SITE VISIT

Looking up at the jumps from the outrun.

Day 2 and another beauty.  Not a cloud in the sky, temperatures right around freezing- pleasant in the sun, cold in the shade.  Nils and I jogged (hiked) to the hills, maybe a mile and a half from the Marriott.  Plenty of snow though they were still blowing it on the K125 knoll.  Crews working on the K95 landing hill where they hope to get forejumpers off Wednesday ahead of first official training for men on Thursday.  Beautiful site facing pretty much due east (vs. north which is preferred for minimizing exposure to sun), and not set  along the natural grade but across it looking up the valley instead of down.  The in-run and entire landing hill are raised trestles on massive steel girders.  Another chunk of the $50B spent for these Games accounted for.  In-run is refrigerated rail with white carpet surrounding.  No snow whatsoever.  Should be smooth and fast for all and no crampons or rakes needed.  There's a unit that cuts contour in the track to further minimize the resistance and to shed any melting to avoid a suction condition with the ski.  Winds in the area tend to be up the valley which is from the back of the hill but they have installed a netting system that will control this, at least partly.  Also- the jumping events are all at night which tends to be quieter anyway (and gets the events to prime time for European audience and midday in NY time zone.  Looks like seating for maybe 7,000 max, but in an auditorium fashion that should bring a great energy if they fill the seats.  Long/short- it looks like organizers have done a beautiful job.

Milled ice track, carpet surround.

Amazing to see how fast other things are coming together around the mountain village.  Trucks full of restaurant equipment and retail racks were crowding the streets last night with folks running goods into formerly darkened (brand new) store fronts.  The mall that was dark has opened most of the first floor shops in the last 24 hours and lines at the grocery store were long but tempered by costumed sales reps for Russian chocolate and beverage companies giving out free samples.  How natural the act of profit maximization... how fast they have learned!

Adidas store yesterday.

Adidas store today.

From twitter feeds, etc. I hear athletes are arriving and that they are impressed with their settings as well, though all I see in the streets are the press and logistics teams that will support them.  Strangely Hunger Games.

Just when you thought things might be different in Russia.  Cinnabon at the mall entrance.