By Norbert Meier – Canmore Masters skier
Hi Everyone — it’s Monday morning and we are watching Sweden and Switzerland Men’s Curling. Watching paint dry was not an option, so this was the next best thing? And…we’re watching it on swiss tv, so at least the announcers are excited. The day’s first cappucino is going down well and, who knows, it might be closely followed by #2 (sorry, Neil).
A few reflections on the weekend of racing in Toblach :
– europeans and canadians have very different ideas about what it means to line up for something, anything. We find the back of the line, go there to gradually move along. We make the best of the speed the line is moving and don’t fuss. Euros on the other hand, look for the front of the line, get their elbows into attack mode and then dive in. They don’t look at the person they’ve just stepped in front of and then simulate a feeding frenzy when another Euro tries to do the same thing to them. It’s not a pretty sight.
– when the trail is wide enough for 2 skiers to skate side-by-side, a third skier will try to go up the middle and bark at you for being in his way.
– multi-coloured pastel race suits from the 80s are alive and well, and being used in the Alps. The wearer will either be Russian, Austrian or German.
– men finishing in the back 1/4 of the field still think they are headed to the Olympics if they can only manage to get past you on this last downhill/uphill/flat or wherever. If they can’t beat you there, they will barge in front of you at the post-race drink line-up (see above). Then they will have “won” and can go home satisfied with their day’s effort.
– women still on make up about 10% of the race field.
– boiling hot mid-race sport drink has the same effect here as it does in Canada.
– the weather forecast here is pretty accurate and we’re in the mountains; in the Rockies, the weather forecast can be hit or miss and it’s because we’re in the mountains?
– world cup trails here are difficult. Go figure.
– the post-race meal voucher doesn’t tell you where the meal is to be obtained; after slugging it out for 2 hrs on the trails and not sleeping on account of snow plows going by your open window, not knowing where you are suposed to eat is not a very enjoyable situation — aka “hangry”.
– when zero skis work, they really work and classic skiing is a lot of fun notwithstanding all of the above.
– a good race the day after a crappy race is more fun than the other way around; having two good races in a row is more fun yet.
– don’t schedule anything that requires brain power the Monday morning after a 2 race weekend — it’s not a good idea, trust me.
That’s it for now. It’s time to go skiing.