Will Sochi Olympics be a disaster?

[BenedictGomez]

The Olympic men’s downhill course begins with a descent so steep that skiers quickly reach 90 miles an hour.

Uhhhhhhhh......... is this true, or is it typical nonsense written by a reporter who doesnt know anything about skiing?

 

[Puck it]

Uhhhhhhhh......... is this true, or is it typical nonsense written by a reporter who doesnt know anything about skiing?

It looks to come at the racers right away. But I heard it is not that techincal of a course.

 

[Tin]

Google @Sochiproblems. Some funny stuff.

 

[MadMadWorld]

It looks to come at the racers right away. But I heard it is not that techincal of a course.

View attachment 10897

First section is very steep but hard to imagine them hitting those speeds with a big first turn like that. Maybe further down but still seems crazy.

 

[drjeff]

Uhhhhhhhh......... is this true, or is it typical nonsense written by a reporter who doesnt know anything about skiing?

90 might be a touch on the high side, but from what I've read 0-75mph+ out of the start only takes a few seconds on this course! Not unlike the start of the DH during the Salt Lake City Olympics, where the men were going 80+ courtesy of about a 400 foot vertical drop in the first 1000 or so feet of the course

 

[drjeff]

First section is very steep but hard to imagine them hitting those speeds with a big first turn like that. Maybe further down but still seems crazy.

If it's a typical Bernhard Russi (the '72 Olympic DH champion and arguably the "best" alpine course designer on the planet right now, and he did the design work for all the courses at Rosa Khator) it will have a bunch of terrain in the course, with a number of banked turns that really can't be appreciated by anyone going less than 50mph (minimal "tuna speed" ) and there really isn't much gliding involved from top to bottom. His courses, such as the Grizzly Downhill for the '02 games in SLC, Tne Birds of Prey DH at Beavercreek, the DH at Whistler for the 2010 games and the DH at Val D'sere used in the Albertville games are known for being "technical" (essentially gliders don't usually like them) with high speeds and big air sections and require the racers to almost always be setting up their next turn as soon as they finish the previous one

 

[drjeff]

Here's a GoPro view of the course, i'm guessing from one of the forerunners that NBC just put up on their olympics FB page (just got to get through the 15 second BMW add first )

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/sochi-mens-downhill-training-skiers-pov

 

[from_the_NEK]

That course looks like fun Bode really likes that it is so technical. He won the training run today. http://www.nbcolympics.com/news/bod...s-challenging-rosa-khutor-course?ctx=team-usa

 

[MadMadWorld]

POVs really don't do DH courses much justice.

 

[billski]

Uhhhhhhhh......... is this true, or is it typical nonsense written by a reporter who doesnt know anything about skiing?

They relocated and shortened it after a racer was killed there last season.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Here's a GoPro view of the course, i'm guessing from one of the forerunners that NBC just put up on their olympics FB page (just got to get through the 15 second BMW add first )

http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/sochi-mens-downhill-training-skiers-pov

Holy crap that start is ridiculously steep. Cant recall ever seeing a start that steep before.

90 might be a touch on the high side, but from what I've read 0-75mph+ out of the start only takes a few seconds on this course!

75 at least seems in the realm of possibility, 90 I dont see how that's possible. It's not speed skiing.

 

[billski]

BBC - These streams are all live
You can access the action across the BBC on television, red button and radio, with up to six live streams available online, connected TVs, mobiles, tablets and the BBC Sport app.
All times are scheduled start times, in GMT.

Day two: Sunday, 9 February

07:00 Alpine skiing - men's downhill.

Day three: Monday, 10 February

07:00 Alpine skiing - women's super combined

Day four: Tuesday, 11 February

06:00 Freestyle skiing - women's slopestyle.
10:00 Snowboard - men's halfpipe.
17:30 Ski jump - women

Day five: Wednesday, 12 February

07:00 Alpine skiing - women's downhill.

Day six: Thursday, 13 February

06:15 Freestyle skiing - men's slopestyle
07:30 Skeleton - women's first and second heats
16:15 Luge - team relay.

Day 7: Friday, 14 February

Men's SC, 7:00
Day nine: Sunday, 16 February

07:00 Snowboard - women's snowboard cross.

Day 10: Monday, 17 February

14:30 Bobsleigh - two-man third and fourth heats

Day 11: Tuesday, 18 February

07:00 Alpine skiing - women's giant slalom

Day 13: Thursday, 20 February

14:30 Freestyle skiing - women's halfpipe

Day 14: Friday, 21 February

12:45 Alpine skiing - women's slalom.

Day 15: Saturday, 22 February

05:15 Snowboard - parallel slalom
12:45 Alpine skiing - men's slalom

 

[colinmccormack]

it looks like horrible conditions. sean already threatning to leave. we will see what the opening show reveals

 

[BenedictGomez]

Day two: Sunday, 9 February

07:00 Alpine skiing - men's downhill.

Well that sucks. I cant watch that live if that's the time I'm waking and getting ready to leave for my own downhilling.

it looks like horrible conditions. sean already threatning to leave.

Wait, what? I know he dropped out of Slopestyle due to his wrist and desire to focus on pipe, but he might leave entirely? Havent heard that.

 

[VTKilarney]

Well that sucks. I cant watch that live if that's the time I'm waking and getting ready to leave for my own downhilling.

I'm not sure if this is any better, but those times are GMT, not EST.

 

[from_the_NEK]

I'm not sure if this is any better, but those times are GMT, not EST.

Correct. So 7:00am GMT = 2:00am EST

 

[drjeff]

I'm not sure if this is any better, but those times are GMT, not EST.

Correct. So 7:00am GMT = 2:00am EST

Yup, the fact that Sochi is 9 hours ahead of EST really makes watching live events that start there late morning (like all the skiing/ boarding events) a real PITA!!

 

[BenedictGomez]

I'm not sure if this is any better, but those times are GMT, not EST.

Good catch.

Not any better though, unless I want to have 3 hours of sleep and then go skiing.

 

[Glenn]

You know what's a disaster? Having to watch figure skating.

 

[billski]

I tunneled in last night. There is a catch. You have to pay L170~ for a live streaming license. It's good for a year. I have to investigate the replays. What I usually do is stream it on the PC at night, with a scheduled video recorder and watch it in the AM.