Beijing - 1st Olympics 100% man made snow

[IceEidolon]

Honestly it's more the crews in the cats and on the race crew that own this rather than the guns that made the product, and likely had it done weeks ago.

It's absolutely possible to ruin a trail or make it harder to prep while snowmaking, though - I've been on both sides (nice snow ruined by race prep and race prep blamed for a horrible mess from rookie snowmakers).

 

[tumbler]

It's absolutely possible to ruin a trail or make it harder to prep while snowmaking, though - I've been on both sides (nice snow ruined by race prep and race prep blamed for a horrible mess from rookie snowmakers).

Is that where the Wildcat and Attitash snowmakers were?

 

[Hawk]

It's interesting to see the range of responces about Eileen Gu's Gold and her decisions. Trader, hero, visionary, bridge builder, entitled teen. I guess she is a combinaion of all of these things because there is no real determination until the end of the story. Let's see what she realy does with the new found fame. I think that at 18 years old she really has no real understanding for the geoplitical fabric and truely thinks she can affect change. The problem is that like everything else, people generaly suck and will stick to whatever warped opinion they have. I truely doubt that she will affect any change in this sick and twisted world that we live in. and honestly, I think she will be affected by the sick and twisted world and fade into obscurity.

 

[abc]

People read too much into these celebrities.

She's just a girl who's really good at twisting and tumbling with a snowboard attached to her feet. And like other sport celebrities, she wants to convert that short-lived fame into hard cold cash!

The rest are just her PR machine's spin, again to maximize her income (and their portion as her agent)

If she ever effect any real change, it'll be 10+ years down the road, if she still manages to stay in the lime light that long.

 

[Hawk]

I am not convinced this is all cash. I think she thinks she can change peoples thinking about US / China relations.

Also! you stated above that "If you don't take enormous amount of risk, you never get to the top of the world. She did. Both on snow and on the geopolitical theater. She's already been richly rewarded at a very young age. More than most here will ever earn in our life time!" I highly disagree with this. I think I have been richly rewarded in my lifetime. I Ski and bike most days, have a beautiful and talated wife that skis and bike with me. I have tremedous likeminded friends. I grow, cook and eat excellent foods. Drink good wines and cocktails. I have great health and have been employed consistently for my entire life. I don't have the shitshow that publicity gathers like these celeberties and althletes have. I would never wish that upon anybody. I would argue that my life is 10 times more rewarding then hers.

 

[JimG.]

I am not convinced this is all cash. I think she thinks she can change peoples thinking about US / China relations.

Also! you stated above that "If you don't take enormous amount of risk, you never get to the top of the world. She did. Both on snow and on the geopolitical theater. She's already been richly rewarded at a very young age. More than most here will ever earn in our life time!" I highly disagree with this. I think I have been richly rewarded in my lifetime. I Ski and bike most days, have a beautiful and talated wife that skis and bike with me. I have tremedous likeminded friends. I grow, cook and eat excellent foods. Drink good wines and cocktails. I have great health and have been employed consistently for my entire life. I don't have the shitshow that publicity gathers like these celeberties and althletes have. I would never wish that upon anybody. I would argue that my life is 10 times more rewarding then hers.

I feel the same way Hawk.

She's a performer and no different from any other celebrity, looking out for her bottom line only. The political speak about effecting change is naive bullshit. I'm not a fan.

 

[machski]

Environmental concerns from holding a DH race? I'm really scratching my head here, and a GOOG search isnt being helpful. What was the issue(s)?

Not the race itself, it was all the added traffic to cover and watch the event that would have driven up LCC.

 

[machski]

What about Whistler? Any issues with that course? I admittedly know nothing about DH race course requirements.

Whistler course was always fully qualified, no waivers required. Likely still is, just not on the regular FIS circuit.

 

[abc]

I have great health and have been employed consistently for my entire life. I don't have the shitshow that publicity gathers like these celeberties and althletes have. I would never wish that upon anybody. I would argue that my life is 10 times more rewarding then hers.

So if your kids want to race, and showing talent, you'll tell him/her "It's a shitty life which I don't wish it upon you!"?

 

[KustyTheKlown]

It's true. Lasted 11 seconds then moped on the side of the trail. I thought it was a bad look as the tv just kept showing her instead of the people skiing. I have a felling a mental health break announcement is coming soon.

just watched it. they said she sat there for 25 minutes. i understand its devastating, and i also cant possibly ever truly understand it bc its her life and i don't know those pressures. but seems kinda whack to me and mostly disrespectful to her competitors and her own teammates for her to sit courseside for 25 minutes creating a hazard for the other racers who all worked just as hard and care just as much as MS does

 

[drjeff]

just watched it. they said she sat there for 25 minutes. i understand its devastating, and i also cant possibly ever truly understand it bc its her life and i don't know those pressures. but seems kinda whack to me and mostly disrespectful to her competitors and her own teammates for her to sit courseside for 25 minutes creating a hazard for the other racers who all worked just as hard and care just as much as MS does

Technical issue, she actually wasn't a hazard for her fellow competitors where she sat. There were some drone shots of her sitting on the snow and she was probably a good 75-100 ft off to the side of the course with a segment of b-net between the course and where she sat

The reality is that even not paying attention to the subsequent racers as she sat there, she wasn't affecting the safety of the race, and there were plenty more course workers and race officials at other sections of the course, much closer to the race line and not behind any b-net.

Had she actually been in the race line or in a hazardous location of other competitors the technical delegate (the head of the race) in would of received word from other race officials in sight of her, and a "stop - start" order would of been called on the race radios and the starter would of held and subsequent racers until the course was cleared by the race officials from the finish on up to the start, at which point the technical delegate or chief of race would of given a "start - start" order on the race radio and the head starter would of brought the next racer into the starting gate and released them onto the course once the starter verified with the head timer that the timing system is clear and ready to resume.

There's a bunch of specifically detailed protocols and commands that go into how a race is run, and not just at the Olympic or Worldcup level

 

[ThatGuy]

The whole point of the Olympics is to represent your country on a global stage. Its like for Soccer in the World Cup when all the best American players go play for different countries, stupid. If you weren’t born there or lived there for a significant time its just bs money/glory grabbing. The girl was born in America, trained in America and benefited from her mother bringing her to America but now wants to play for China because she knows she has a better chance of money, fame and glory there. I don’t agree with Nationalism either but China is committing many atrocities in our current age and the fact that they are where the money is now means people are afraid to disrupt their income. Just like Lebron, John Cena and the many other celebrities/ athletes who bend over for a paycheck.

 

[ThatGuy]

Another problem is the media hyping these athletes to the point of mental breakdowns. Look at what happened to Simone Biles in the Summer Olympics. It’s unrealistic to hold these insane expectations of them and act like they are carrying the country on their shoulders. Yes it is great to see people compete and perform at the top level but its also okay to fail and its not the end of the world.

 

[abc]

The whole point of the Olympics is to represent your country on a global stage.

It’s unrealistic to hold these insane expectations of them and act like they are carrying the country on their shoulders.

So you want them to "represent your country on a global stage" but not "carrying the country on their shoulder"?

Aren't those two exactly the same thing?






See the contradiction in your own thought process?

 

[JimG.]

So if your kids want to race, and showing talent, you'll tell him/her "It's a shitty life which I don't wish it upon you!"?

I don't think Hawk has kids.

I do and frankly it does seem like a shitty life for a kid.

 

[JimG.]

So you want them to "represent your country on a global stage" but not "carrying the country on their shoulder"?

Aren't those two exactly the same thing?






See the contradiction in your own thought process?

I don't think he "wants" any of that. He's just speaking truth.

 

[flakeydog]

Technical issue, she actually wasn't a hazard for her fellow competitors where she sat. There were some drone shots of her sitting on the snow and she was probably a good 75-100 ft off to the side of the course with a segment of b-net between the course and where she sat

The reality is that even not paying attention to the subsequent racers as she sat there, she wasn't affecting the safety of the race, and there were plenty more course workers and race officials at other sections of the course, much closer to the race line and not behind any b-net.

Had she actually been in the race line or in a hazardous location of other competitors the technical delegate (the head of the race) in would of received word from other race officials in sight of her, and a "stop - start" order would of been called on the race radios and the starter would of held and subsequent racers until the course was cleared by the race officials from the finish on up to the start, at which point the technical delegate or chief of race would of given a "start - start" order on the race radio and the head starter would of brought the next racer into the starting gate and released them onto the course once the starter verified with the head timer that the timing system is clear and ready to resume.

There's a bunch of specifically detailed protocols and commands that go into how a race is run, and not just at the Olympic or Worldcup level

Agreed- the coverage was a bit over the top. She was well off to the side out of range and view of the active race course but the coverage almost indicated otherwise. If you were watching NBC you might think that the racing world had stopped to allow her the time she needed to decompress a mere few feet away from the race. I had to rewind a couple of times to figure out where she really was, the camera was in so close you could not get the big picture. In addition to that, they skipped a number of racers as they continued to zoom in on her agony of defeat. I had to switch to Peacock to rewind back to actually see the other racers (yes, the race was still going on, NBC decided not to show it). Shiffrin was trying to get a little bit of alone time away from the action before facing the masses down below, it was NBC trying to craft a different narrative.

 

[Hawk]

So if your kids want to race, and showing talent, you'll tell him/her "It's a shitty life which I don't wish it upon you!"?

I don't have any children. Wasn't in the cards and not for a lack of trying. My comments are my own and for me that life sounds really shitty. But I am someone that does not like a lot of fuss in my life. If I had children I would have probably tried to steer them in a direction of hard work and service to others but the decision would be of there own making. You can only hope that your kids get it and live a good positive life. I have 22 nieces and nephews, all great kids. No issues with drugs, alchohol, depression or selfishness. Seeing how my siblings and family operate, I would hope I would have done the same.

 

[KustyTheKlown]

thanks for explaining. the coverage i saw indeed make it seem like she was interfering with or at least annoying the other racers.

 

[abc]

But I am someone that does not like a lot of fuss in my life. If I had children I would have probably tried to steer them in a direction of hard work and service to others but the decision would be of there own making.

Thanks for explaining. Because it wasn't how it's coming through in your previous post. What you wrote earlier sounds exactly what my mother would have said (and continue to say).

It's one thing to impact some adult wisdom to kids as they growing up, which every parent does to his/her best knowledge. It's something else to strongly discourage them from something that's potentially harmful. The latter should only applies to drugs and crimes. But you made it sound like striving for world class excellency is also something to be strongly discouraged and prevented. I can't help to find that disturbing.