Author Topic: Vancouver 2010  (Read 19930 times)

CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #25 on: 15 February, 2010, 01:51:53 pm »
Well the best event is complete and went a little to form which is always a shame.

I urge you to make the effort to understand and appreciate the Nordic Combined.  The athletes for ski jumping train for a single pulse of energy from fast twitch muscles.  Cross Country skis train for continuous aerobic exertion.  The two are not compatible. So the field is made up of athletes that are neither optimised for jumping or skiing. However each competitor is an uneasy balance between the two.  He may be a jumper-skier or skier-jumper.  If he tries to train to correct a deficiency in one his ability in the other falls off. It is quite common for a competitor to change from a skier-jumper to a jumper-skier or vice versa as he attempts to get better.

Each competitor has one jump that earns him a start time.  The better jumpers get a head start over the better skiers.  The best outcome for a spectators is a medium spread of times so the good skiers can get near the rest.  It gets very exciting when this happens. In general the jumping distance/start time ratios are set so the best jumper or best skier rarely win.  The sport is self handicapping.  I look on it as a 10,000km track race. The Europeans set off then after they have completed a lap the East Africans start.  There is hope in the minds of the Europeans that the Africans will not catch them.

Yesterday the superstar skiers had poor jumps and were too far behind to get in on the act.  The best of them finished 9th ahead of the winner of the jump. Unfortunately better balanced jumper/skiers were already finished up 40 seconds earlier.  The world cup leader got the gold.  Totally predictable yesterday but often it's not. Almost every skier the winner did not pass was probably faster than him. Always leads to an uncertain finish.
   

Jakob

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #26 on: 15 February, 2010, 08:09:26 pm »
Shame there's no snow, and it's raining and foggy... just like it often is in Vancouver this time of year. At this rate there will be no alpine events...

Still, there's the short-track speed skating...  :) and the curling  :-\

Plenty of snow at Whistler.. I certainly enjoyed the 30cm of fresh powder yesterday. (And the completely empty slopes). Main issue have been fog.

Cypress, which is just outside Vancouver, had record snowfall in November/December and since there's been barely a flake...it's less important for the freestyle events in any case and then imported snow will do just fine.

I'm going to see Curling on Thursday (Denmark vs Scotland) and Hockey on Friday.
Would like to see some of the speed skating, but doubt that I can get tickets and time to do so.

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #27 on: 15 February, 2010, 10:56:10 pm »
Woohoo!  This snowboard cross is hilarious! 
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #28 on: 16 February, 2010, 09:11:59 am »
The Combine Nordique was quite good indeed; and what a finish! The pain of the cross country skiers and the control the biathletes show are also very impressive. A pity the 15 km race last night was not broadcast in the best of ways.
Frenchie - Train à Grande Vitesse

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #29 on: 16 February, 2010, 09:18:43 am »
Woohoo!  This snowboard cross is hilarious! 

yeah, that was great fun last night. Reminded me of BMX racing.

Really Ancien

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #30 on: 16 February, 2010, 10:47:05 am »
Woohoo!  This snowboard cross is hilarious! 

yeah, that was great fun last night. Reminded me of BMX racing.

Boarder Cross looks good until you have seen ski cross on the same course. Then it suddenly looks very slow.

Damon.

andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #31 on: 16 February, 2010, 12:12:05 pm »
A hint of the one-stick vs two-sticks tribal rivalry there, Damon?   ;)
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #32 on: 16 February, 2010, 12:31:29 pm »
It is a simple fact that snowboarders get laid more often than skiers. That's why I sold my skis about 15 years ago and took to the board  :P
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

Really Ancien

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #33 on: 16 February, 2010, 12:41:13 pm »
A hint of the one-stick vs two-sticks tribal rivalry there, Damon?   ;)
Compare and contrast.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/gdoHdAEC1gg&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/gdoHdAEC1gg&rel=1</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/8_gc5Jch-XY&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/8_gc5Jch-XY&rel=1</a>

I don't mind boarders, but skis are faster, they get a lot more air and it's easier to use your elbows on skis.

Damon.

Chris S

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #34 on: 16 February, 2010, 12:43:55 pm »
#1 Son is currently half way through a 6 month stint as a Chalet Chef in Mirabel. He's learning to board; never even occurred to him to learn to ski I don't think.

Free lessons, lift pass, equipment hire etc (all perks of the job) probably helps ;).

He's just learning to "grab" now, whatever than means  ::-). I suspect his parents are better off not knowing.

Jaded

  • The Codfather
  • Formerly known as Jaded
Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #35 on: 16 February, 2010, 12:49:27 pm »
He's just learning to "grab" now, whatever than means  ::-). I suspect his parents are better off not knowing.

It is a simple fact that snowboarders get laid more often than skiers.

 ;D
It is simpler than it looks.

Chris S

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #36 on: 16 February, 2010, 12:51:38 pm »
He's just learning to "grab" now, whatever than means  ::-). I suspect his parents are better off not knowing.

It is a simple fact that snowboarders get laid more often than skiers.

 ;D


Indeed. Lucky sod.

Really Ancien

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #37 on: 16 February, 2010, 12:55:48 pm »
He's just learning to "grab" now, whatever than means  ::-). I suspect his parents are better off not knowing.

It's what the guy in green at 3mins 10 is doing. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/8B10YmpNDaQ&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/8B10YmpNDaQ&rel=1</a>

There's a sense in which a lot of boarders are like the kids who do tricks outside your local Tesco on BMXs. I tend to meet the good ones who can go anywhere, as the lift a Yad Moss is very board unfriendly and the best terrain in Val d'Isere is served by similiary dated contraptions. So I've seen some really good and keen boarders, rather than the posers.

Damon.

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #38 on: 16 February, 2010, 12:58:48 pm »
It's an Olympic torch, about the only thing I consider really, properly sacred.  Who cares what you look like?   ;D

What channel was the biathlon?  I missed it!

Eurosport... pretty good snowstorm during the race, only the first few starters weren't hampered by it. O-E B missed 4 shots  :'(

mattc

  • n.b. have grown beard since photo taken
    • Didcot Audaxes
Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #39 on: 16 February, 2010, 01:23:27 pm »
Woohoo!  This snowboard cross is hilarious! 

yeah, that was great fun last night. Reminded me of BMX racing.

Boarder Cross looks good until you have seen ski cross on the same course. Then it suddenly looks very slow.

Damon.
Sounds like F1 vs Touring Cars.
Has never ridden RAAM
---------
No.11  Because of the great host of those who dislike the least appearance of "swank " when they travel the roads and lanes. - From Kuklos' 39 Articles

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #40 on: 16 February, 2010, 02:47:55 pm »
Going to be a late one tonight with hockey at 03:10 tomorrow

CommuteTooFar

  • Inadequate Randonneur
Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #41 on: 16 February, 2010, 03:29:53 pm »
A hint of the one-stick vs two-sticks tribal rivalry there, Damon?   ;)

Some time ago I observed that road cyclists ski and mountain bikers board. As time has passed I have noticed that there are now many people who do both. The standard of snow boarding overall has increased greatly.  Much fewer antisocial idiots on piste, they are off piste causing avalanches:-)

(I am cycle on the road and ski downhill).

The more adventurous activity these days is ski touring.  Boards are no good for this as you can not board up hill. (You can not walk far in deep snow).


Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #42 on: 16 February, 2010, 03:59:59 pm »
The more adventurous activity these days is ski touring.  Boards are no good for this as you can not board up hill. (You can not walk far in deep snow)

They solved that problem quite a few years ago: Voile Split Decision Mojo Splitboard - '09/'10 at REI.com

Really Ancien

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #43 on: 16 February, 2010, 04:29:40 pm »
The more adventurous activity these days is ski touring.  Boards are no good for this as you can not board up hill. (You can not walk far in deep snow)

They solved that problem quite a few years ago: Voile Split Decision Mojo Splitboard - '09/'10 at REI.com

The problem comes in climbing up passes when you have to kick-turn, the wider the platform, the harder it gets, you also can't mount harscheisen as they interfere with each other, so hard-packed traverses are a no-no. A lot of good powder pitches are also accessed by long traverses which skis do better on. There are a number of 'freeride' slopes which are accessible with that kind of kit, but by the time you've mastered those skills you might as well ski, most of the good boarders can. A lot of what you see on films is 'aspirational' with a single shot of a long off-piste shot intercut with staged stunts, in the style of Bond film skiing. The fashion aspect of boarding supports a number of top pros, like surfing, with both sport and lifestyle. Akin to the way in which Rapha have tried to promote both lifestyle and competitive cycling.

Damon.

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #44 on: 16 February, 2010, 06:16:54 pm »


The problem comes in climbing up passes when you have to kick-turn, the wider the platform, the harder it gets, you also can't mount harscheisen as they interfere with each other, so hard-packed traverses are a no-no.
Damon.

You can't?



Jakob

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #45 on: 16 February, 2010, 06:17:52 pm »


The problem comes in climbing up passes when you have to kick-turn, the wider the platform, the harder it gets, you also can't mount harscheisen as they interfere with each other, so hard-packed traverses are a no-no. A lot of good powder pitches are also accessed by long traverses which skis do better on. There are a number of 'freeride' slopes which are accessible with that kind of kit, but by the time you've mastered those skills you might as well ski, most of the good boarders can. A lot of what you see on films is 'aspirational' with a single shot of a long off-piste shot intercut with staged stunts, in the style of Bond film skiing. The fashion aspect of boarding supports a number of top pros, like surfing, with both sport and lifestyle. Akin to the way in which Rapha have tried to promote both lifestyle and competitive cycling.

Damon.

The large section of snowboarders aren't really that into off-piste and will rather spend time in the terrain park. Snowboarding descends from the skateboarding culture and brings with a culture of expression that skiing never had and you'd still be skiing in 1-piece ski-suits if it wasn't for snowboarding. Along the way it has also pushed freestyle skiing onwards and upwards...just look at the complexity of the freestyle moguls jumps...not that many years ago a 360 or a split would be the norm.
 Granted, I'm biased, as I used to skateboard and living here doesn't help. The local mountains (Cypress, Grouse & Seymour) are 70-80% snowboarders, although it'll switch more towards 50-50 at Whistler.

Anways..this little vid shows that you can have an awful lot of fun even on flat groomers.

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/gLLUh6-xbhM&rel=1" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/v/gLLUh6-xbhM&rel=1</a>


Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #46 on: 16 February, 2010, 07:43:22 pm »
I'm more into another branch of the speeding world, speedskating. He proper one that is, the long track. Missed out on the 5k men though because I had to race myself. Luckily the 500m ladies is timed such that I can see the first leg before sleeping and the resume of the 2nd leg between sleeping and work.

Really Ancien

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #47 on: 16 February, 2010, 07:56:41 pm »
I tend to go to Val d'Isere, where there are 90 lifts in a linked area, the pass costs over £200 per week, so you'd only hang around the terrain park if someone else was paying for your ticket.

Damon.


andygates

  • Peroxide Viking
Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #48 on: 16 February, 2010, 08:02:08 pm »
I'm not the only one who watched the ladies' biathlon and thought, "I say, Mrs Peel!" at their shooting stance, am I? O:-)
It takes blood and guts to be this cool but I'm still just a cliché.
OpenStreetMap UK & IRL Streetmap & Topo: ravenfamily.org/andyg/maps updates weekly.

Flying_Monkey

Re: Vancouver 2010
« Reply #49 on: 16 February, 2010, 09:20:41 pm »
Well, the conditions on Cypress have deteriorated further. The women's snowboard cross qualifying is just pathetic. More than half of the women have fallen, and not just the ones at the lower end of the standings - it seems to me largely through a combination of bad visibility and really shitty wet snow. Even the Canadian TV commentator has described it as 'embarrassing', so it must be getting pretty bad...