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

Finally Race Day!

WOW what a day!! One of my all time personal best days! I apologize - our crew was on the hill at 6:00 AM and off at 5:00 pm and I have to be on the lift for 4:00 AM tomorrow - I won't be able to write prose - I am going to do this blog in point form to save time - I have to get to bed!

- Monday night met Sean and Kim Gilmour and Natalie and Antony Courtney for dinner in Whistler Village. First we had a special Olympic Cocktail in the bar at the Fairmont - Yummy! They are in Whistler to see the Ladies Downhill.

- The ride up Garbonzo chair as the sun was rising was amazing!

- Snow had frozen overnight - the track was hard and fast!

- First assignment was to deliver large pails of "race base" (another word for fertilizer that is applied to the snow if it is too soft to harden it up) to various spots on the course.

- During our trip down the race course we stopped to congratulate Carl Ricker whose daughter Maelle Ricker won GOLD in the ladies boarder cross on Monday - Carl is a section Chief and reported for duty this morning at 5:00 AM to prepare his section for the race - now that`s DEDICATION!

- Our race assignment was to be at the bottom of the course ready with "race base" in case the snow softened up during the race. Myself, Mike, Bob, Erin and Nelda were assigned to the jump at the bottom of the course called "Hot Air", Tracy, Gord, Jen and Tom were assigned to the finish area. This was an amazing assignment as they are both prime viewing areas.

- We arrived at our stations at 8:30 AM in preparation for an 11:00 AM start. Before the race the athletes are allowed an inspection of the course where they sideslip through it in order to look at the line they will take and the tricky parts of the course. Most Ladies stopped for a while at the jump and I was able to see them very close up! Lindsay Vonn spent a lot of time looking at the jump - it seems to have paid off!!

- The race was incredibly exciting! for those of you that watched on TV you will have seen the challenging terrain and big jump at the bottom. Unfortunately there were some really big crashes and some athletes were injured. We had front row seats on the side of the course for all the action - it was amazing! Vonn from the US was first, Mancuso from the US was second and Goergl from Austria was third.

- After the race we went to the Ladies Super Combined Slalom start to prepare the ramp. The Super Combined is running tomorrow - it is one run of Downhill in the morning and one run of Slalom in the afternoon - adding the 2 times together. The Downhill will start at 9:30 AM. Not sure what we will be doing in the morning but in the afternoon Tracy and I have been assigned to a gate to maintain in the Slalom - really excited about that! We think it is close to the bottom but not sure.

Thanks for following - post comments and pass along to others. I need to do captions for my pictures on Picasa - will do that over the next couple of days and put the link in my blog.

Lots of Snow = Lots of Shovelling!

When I left the house the this morning there was snow on the ground - I thought snow in the village must mean LOTS of snow on the mountain - in fact 30 cm had fallen overnight at the top of the course! We didn't get on the lift until 7:00 AM and were sent to clean up safety netting. When we finished that job we went down to the Super Combined start (where the Ladies will start their Slalom run on Thursday) to clean the snow off the start ramp. The snow near the bottom of the course was very heavy! The groomers were clearing the whole hill at the top of the course but on the bottom half the snow needed to be removed by shovel. In the afternoon we put up netting to keep the public from going through the trees and stanfing close to the course.
Tomorrow the Ladies Downhill is scheduled for 11 am. The forecast is good - it is supposed to freeze tonight to the bottom of the mountain and then be clear for the next few days - great news! My crew and I are really looking forward to seeing the Ladies race - we have been working really hard to prepare the course and we really want to have them use it!
My scheduled start time for tomorrow is 6:00 AM. We will most likely go up and fix safety netting and smooth out any little holes or ridges left by the groomers. We will probably be able to watch the race from a public viewing area on the course.

As you can see from the pictures I saw a lot of interesting people! At mid-station the Pakistan Ski Team was waiting to go up the lift. They have one male alpine skier who is competing in the Giant Slalom. He has 104 FIS points (equivalent to a 15 yr old OK racer) and trains in Pakistan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq. His coach spoke very good English - the athlete not so much. I couldn't help thinking how much our friend Roy Lamond would have liked to meet this athlete!

I also met Dustin Cook who is from Ottawa and is on the National Ski Team. He foreran the Downhill on Monday and said that he had an amazing time! He is scheduled to forerun the Super Combined but because it has been now moved to Sunday he won't be able to as he is going to races in Aspen. I also took a very short walk through the village and came across some interesting people that were enjoying the Olympic experience!

I don't have the captions doen for the pictures from today - will do them later and post them in tomorrow's blog.

Race day tomorrow - really looking forward to it!! Go Canada!

Way toooo tired last night!

Didn't update what we did yesterday (Monday) because when I got home I was totally exhausted! The early mornings are starting to catch up with me. It is now 4:50 am on Tuesday - I have to meet my crew at 6:30 to go up and prepare for another downhill training run for the Ladies. I can see out my window that it has snowed in the village - good news is that it is cold enough down to the bottom of the mountain bad news is that we will have to get rid of the snow before the Ladies can have their run.
Yesterday was a very exciting day! Our crew was up early and took care of cleaning the safety net and side slipping the edge of the course. By the way - when you go up on the hill before dawn you have to ski with a headlamp as there are a very limited number of lights on the hill. The hill was very hard and fast! The ladies started their run at 10:00 so we watched a few of them - then we went over to the men's course at 10:30 and watched most of the race from the Weasel. It was very exciting. There was a PA system at the public viewing location that we were at - it updated us as to each racer's time and what was happening on the course. The cheering for each racer, especially the Canadians, was deafening! Too bad for Manny and Robbie they did not ski nearly as well as they are capable of but Eric did really well with a 5th place! Our crew didn't make it to the bottom during the race so we weren't able to see the stadium filled with fans - hopefully our crew will be assigned a spot closer to the bottom so that we can see and hear the stadium.
My brush with fame came yesterday when I walked about a foot away from Bode Miller. He had just come up from the bottom and was standing on over to the side when you get off the Gondola - I didn`t see his until I was almost beside him!
No pictures today - I will update the blog tonight post some pictures. Thanks for al the comments - really great to hear that you enjoying my adventure!

Racing Starts Tomorrow - Ya Hooo!

Another light day on the hill! Reported ready to go at 9:00 AM - headed up the Gondola about 10 AM. The groomers were on the hill removing the close to 20 cm of snow that fell overnight. It was too great a task for the course crew to do. You can never have loose snow on a race course or hill during a downhill or super g race as the racers can catch their skis and fall - all loose snow needs to be removed and the track where the racers go (marked by blue lines) has to be really hard! The reason that the Men's Downhill hasn't run or the Ladies training runs have not been done is that the snow is too soft at the bottom and there has been too much snow up the mountain. Soft and loose snow are very dangerous. The groomer removed all the loose snow making the hill very smooth. Some groomers are called Winch Cats because the hill is too steep and the groomer has to use a winch cable to raise and lower it up steep pitches.

Due to the act that the groomers were working on the hill it is too dangerous for course crew to be working on the hill at the same time. The groomer couldn't go up the start ramp so 5 crews were assigned the task of clearing the snow off the start ramp with shovels and rakes - see above picture! It was an amazing sight to see the sea of blue "Smurfs" shoveling and raking together! After we cleaned up the start ramp our crew was assigned to fixing fencing - we spent a couple of hours picking up fencing to get them lifted off the new snow. Then it was lunch time!

After lunch we reported to "dispatch" - the spot at the top of the course where the jobs are distributed. Not much to do so we went for a "free run" (actual skiing) - added bonus is that our accreditation acts as a ski pass for the entire time we are we are at the Olympics (regular price to ski for a day at Whistler/Blackcomb is $93)! Imagine being at Whistler - almost 20 cm of new snow and not being able to really ski - we all jumped at the chance to actually go skiing! However, when on course crew we don't carry our poles (need to use our hands to do stuff), we didn't care - we all headed down to Harmony chair through the powder and then down through the saddle without ski poles - we had a blast - it was amazing! The sky was clear and the snow was light - a beautiful day at Whistler!



After returning to Dispatch and waiting for awhile we were told that we were free to go for the day. We need to report at 5:30 AM tomorrow - big day ahead to get ready for the Ladies training run. Since the men and women share the same finish area and last 200 M they can't run the course at the same time. In order to give the Ladies a run they will complete the top half of the course before the men race at 10:30 and the second half of the course when the men's race is complete. Not a perfect way to complete a training run but under the circumstances all the organizers can do.


I headed to the Weasel House after skiing to get my official Weasel Jacket! I ran into an old friend - Hugh McDonald who is working as a steward on the ladies course. I got home just after Canada won it's first Gold Medal!!! Amazing! Hopefully tomorrow more medals will be added to the medal count after the Men's Downhill - Manny, Robbie, Eric and Jan - Go Fast!!

I am really excited for tomorrow - the air will be electric with excitement for the Men's Downhill - people will be streaming into the stands, spectators will be cramming for a view of the course along the side of the run (where permitted) and the course crew will be really proud of themselves for doing an outstanding job! Can't wait to watch the Ladies train - I have worked 4 days and only seen 2 athletes on course - I really want to see them race!


I am off to bed - have to be up at 4:00 AM - can't wait to share with all of you the events of tomorrow!



Look at my slide show pictures with captions:
http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure5?feat=directlink

Easy Day Today!

We didn't have to report until 9:00 am - then we waited for instructions - at 11:00 the whole ladies course crew met - some were sent to do slipping, we just sat and waited for our assignment. At 12:00 pm we headed up to pull up some safety net - because the snow is coming and the nets need to come up so they don't get buried in snow. This only took and a couple of hours - we were down by about 3:00 pm.

It was snowing up on the mountain but raining really heavily in the village. Everything is getting really busy - the bus getting home today was packed - lots of tourists and spectators trying to get around.

They made the decision not to have the Men's downhill at 3:00 AM local time - they needed to make the decision early due to the TV broadcast in Europe. Now the pressure is on to make the race go on Monday as there will be a break in the weather. Safety on the course is above all the greatest concern - after the death of the Luge athlete it is even more important!

Tomorrow is another 9:00 AM morning - is the calm before the storm as we will most likely be up super early on Monday to get the course ready to run the ladies downhill training in the afternoon (after the men's race) - then it is full race mode for a few days to catch up in the schedule.

The agenda for this evening is watching the Olympics at the Olympics - cool eh!! And getting a good nights sleep - could be the last one in a while!

Thanks for following! No pics today - will post them tomorrow. Keep the comments coming - awesome that you are all reading this. It is important to me that I share a piece of this amazing adventure that I am on so that you can all feel a part of it as well!

Hurry Up and Wait!

Tough day on the mountain today. Arrived at 5:15 to go up the Gondola for 5:30 - everyone was holding - didn't go up until 7:00. A bit foggy at the bottom of the mountain but the top was clear. About 15 cm of snow had fallen over night in the upper part of the course - it all had to be cleared!!

Our crew was sent to reset all the safety netting that we had taken down the afternoon before. We spent 4 hours getting the netting set up and straight. The girls were supposed to have their training run at 1:00 - giving the course crew lots of time to get the snow off. At 11:00 the girls had an inspection of the course (side slip to take a look at the track they want to take down the course) - we got to stand on the side and watch them all come down - really exciting! We then had lunch and waited around for further instructions - at 12:30 the decision was made not to have the training run - the course was too soft at the bottom. We went down to mid-station to have a break inside - went back up to the top to see if they needed our crew - nothing more free to go at 3:00.

There was to be a briefing at the Weasel House at 4:30 - I stayed around at Creekside and went over. The Weasel Workers are a group of people that work at races in Whistler and have become famous for their hard work and ability to pull off a race under the harshest of conditions. They have a large tent (as big as 2 gyms) with free beer and wine! To me this is the Mecca of ski racing - it was really exciting to be there and feel a part of an amazing tradition of running ski races. There were some speeches thanking the volunteers for all their hard work.

We watched the start of the Opening Ceremonies - I went to the Southside Deli (those that know Whistler know this famous spot) for dinner and watched more OC, then took the shuttle to the village where I watched more OC on the big screen in the main square, then back to the Murdoch's for the end of the OC. I loved the show - didn't like the torch lighting so much!

Tomorrow the ladies aren't going to run - all the focus will be on getting the Men's Downhill race off - it most probably won't happen as the bottom is way too soft and unsafe for the athletes. I get to sleep in to 6:30 as I don't have to report until 8:30!

Forecast for Whistler:

Tonight - 5 to 10 cm of snow

Saturday - 10 to 15 cm of snow

Sunday - 15 to 20 cm of snow

Monday - sunny with cloud

The ladies are supposed to race Super Combined on Sunday - since they haven't had a training run and won't have one tomorrow - there won't be a race on Sunday. Races may all be pushed off until the beginning of the week when the weather is better - depending upon whether the bottom gets harder.

Tomorrow is the the first day of the Olympics - everyone is really excited and working super hard to get the races to run - Mother Nature just isn't co-operating but when she does they will be amazing!

Link to the pictures in the slide show: http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure4?feat=directlink

Glad everyone is enjoying my blog! Keep the comments coming!

Snow, Snow and More Snow!

My first full day on the hill! Theme of the day - snow! It started to snow about 10:00 am - didn't let up all day - the fog went up and down the mountain - sometimes you could see a lot - other times - not so much!

I was up at 5 am, walked to the shuttle (about a 15 minute walk) and rode the shuttle down to Creekside - really easy - ate some breakfast and picked up my bag lunch (very good and FREE). I had some extra time so I sat and watched all the athletes walk by me on their way to the lift - very cool! Got on the Gondola at 7:15 - went up to the top of the course to find out what we would be doing - we had to move snow in the top half of the course. Large metal rakes and shovels are used - it is a slow process! By about 9:30 they started to send the forerunners (used to check the course and timing) - then they sent 2 racers - the second girl fell on the bottom half of the course (she is OK). The fog was getting to be quite bad so they put a hold on the race - waiting to see if the weather would improve. The weather actually got worse so by about 11:00 the cancelled the race for the day. The men managed to train today - all the athletes got in a training run.

The afternoon was spent getting lunch, waiting to hear what to do, reporting to the top of the course, waiting to hear what to do, taking the snow off the safety netting on the side of the course, waiting to hear what to do... Lots of hurry up and wait today! Moving snow off a race course - especially a speed course is very tough and time consuming - it requires a lot of people! With more snow forecasted it will be a tough few days.

Interesting fact of the day: What I keep in my pack while on the hill: rain poncho (great for sitting on as well), extra socks and gloves (I have light and heavy), head lanmp for early mornings and late nights, crampons, lunch, water, sunglasses (just in case), chocolate (for an emergency) and other stuff...

Tomorrow I have to be ready to go up the Gondola at 5:30 AM - will need to be up at 4:00!!! Forecast is for 15 cm tonight and another 15 cm tomorrow afternoon - my back feels sore already! Need to go to bed!

Link to my pictures: http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure3?feat=directlink

Training and First Shift!

Today was exciting! I reported to Creekside (the part of Whistler where all the Alpine Skiing events are being held) for 9 AM. It was the first time that I used my accreditation to get through security (called Mag and Bag) - no problems! There was training for any new Alpine volunteers - everyone has to do a 2 hour orientation before they can begin work. It was very informative with a big emphasis on Health and Safety (which I do a lot of as a co-op teacher!).

Here are some numbers: 2400 volunteers working on the Alpine Skiing venue, 1200 working on the course (course crew - me, slippers, gate judges, dye crew, stewards, etc...), 550 course crew on the Ladies and 540 course crew on the Men's - that's a heck of a lot of people!

When training was done I called my Crew Chief - Mike Sheppard from Ottawa - who said that there wasn't much going on this afternoon and they didn't need me. Since we were all done by 10:30 I suggested to my new friend Nelda Robbins from New Brunswick that we ride up the gondola to mid-station to get oriented. We rode up the gondola without our skis and took tons of pictures of the race course below. At the top of the gondola - called mid-station - there is a large tent for volunteers where they serve soup and hot and cold beverages. We had a great lunch and I met up with a number of people from Ottawa. We "downloaded" on the gondola, did a little grocery shopping - then Mike called to say - we need you at 3:30 today - I said Ya Hooo!!!

In order to kill some time until 3:30 Nelda and I went up to the condo she is staying at - really high up on Creekside in a beautiful condo that VANOC is providing for volunteers - there are 6 staying in the condo. Getting up there was quite fun - we took a shuttle - very difficult to drive in Whistler as there is no parking! The shuttle bus driver was a retired bus driver from Toronto who knew nothing about Whistler - I read the map to him as he drove - very funny!!

I got back down to Creekside put my ski stuff on and met my crew to head up on the mountain. It snowed a bit today and we had to clear the snow off the course with rakes. Our team of 5 had a section of the course to clear - we spent a couple of hours working at that - very physical work! Good thing I have been working out! There was so much snow to clear that we used a snow blower on the course! We headed down in the semi-dark - skiing beside the race course to the bottom of the mountain!

I am really tired as I was up very early this morning - not adjusted to BC time yet - I need to be at Creekside for 6:15 AM tomorrow morning - the first training runs for the Ladies Super Combined (Downhill and Slalom combined together) is happening - there is a lot of work to be done on the course so that it is ready to go. Luckily we will be a "later" crew - the early crew needs to report at 4 AM! It will be very exciting to see the ladies in action tomorrow on the race course - today the men were only able to get half the field down before fog rolled in and they cancelled the run. Hopefully the weather will co-operate tomorrow and the ladies will all have a training run.

Unfortunately the battery in my camera ran out today - I will try to get more shots of the course crew in action tomorrow! I really hope that you are enjoying my blog - I am having fun writing it! The pictures that I have on the slide show are also on Picassa - with captions - at:

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

http://picasaweb.google.ca/janeluv2ski/JaneSOlympicAdventure2?feat=directlink

Thanks for sharing my Olympic Adventure with me!

Trip to Whistler!

I am here! Great trip!!
What I did:
- Left Ottawa at 5:30 PM on Monday Feb 8 - arrived Vancouver at 8 PM - great flight!
- Vancouver airport had lots of athletes and other important people milling around - lots of VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee)volunteers asking if you need help
- Andrew (Ritchie), Emily and Adam Chowne picked me up in their new deluxe mini van
- Spent the night chez Chowne in Vancouver
- Drove with Ritchie downtown on Tuesday morning to pick up tickets for the Opening Ceremonies Dress Rehearsal - all volunteers are able to get one ticket and buy another for $50 - was in and out with my tickets and a complimentary bottle of VANOC Jackson Triggs Merlot in 5 minutes - I gave the tickets to the Chowne's for their great hospitality
- Emily and Adam met me downtown and we toured around looking at all the sights in preparation for the games
- It is very warm - flowers are in bloom and people walking around in shorts and flip-flops!! Vancouver is full of people with different "national" jackets on, TONS of Olympic volunteers (blue jackets) and tourists taking pictures - very exciting. Every other car on the street is a VANOC vehicle. Not much traffic - easy to get around.
- Met a bus in downtown Vancouver bound for Whistler - free service for volunteers - party atmosphere on the bus - everyone talking to one another - where are you from? what are you doing during the games? Really fun!! People from across the country doing all kinds of jobs!
- While in Whistler I am staying with my old friend Margot Murdoch (Lebrun) - she and her husband Brent and their 3 kids have lived in Whistler for 15 years - I am staying as part of the "Home Stay" program where residents have opened their homes to accept volunteers. In return the Murdochs have received tickets for events. They have a beautiful home close to the village (White Gold) and I have my own room. It is awesome!
- Margot met me where the bus let me off - I went to her house to settle in then walked back to get my accreditation and uniform. Really easy process! All volunteers get a jacket, pants, vest, hat, 2 shirts, water bottle and other swag.
- Tomorrow I have training on the hill from 9 to 12 AM. This is a general orientation to where you go, the lay of the land and how you get around. I spoke with my crew chief, Mike Sheppard, this evening and he wants me to start working tomorrow afternoon (Wed) - they needs lots of help to get the track ready for Thursday and the first training runs for the Ladies Super Combined race.
- Really looking forward to tomorrow - will be on my skis and on the hill - that is when the fun will begin!!

Dreams Do Come True!!

A colleaugue of my husband Stephen sent this to him. It is a speech by author Anna Quindlen to the graduating class of Villenova University. Sue sent it as a response to the sudden death of a 51 yr old acquaintance of ours. It really sums up the way I feel about my Olympic Adventure. Please take 2 minutes to read it.



http://www.cs.oswego.edu/~wender/quindlen.html



Life is too short - sieze the day! Even at 45 your dreams can come true!!

7 Days and counting!!

I leave one week from today!! Getting excited but a lot to do to get ready to go!

I sent a box of "stuff" to Whistler last week - nervous about the 50 lb limit on Air Canada - thought I would have way more gear then 50 lbs! I need 2 ski suits and 2 sets of rain gear, insulator jacket, crampons, head lamp (for early mornings and late at night working on the hill), extra gloves, plus all the stuff I need for 3 weeks. We do get a uniform but it is only a shell and you need to layer underneath it. Whistler weather in February can be almost anything - from really cold to rain and foggy! Hopefully for the Olympics it will be around -5C and sunny the entire time!!

I have been working hard to prepare for this adventure - have been working out with Rich Childs at the Step Up Gym in Chelsea since the beginning of November. I knew that I would have to be in good physical shape to endure the long days of physical labour that being on course crew will involve. He did a fantastic job of getting me into shape! Thanks Rich!

This week will be all about packing and organizing things for my family so that everything runs smoothly while I am away. Stephen and I are taking Jillian to Le Relais outside Quebec City for a race on the weekend - we leave on Thursday and will return on Sunday night. I leave at 5:25 pm Monday, Feb 8th. I really need everthing to be ready before I go on Thursday.

I will update this blog a couple of times before I go and hope to post as frequently as possible during my Olympic Adventure. Thanks for following along with me and sharing in my adventure!