Technorati Tags: azu, photography, powder, powder king, rocky mountains, skiing

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North Korea vs. Portugal

21 June  8:30am (AT)

Lots floating around about North Korea’s attempt (105th in FIFA rankings) at football dominance in 2010.

Of course, it was only a matter of time before the Dear Leader would be invoked as the force behind the team .

The North Korean player who scored a goal against Brazil in a World Cup match earlier this week has said his team will prove a strong contender if it fights with the "audacity of the General," regurgitating an apparatchik-like reference to leader Kim Jong-il.

I watched (about 75%) of their match with Brazil and couldn’t help but noticed the tiny red-clad DPRK cheering squad huddled together in the stands.  I assumed they were probably embassy staff. 

Nope .

China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the Sports Committee of North Korea distributed 1,000 tickets to a so-called "Chinese football fan volunteer army."

China didn’t qualify this year…but hey, free tickets.  I was looking for Team North Korea merchandise on the FIFA website…other than a t-shirt, there isn’t much.  I wouldn’t mind a hat…you know…for historical reasons…it’s possible they might not be around for the next cup!  There are couple I heart DPRK hats floating around 3rd party websites…going a bit far though I think.  I suspect if a white guys was spotted in the North Korean cheering section he might get a visit from some men-in-black.  

Technorati Tags: china, football, north korea, portugal, soccer, world cup 2010

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Lemoine Point is about 9km from Portsmouth Village straight down the ever so boring Front Road, although the massive housing along the way (especially near the Airport) makes for some nice residential viewing.  Fairly decent (yet limited) trail riding opportunities. 

That second last image is actually an Xbox game I found on the shore (the CD was inside).  Probably one of the more bizarre pieces of Lake Ontario trash that washes up on the shore.  Members of the Inukshuk army  were also present guarding against any potential shoreline transgressions.

Technorati Tags: cataraqui conservation area, cycling, flies, insects, Kingston, lake ontario, lemoine point

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@ The Duke – Kingston, Ontario with my friends and colleagues from SURP.

We were a little preemptive with our celebrations when Team USA slammed one passed Luongo to tie it up @ 2/2 with 30 seconds left in regulation time.  That means all that is left is one 20 minute overtime followed by *gasp* a shoot-out.  Dangerous.  Nail-biting.  Our team had two unanswered goals and Team USA was clearly on fire.  I wasn’t confident.

Sidney Crosby …comes out of nowhere.

I’ve never seen a bar explode like that.

In retrospect, the little overtime plot twist added a level of great drama that made the victory even better.

To be honest, that game couldn’t have ended any other way.

I thought the closing ceremonies were quite good, although a little heavy on cheesy Canadiana and Nickelback .  Shatner had a tough crowd, but good to see Michael J. Fox out there – he looks really good all things considered.  I’m sure that the sexy Mountie outfit will be very popular for Halloween 2010 and Alanis …wow…

I was aware that the old Soviet anthem was back in use, but the closing ceremonies was the first time that I had seen all its former glory.  Hmmm…I was half expecting the ole Hammer and Sickle move up the flag pole.

I can’t help but notice how close Sochi is to Chechnya…Vancouver thought they were going to have security issues…

I’ll admit, I was doubtful a week ago, but we managed to kick it into overdrive during the last few days and bag 13  gold and 26 medals which = an improvement on Turin and a successful team.  That said though, I still remain annoyed with Own the Podium.

Only Pyeong Chang, Munich and Annecy (France) are bidding for the 2018 Games.   I predicting a South Korea win.  Pyeong Chang made a bit for 2010 and 2014 and came close both times.   It will have been 20 years since the Winter Olympics were in Asia.  There were quite a few interested cities , including Santiago in Chile and Bursa, Turkey.

Technorati Tags: closing ceremonies, gold medal, hockey, olympics, russia, sidney crosby, soviet union, the iron duke pub, vancouver, vancouver olympic games

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I for one, place the blame squarely on these fellows . It is one thing to excessively fund the team, but it is something else to arrogantly predict them to win a huge chunk of the medals.  I haven’t heard of other countries smugly making such claims.  I surmise that they are most likely far more confident than we are.  The USA, German, Norway…they know their teams kick ass…even without funding and they probably don’t feel the need to shove that down the throats of the world.

Not only has this strategy set themselves up for a never-ending stream of international ridicule should they fail (which is what is happening) but it places an extra heavy layer of hype and pressure on an already over pressurized team. 

I have to admit though, there is a small piece of me that is slightly annoyed at team performance given the massive amounts of cash thrown at them.  Taken on a per-capita medal basis, 2010 is presently a very expensive Olympics for Canada.

Luge death, opening ceremony malfunctions, medal fiascos, security breaches, a near loss in hockey to the Swiss and  a deadly cross-country ski track (I didn’t know there was such a thing)…

Go Canada?

Technorati Tags: 2010, medals, olympic games, own the podium, sports, vancouver

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If Canada cleans up the gold medals this year and continues own with their sustainable ‘own-the-podium’ program, this might spell doom for usual given migration from gold medal champ to sports commentator.  With a continuous and growing number of gold medalists to harvest, CTV/CBC will have the option of getting picky.  Back in the day, it didn’t even take a gold medal win…good ole’ Steve Podborski got the golden handshake with just a bronze medal in 1980 (to be fair, he was the first North American to ever place at an Olympics).      

I would say that the sport of moguls sure as evolved somewhat since it debuted as a medal even @ Lillehammer in 1994.  You don’t see too many twister-twister-spreads these days.

(his run is @ the 2:50 mark…complete with a giant spread eagle)

Jean-luc still kicks ass though – I think his time was just as fast as Bilodeaus’

* I tried to find a direct link to the Bilodeaus’ gold medal run, but the IOC has been viciously ripping down any unsanctioned YouTube-type renderings.  You’ll have to go here and scroll down the ‘must-see’ category.  His first jump with the back-double full was awesome. Must see if you haven’t yet.

* direct link here

Technorati Tags: alexandre bilodeau, ctv, freestyle, gold medal, jean-luc brassard, moguls, olympics, twister-twister spread, vancouver olympic games

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Showing the luge crash???  Bad taste.

Off to the show.

I could have swore the opening snowboarder was former Alpine Olympian turned Whistler ski bum Rob Boyd.

Rather phallic looking totem poles…

We say Z?  Oh boy…talk about an inside joke that only Canadian viewers would understand.  Could have left that one out. I think there was a missed opportunity with that poem.  If a new understanding of Canada was the goal, one should avoid stereotype references.

Switching over to NBC during the athlete entrance was interesting.  NBC operated a graphic map which would centre on the  USA and then zoom out to the relevant country situating it nicely in the minds of our neighbours to the south.  

Great light snows.  Nelly and Bryan lookin’ good.  Ohhh… Hallelujah ?  Good voice, not the best song choice.

Hydraulic failure, well, that is what you get when you let a pod of whales swim through your mechanics. As we concluded at our Olympic Potluck last night…3 out of 4… and you know, in Canada…that ain’t bad.

Rumor has it that immediately after the mechanical fiasco, Gordon Campbell’s head exploded and VANOC CEO John Furlong was last seen being eaten by a giant spirit bear.  The loss of top leadership resulted in a complete breakdown of VANOC torch management and decision-making.  With Catriona Le May Doan frozen in disbelief at the strange absence of her pillar, Rick Hansen bound by his wheels, Steve Nash smiling with fear and Nancy Greene screaming that Senators don’t run anything there was only one person left to take the Olympic Flame…

Quick!  Do something Wayne!

No self-respecting Canadian would ever attempt to steal the torch from the Great One . Not even the most bitter, cynical protestor…it would be safe with #99.  Only Gretzky would be able to run the rainy public gauntlet to the outdoor cauldron.

And it was so.

VANOC, notoriously infamous for it’s top heavy, micro-management,   Goebbels-style control of all things Olympics.  VANOC, with a billion dollar security budget…15,000 troops, police and private security operators decided to take a little risk…and freakin’ let loose.  I think they just got tripped out by their own massive light and hologram show.  

Awesome…

I think it was, by far, the best part of the Opening Ceremonies.  It took the opening ceremony playbook of  exclusivity, wrapped in around a doobie-like torch, doused it in seal oil and lit it on fire.  Polish and production be dammed.  Maybe it was planned, but approach and execution was completely adhoc.  From Gretzky stuck in the exit doorway at BC Place, to the pick-up truck, to zero crowd control and hastily erected police blockades.  Even the video cameras didn’t have time to set up proper angles. 

People just poured into the route, right up to the torch.  Brilliantly raw, in-your-face Olympic.  I can’t think of anywhere else that an opening ceremony could have closed like this. 

Nice show.

Technorati Tags: canada, media, olympic torch, olympics, opening ceremonies, sports, vancouver, wayne gretzky

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Tremblant is an IntraWest instant resort-in-a-can, with the standard pedestrian village ,  hot spring spa, tubing, skating and over-priced food stuffs.  

Snow conditions were very good, although some of the terrain became very slick in the late afternoon.  I’m told that Tremblant is usually like that.  Hard ice (not surprisingly) is quite difficult to cut across and I definitely felt my Western weakness and instability when navigating through some blue ice patches.  

Tremblant has the largest number of good skiers I’ve ever seen on a mountain.  All hills have their share of good skiers, and in the case of Western hills, they usually cluster around the alpine bowl and other steep areas.  In the case of Tremblant, they are all over the mountain, 80% know how to carve an arc and hold a bump…and there are lots of them.  I credit the strong racing program at Tremblant, the multi-generational nature of skiing culture in the area, and the hard snow conditions.  I also could argue that the limited terrain options on the mountain has everyone slicing corduroy at a young age.  Boarders, however, are a minority

Despite terrain limitations, it’s a good hill and left me with a fairly decent  impression of Eastern skiing, but I think that two days is enough on the trail system.  Run design is really good where a combination of long verticals and wide cuts creates excellent cruising trails.  The hill could use about an extra foot of snow to cover up the numerous rocks, roots and stumps that are very common throughout moguled and gladed areas.  My skis sure were not happy about those.   

I had a fairly close encounter with a tree somewhere in the glades.  Actually, close encounter is kind of an understatement.  I bear-hugged this tree, bounced off it like a rubber ball hitting a wall and slid a good 15 metres down the hill before realizing what happened.  In my whole life of skiing, I’ve  been sucked into tree-wells , smacked branches, face-planted , yard-saled , landed in open creeks and fallen down rock faces…but I’ve never hit a tree.

I’m quite confident in the trees and know how to move through them, yet snow-snakes attack the best of us and that was what sent into a juvenile maple tree.  I wasn’t moving fast at at all.   My up-hill ski hit a hidden root, knocking it off and causing me to pivot sharply on  my downhill ski.  With one ski off and no balance, the pivot acted somewhat like a sling shot and blasted me counter-clockwise directly into the tree below, which promptly threw me back  down the hill like a rag doll.  I consider myself very lucky.  My upper body took most of the hit, avoiding my face but the shock vibrated up through my helmet and into my head where I probably suffered a mild concussion. 

I now fully appreciate the danger of trees.  I didn’t hit the tree that hard, the force being nothing more than the momentum from the pivot, but it totally knocked the wind right out of me.  If someone hits a tree at even at moderate speed…it’s death.   

I took a 40 minute break after that, but was back at the moguls a run or two later.  Battered ego more than anything, especially after I just said to my friend “just follow me” :-p

Technorati Tags: canada, laurentians, mont tremblant, mountains, quebec, skiing, travel

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First, it was Nanjing, city of 6 million….right past my apartment accompanied by 500,000 screaming well-wishers.

Now it’s tiny Kingston…this time it is on a boat, but it still manages to swipe right past my apartment…I swear, it’s out to get me.

The 2010 Torch…floating it’s way into Portsmouth Harbour, site of the 1976 Summer Olympic sailing events.

I must say…one Torch relay is not like another.  While the international portion of the 2008 games could politely be called a disaster, the domestic legs brought out the best in authoritarian organizational guile.  500,000 people perfectly lined the designated streets of Nanjing as early as 6am in early 2008, all in the appropriate colours and pre-approved paraphernalia (apparently sponsored Coke) and bused in from surrounding campuses for an 11am Torch arrival.  Bigger than Mao and Deng combined is the phrase I would use. 

Not really keeping up with Torch news that year, I had completely forgot that that day was Torch day, and the big cross-town four lane street near my apartment was part of the relay.  Completely oblivious, I stumbled out of my apartment in search of breakfast and a cab to work and fell directly into a storm of Torch craziness.

I didn’t find breakfast or a cab, was late for work and scuffed my shoes. 

That silly Torch, but it apparently wasn’t finished with me yet.

Contrast that to Portsmouth Harbour, 6:43am 15 December 2010.  A few hard-core Torch fans, a handful of folks who missed the downtown Torch arrival yesterday afternoon and people like myself who just happen to be in the way crowded (kind of a relative term) on the the piers of the harbour as the Torch sailed out into Lake Ontario, fired itself up and sailed back into the harbour.

There is a funny thing about a Torch relay…

…if one finds themselves right smack in the middle of all PR…

…in the centre of a disorganized democratic mess…

…and actually ends up jogging a bit with the crowd and the Torch as it continues its journey…  

…without any security…

…and a bare minimum of harmony crowd control specialists/VANOC micro-managers…

…it can make one pretty happy and surprisingly proud.

Torch groupie :-p

Technorati Tags: canada, Kingston, olympic games, olympic torch relay, olympics, portsmouth harbour, sports

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From the CBC a few days back and while it is hardly an original comparison, I had to insert the images (just because I’m a Star Wars geek).

This is an eigenharp , created 2009 and not in a galaxy, far, far away.  It’s the instrument that does everything…really.

 
Warren Miller has a new movie, Dynasty which is apparently in celebration of 60 years of mountain filmmaking.  60 years!  Although, apparently WM isn’t narrating anymore.   I remember being in my first year of undergrad in ‘99 and watching Warren Miller’s Fifty , which was in…well, bet you can’t guess. I used to be a big fan of WM…but realized about a year or two after Fifty that one WM film is just like another.  Actually, one could probably make that assertion about any ski movie. 

Of note, a scene from the Dynasty trailer takes place in Xinjiang Province， from what I’m willing to bet my left leg is Tian Chi (a place I was at in 2004) and the trailer also makes a comment about taking horses up the mountain in order to ski down.  I did exactly that as well…although I don’t think the snow I found was nearly as good as what these guys had access to.  Damn unlimited budgets.

Still, at the end of the day – not much different that Fifty .

Technorati Tags: cantina band, china, dynasty, eigenharp, music, ski movies, skiing, strange music, tian chi, warren miller

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