed to keep the snow smooth and we also had to wipe down the gate to keep off the excess water that could get on to the athlete's goggles (this was a first for me!). There were 83 athletes in the first run - it took an hour and a half to run. It was very wet - huge snowflakes fell turning into huge water droplets upon impact. We had to stay at our spot for the whole day - they did a quick reset of the course and an inspection - the second run started at 1:00 pm. It was a very exciting race - Maria Reich from Germany won! The best Canadian was Bridget Acton in 17th.

After the race we were all soaked to the bone and really cold! We had to go in to get dry and warm. I headed back to the Murdochs to get changed and start on my packing - then I bused back to Creekside to see everyone for the last time at the Weasel House. Nelda, Tracy and Mike along with some others had dinner at the Chop House - I decided to head home to get my packing done. I was in bed at 11:00 and up at 2:30 am to get my 3:45 am shuttle to the Vancouver Airport. I remember thinking when I booked the shuttle in January that 3:45 AM was really early - little did I know then that it would be a bit later then I was used to getting up! The flight was great - we had a quick stop over in Calgary and then on to Ottawa! My brother picked me up and brought Jillian and my nephew David along.

My Olympic Adventure was an expereince of a lifetime. I loved every minute but when I arrived in Ottawa I was really glad to be home!!

Here is a link to the last set of Olympic pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure15?feat=directlink

Another Race In The Books - One More To Go!

I can't believe that I have only one more day left! I am very sad to know that the end of my incredible Olympic Adventure will be over tomorrow!

Today was a very similar day to Wednesday except the vilibility was better. There was a little less snow but it was incredibly sticky thus making it very hard to shovel as it just packed down on everything. We boarded the Goldola a little after 3 AM - like the previous day it was dark, foggy and snowy! We headed down the course sideslipping snow as we went. We were bound for the last jump - Hot Air where we finally were able to spread some fertilizer (AKA "Product") on the soft snow. Remember that we had spent the previous 3 races waiting for our opportunity to spread product in order to harden the very soft course - now we were finally able to do the job we were trained for (trained is not really appropriate as we actually had no formal training!) We prepared everything for later then went back up top for a break. The key to using product is that it takes time to set up you have to apply it at least an hour ahead in order for it to work properly. There was a lot of discussion amongst the course workers and officials regarding the application of product. What we decided to use was the following method: on your skis holding a large bucket in one hand throw handfuls of product over the course to lightly coat it. It is best if it is followed by water but since the snow held so much moisture it wasn't necessary.

Our crew was divided up during the race in order to apply product in various locations. Tracy and I ended up in a great place - the bottom of Treeline top of X-Y Junction. We could watch the ladies come down the steep pitch and on to the flats. It was really great! The rest of the crew were around the last pitch. The 4 Canadian girls were all in the top 30 - good showing!

It is 8 pm and I have another 3:00 AM load tomorrow morning. I am going to sleep. The Ladies Slalom is tomorrow and 5 of my crew have been selected to man gates - Tracy, Mike, Gord, Bob and myself! I am very fortunate to have this opportunity to work directly on the course during the race. I need to get to bed in order to do a good job!

Here is the link to today's pictures (no captions): http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure14?feat=directlink

Here are Bob Beiersdorfer's pictures:

http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/BobBSOlympicAdventure?feat=directlink

Bad Weather Moves In - One Run of GS Today, Thursday The Other One

Another spell of bad weather has moved in to Whistler Mountain. We loaded the Gondola at 5:00 AM in order to clear all the snow from the track. Picture this - dark, foggy, snowy, shoveling snow, getting hot, getting wet then getting cold - that was our morning! After 3 hours of clearing snow we were able to start the race on time.

Unlike speed events the hill does not need to be perfect to run a race. For Giant Slalom the athletes go quite fast but not nearly as fast as they do in Downhill or Super G. Also, the visibility doesn't need to be perfect as it does in speed events.

The first run went well - Linsey Vonn fell right in front of us just below the jump on the last pitch. Her team mate Julia Mancuso was following right behind her and had to be stopped on the course so that she wouldn't collide with Linsey who was tangled in the net. The latest report from Team Vonn is that she has a finger injury - not sure what?

Unfortunately in the afternoon the fog got worse and the visibility diminished. The second run was scheduled to start at at 1:00 pm - then they pushed it to 1:45, then to 2:30 then to 3:00 then the moved it to Thursday at 9:30 am. Our crew needs to load the Gondola at 3:00 AM that means I need to get up at 1:30 - it is 8:00 pm and I am going to bed soon!! It is supposed to snow overnight so I expect that we will be shovelling again in the same brutal conditions!

Falling asleep as I write - have to go to bed!

A Beautiful Day for a Ski and Men's Race Day!

Monday I did some orgnaizing of my stuff - sent a box of things that I don't need home and did some grocery shopping. Headed down to Creekside about noon to go free skiing - with poles - haven't used them in 2 weeks!

Went over on the Peak to Peak - a gondola that spans the valley between Whislter and Blackcomb - this was only completed in 2008 so I had never taken it before. It was spectacular! I waited for one of 2 glass bottom gondolas so I could see straight to the valley floor - breathtaking! On Blackcomb I took a run on one of my all time favourites - Cloud Nine - then headed over to Jersey Cream. Then back to Whislter to catch the Peak Chair up to Whistler Peak. I knew that not only did I have some free time to ski but that it would be my last chance in good weather to see the things that I wanted to. My short tour was great!

Today, Tuesday, we loaded at 8:00 AM - our main tasks were to clean up the upper part of the race course that is not being used. We brought down a lot of different equipment that we picked up on the hill as well as loading the safety netting onto cribs that the groomers would transport down the hill. It was a busy and productive day.

Today was also race day for the men. They had their Giant Slalom race today. Patrick Biggs (see picture above) from Ottawa and a Camp Fortune Ski Club member was racing. Slalom is his specialty, he did not qualify for the Olympic slalom but was entered in the GS. The Canadians didn't do very well but were not expected to. I saw Patrick and spoke with him a couple of times today. Now that the speed races are over it is fun to see the racers from all kinds of different countries such as India, Senegal, Pakistan, South Africa, Grand Caymen, etc... They are not very good racers and would never qualify to race in a world cup but because it is the Olympics and each country can enter 4 athletes they are able to compete. Some countries, such as Grand Caymen, have only one athlete that skis - therefore they get to go to the Olympics!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, is the GS race for the ladies. We have a 5 AM load time on the Gondola. The forecast is calling for a bit of snow tonight but 5 to 10 cm tomorrow. We will be spending a lot of our day shoveling snow and clearing the race course of snow.

Here are the pictures from Monday and Tuesday:

Monday: http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure11?feat=directlink

Tuesday: http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure12?feat=directlink

3 days left - I don't want my incredible adventure to end!

Bode Finally Gets his Gold!

It is Monday morning - I have the whole day off! I am going to go skiing for a few hours later this morning.

I have updated the captions on the last 2 photo albums on Picassa.

Yesterday we only started work at noon. In the morning I worked on my blog and caught up on my sleep. In the afternoon we rolled a lot of b-net that needed to be taken down at the top of the course. Now that there is just the GS and Slalom left to race all the safety netting can come down above that. We rolled net, had a beer at Vuarnet Beach and then rolled some more net.

It was a big day for the US yesterday - Bode Miller won the Men's Super Combined race. I hadn't been to an Awards Celebration in the Village yet. Each night the medals from the Alpine, Nordic, and Sliding are all presented in the village at a special ceremony. Nela, Bob and I decided that we should go - we stood in line at 4 to get tickets - we were allowed in at 5:00 but couldn't leave (we were just standby and didn't have a ticket) so we waited until 7:00 for the ceremony to start. There was a lot of entertainment with a comedian, Olympic Quiz, dancers and music - it was fun! The medal ceremony alternated between medals presented in Whistler and Vancouver at BC Place. We came for one main reason - to see Bode Miller finally win his Olympic Gold!! It was a great moment - the crowd went wild! The experience was really special - I am really glad that I went!

By the end of 4 hours outside - we were very cold and hungry! We had dinner then did a little shopping at the Olympic Store.

Monday - day off, Tuesday - start at 8 am, Wednesday (the weather is supposed to get bad again) - GS race, Thursday - hill prep, Friday - Slalom race and Saturday I leave.

Here are the pictures - with captions
http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure10?feat=directlink

Here is a video of Bode Miller getting his Gold Medal for the Super Combined:
video coming

Another Day in Paradise!

Really enjoyed my day off on Friday! Needed to catch up on sleep and laundry. I watched the race on TV - live is very special but seeing the whole race really is a better way to see it! Later in the afternoon I went to the Weasel Tent - a racer from New Zealand was there and got up to thank all the volunteers for their hard word - it was a really nice gesture.

Saturday was back to reality with a 4:30 AM load time up the Gondola. I was up a bit before 3 and in the Village at 3:30 AM - many late night revelers were out in the Village and many were trying to catch a bus home for the night. Unfortunately there was no bus for about half an hour - thought there might be a riot as a lot of the late night partyers (is that a word?) were trying to flag down any bus by standing in the middle of the road so the buses couldn't get through! Finally a bus came and we all got to where we needed to go.


Our first task of the morning was to carry big rolls of safety netting (B-Net) down the course to the lower section. These rolls are 9 feet long and weigh quite a bit - big strong guys can carry one over their shoulder - now add these factors - in the dark, super hard icy race course underneath and some very steep pitches - it isn't easy! Most were carried or dragged by 2 people.


We were fortunate to have our regular position for the Ladies Super G at Hot Air. Super G is considered a speed event but not as fast as downhill as there are more turns. Unlike downhill there is no training on the track prior to the race. Athletes have an opportunity to side slip through the course to take a look at it, they try to anticipate the tricky spots and where they need to be prepared for a difficult turn. Once again our crew was in charge of spreading fertilizer if the course got too warm. We took our place on the hill and watched all the girls go by during their inspection. We were there for a while before I realized that the large Italian man in front of us was Alberto Tomba - former Italian World and Olympic Champion in the late 80's and early 90's - he was gracious enough to allow Tracy and I to have a picture with him. Once again the skies were blue, the sun was shining and the track was hard and fast. Unlike the downhill Hot Air didn't pose a problem it was the turns in the middle of the course that were difficult for many of the girls (15 of 53 racers) causing them to miss gates and not finish the race. The light was also very tricky - they went from bright sunlight to dark a couple of times during the race - these transitions make it very difficult to see.


It was a tough day for the Canadian girls - for both Emily Brydan and Brit Janyk it could be their last big race in Canada and their last Olympics - nobody knows but they could retire at the end of the season. It was great to hear the crowd cheer them on as they entered the finish - Brit in 17th and Emily after her fall.

After the race our crew went up to have some lunch and enjoy the sunny weather. We then helped move equipment down the mountain to the new GS start and dispatch. The Chiefs of Course - Rick Hume and Andy Wolff thanked us for all our hard work. They said that the officials from FIS (the world governing body for Alpine Skiing) have never seen races run under such adverse conditions - so much snow and such a large change in conditions from the top to the bottom of the mountain - and have dealt with the conditions to run fantastic races. We were informed of our schedules over the next 3 days - Sunday load at noon, Monday off and Tuesday load at noon!! WOW the hard work is over!! Wednesday is the GS race and Friday is the Slalom - I fly home on Saturday.


I was fortunate to ride the lift with the Vice President of the Austrian Alpine Skiing Association - he said how pleased he was with the Olympics and how hard working and polite the volunteers are. He also said that he and his wife love Whistler!


At the end of the day I walked over to see the Creekbread Restaurant. When our family visited the Laracy family in North Conway, NH in November we went to Flatbread - a pizza restaurant in NC. Julie and Rich know the owners. I inquired if they had any restaurants in Canada - they said had just opened one in Whistler. I took a picture for Julie and Rich - then went inside to check it out. At the door I met one of the owners - Jim who is from North Conway and is the good friend of the Laracys. I told him that I was headed to the Weasel House and he gave me 30 coupons for free pizza to hand out to volunteers - giving back to the community is very important to their company. Giving out free food is a great way to make friends at the Weasel House!


The Weasel House had some very special guests. Nancy Greene was there to meet people and thank all the volunteers for such doing such a great job. She brought along 2 politicians - one from Quebec (not sure who he is) and Rona Ambrose. I was lucky to have a word with Nancy and have our picture taken. My connection with Nancy is through my father - he was the manager of the Canadian Team in 1962 and spent the winter in Europe with the ladies team - Nancy being a very young member of the team that year. A little later - Manny Osborn-Paradis arrived! My 14 yr old son Patrick is a huge Manny fan. He has a "Manny " ball cap that he sent with me to have signed - I have carried around the hat and a silver sharpie just in case he should arrive - today was the day! He was happy to sign it and I got a picture of Manny and I. Was I ever happy! A group of us had dinner at Creekbread (used the free coupons) and then headed for home. We were all tired!

This morning I slept until 7 AM and then worked on this blog. I will head down to Creekside to load at 12 - not sure what we are doing this morning. Whatever it is I don't mind -it is another day is paradise!

Technical difficulties regarding pictures - the slideshow above is from yesterday but the Picassa ones with captions are to come

Ladies Super Combined - WOW!!

Day off today!! After 8 straight days I was happy to to get a break! I slept until 7:00 AM, will do laundry, watch the Men's Super G on TV (have seen little or no TV coverage so far), go to the the village to look around and get down to the Weasel House for some post race festivities (the Men race Super G today)! Really looking forward to it!

Thursday was the Ladies Super Combined. Our crew was scheduled to go up the Gondola at 4:00 AM! I was up a little after 2:00 and arrived in the village to catch my bus at 2:45 AM. The fun thing was all the people that had just left the bars and were making their way home as we were going to work! At 4:00 AM it is very dark on the mountain - we use headlamps and there are a few lights to guide us. Not many people can say that they have skied on Whistler mountain at 4 in the morning! Our first task was to bring equipment from the top of the Ladies Downhill course down to the new Dispatch at the top of the Ladies Super G course. As the races progress they move Dispatch down the mountain until the Slalom on Friday where it will just be on the lower portion of the mountain. It took a couple of runs to get the equipment moved, then we were assigned the task of checking all the safety netting from the top to the bottom of the course (just skier's right) to ensure that the netting was all sitting right on the snow. It is important that if a racer was to fall and hit the netting that they don't go underneath. We had to reset a portion of the net close to the bottom of the course as it wasn't tight enough.

During the Downhill portion of the Super Combined our crew was assigned to do fertilizer on the jump Hot Air (same as we did the day before for the Downhill). Again we were able to stand at the jump and see the girls fly through the air! After the Downhill they made the jump smaller as it was a bit too dangerous! We could also see the stadium and hear some of the announcing so we knew what was going on. The Downhill portion of the Super Combined had no injuries and no big crashes.

The Slalom portion of the Super Combined was held in the afternoon. Along with myself, 4 of our crew were assigned to gates on the course (Tracy, Gord, Bob and Mike). Our job was to keep the area around our gate smooth by using rakes and shovels. As a racer skies through the course they leave a mark in he snow - these marks can add up and leave large ruts and holes. It is important that after each racer the marks are cleared away so each athlete has a clean track. It was very exciting standing beside the course and watching the athletes up close! We all wore crampons on our boots to walk on the very icy hill - without them we would have been sliding all around! Our gates were very close to the bottom - the stadium was just below so were able to see the racers finish and hear the roar of the crowd as they enter the finish area! WOW - it was truly amazing! It was a very easy race to course crew - there were only 31 athletes in the race, after each racer 2 slippers passes through and there was about a minute between racers - lots of time to get in and do what needed to be done. Compare this to a local FIS race - about 150 athletes, only a couple of slippers every 15 racers or so and only 30 seconds between racers - the Olympics was REALLY EASY!

Our day on the hill ended at about 3:00 PM - 11 hours in ski boots! Tonight our crew was getting together for dinner. I went to Tracy's condo to change. While we were there Loyd Piercy, crew chief on the Ladies Course, came by with a bottle of his wine that he produces at his winery in Oregon. His farm is located beside the Columbia River and is quite arid. The wine we tasted was a Pinot Noir and was amazing! His wines are getting rave reviews. He supplied the wine to Morgan Freeman's "Invictus" party, has sent bottles to Brad Pitt, Mathew McConechy and other movie stars! Check out his website - the pictures are beautiful!

http://www.piercyfamilyvineyards.com/Sno-Road-Wines_c5.htm

We had a fun crew dinner at a local BBQ chicken and rib place at Creekside. We were all very tired and headed for home about 7:30 PM. A long day but one I will remember for many years to come!

Saturday is a 4:30 AM load up Gondola - setting my clock for 2:45! It is the Ladies Super G
- our crew will be at the jump again!

Have added captions to the last 2 sets of pictures on Picassa:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure6?feat=directlink
http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure7?feat=directlink

Here are the pictures from Thursday's Ladies Super Combined (captions coming):

http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure8?feat=directlink

Here are Richard Chmiel's (on my crew) pictures from the last week:

http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/RichardSOlympicAdventure?feat=directlink