Skiers Without Skis...
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I left the shop late Monday afternoon and arrived, north of Princeton, BC, after about 200 miles of driving. After some peck-and-hunt navigation, I pulled in around 8:30 p.m. and joined the fray. The Slovenian team is staying as guests of the Princeton nordic community, and Nat Brown, and resting and preparing for the pre-Olympic World Cup races that are scheduled for this weekend. Immediately upon arrival I was greeted by the Slovenian team. I had a nice visit - and a big piece of cake - with returning athletes Vesna Fabjan (world U23 sprint champ for '08), Katja Višnar, and Barbara Jezeršek. I spent about a half-hour catching up with the Vesna and Katja before joining the service/coaching staff in Nat Brown's cabin.
The ski trails are on Nat's ranch, situated in a valley at elevation 3100 ft. It's a mix of open fields and treed hillsides, with heritage buildings. Rustic and beautiful. See the pic of the wax cabin, and my accomodations for the stay here at the ranch.
Baggage hasn't all arrived. The athletes are making the best of it; they seemed calm and in good humor, considering the situation. Monday they ice skated and did a gym workout. The coaches and service crew seemed somewhat more agitated, and are working to get the goods delivered. Near 10 p.m. most of the skis arrived and a few bags of personal clothing. Hopefully the rest will arrive during the day on Tuesday.
I brought a lot of the service gear - test skis, wax tables, irons, etc, - so that part of the show isn't missing at all.
It was good to spend Monday evening catching up with the team, and meeting the new faces in the service and coaching crew. I think things will really get rolling Tuesday morning. The trails look well groomed and inviting, but I think I'll be spending much of the time preparing skis rather than skiing.
More on Tuesday night, maybe a couple more pictures...
Baggage hasn't all arrived. The athletes are making the best of it; they seemed calm and in good humor, considering the situation. Monday they ice skated and did a gym workout. The coaches and service crew seemed somewhat more agitated, and are working to get the goods delivered. Near 10 p.m. most of the skis arrived and a few bags of personal clothing. Hopefully the rest will arrive during the day on Tuesday.
I brought a lot of the service gear - test skis, wax tables, irons, etc, - so that part of the show isn't missing at all.
It was good to spend Monday evening catching up with the team, and meeting the new faces in the service and coaching crew. I think things will really get rolling Tuesday morning. The trails look well groomed and inviting, but I think I'll be spending much of the time preparing skis rather than skiing.
More on Tuesday night, maybe a couple more pictures...
