Whistler 2010

Skiing Ian fixes a panel in less than 2 minutes before the next racer

Feb 15 the winner of the men's DH goes past us then we slip behind him - Swiss

Feb 15 a gate keeper, Karen, at Sharon's area loves Skiis & Biikes

Feb 15 Race is on and Michel Lehmann is my wing man for slipping - he was in the 1964 and 1968 Olympics for skiing for Canada - he now lives in Chamonix France and speaks French I can understand - a very delightful man.

Feb 15 - before dawn - race day - it will run - our bus at 4am is rammed with blue coats

Today we had a late start - noon - so Sharon and I just chilled out as we were so tired from the last week. At noon the rain was poring down but when we got up to the top of the gondola it was snowing then the sun came out. The big bosses told us to go skiing or whatever but be back at 3:15 so I went skiing up in the bowl on 183cm GS world cup race skis and had a blast in 40cm of tracked up snow with soft fun mogels.
At 3:30 we started fast slipping the top of the course and it is so ready for the race day tomorrow. Unfortunately, while slipping very fast I caught an edge on the flats and when down like a tone a bricks and hurt my bad shoulder so I hope the drugs will work for race day.
Tomorrow, we will be giving away foam cowboy hats, foam fingers and bangers all to promote the USA ski team. These kids are show them off. Race time is 10:30am local time 1:30 in Ontario so tune in. I have to be on hill at 5:30am so I'm going to bed ... go Canada go

Race Day! Men's Downhill ... what we have been working toward ... up at 3am and ready to go up the lift at 4am ... hold! ... wait, wait and wait somemore ... 5 am we are told the race is post-pone until Monday as there is too much snow up high and the lower is too soft - there is not too little snow like Cypress. At 6am, it is still dark, we are at the top of the gondola and you guessed it walking down 4" at a time with our skis on ... the sweat is rolling off my nose and running down my back. My legs are stiff from yesterday but warm up and in no time we are talking and joking ... at 10am we finally reach the bottom and were released for the day.
This shot is of some of the 40 people that are slipping (walking down the hill) in the dark.

The posting below was for Feb 12 and the picture should have been this one of the blue coats in a meeting - the one 2 down is the security line up of the first high security day - no line up since

Today at 7am we had an all crews, mens & ladies courses, meeting to tell us how to get the courses ready, especially the mens for tomorrows race. At 9am we met at the top of the gondola and cut onto the course at the bottom of the sewer then walked to the bottom 4" at a time ... side stepping down the mountain with our skis across the hill. Finished at noon then went to the village store to make sure everything was ready for the USA ski team party on Sat night.
The picture is of our course crew meeting, the green hats are the bosses - we are know as blue coats for obvious reasons!

Today we started getting the course for the Men's DH ready today at 4 am because it snowed and you have to take the new stuff off the course by ski, rack and shovel. Basicly a 12 hour sweatfest - lots of work but fun - good team work with volunteers from all over Canada. Oh by the way it is really dark at 4am!
After prepping the course from 4 to 9 am we kept it in great shape while 100 athletes did a necessary training run. So the race can go Saturday.