[Closed] The Winter Olympics thread

ski cross

I don't know anyone's names but always enjoy watching the downhill skiing, bobsleigh etc, anything with speed and danger.

I have to say the BBC advert for it has piqued my interest.
Not massively bothered about it but will watch anything that looks interesting and hopefully it will create some momentum.
Always liked the bobsleigh since I was a kid, and agree that the ski-cross/ border-cross (do they do both?) is good entertainment.

Freestyle skiing will be fun to watch,those guys are nails.

I assume that, given their massive worldwide popularity, there'll be a fatbike race?

anything with ladies and tight lycra skinsuits......... 😀

Ice Hockey for me, Ryan Miller in goal for the USA, but I will be supporting Finland.

The Russians will be desperate to win it.

So, what are you looking forward to?

All of it 🙂

I know skids are for kids but there should be more of this!

http://dirt.mpora.com/video-clips/fabien-cousinie-swaps-dirt-for-some-snow-snowscoot-shenanigans.html

In particular - skier cross, ice hockey, mens slalom.

Everything else except ladies ice bowls.

EXCITED!

About all of it. Except ice-hockey of course. But I may watch to support Finland.

I bloody love snow, especially as a transport medium. If I ever emmigrate it'll be to somewhere that has cold winters, for that reason.

Definitely looking forward to the skiercross. Have an old friend competing in it this year.

Most of all looking forward to the closing ceremony, our firm have provided a lot of our services to Sochi and it has been pretty hard work.

Mainly all th ski'ing related sports, that thing on a teatray looks like it'll be carnage the rest.. well meh..

More importantly will we get the Ed&Graham show??

speed skating - like track racing on ice.

XC skiing, ice hockey, and the various formats of throwing yourself down a tube of ice/snow

Biathlon, Biathlon, oh and a bit of Biathlon 🙂

Cross country ski-ing too, should all be good.

It's got to be the skiercross, boardercross and ice hockey for me. Watched a thingy on RedBullTV yesterday on one of the Aussie boardercross contenders and his preparation for the Olympics. Awesome stuff.
Just gutted Palmer didn't make a (nearly successful) play for the US boardercross team like last time...

Davedodd +1 from me. Heart Rate at 170-ish (or more) entering the shooting arena and then putting the rifle to the shoulder a couple of breaths and 5 bullseye shots (heart rate 100-ish?). Follwed by more of the same and collapsing on the line vomitting your heart out due to the effort on the sprint in. Epic stuff.

Is boardercross really in T'Olympics?

Skiercross, boardercross, curling and the biathlon for me.

it really is and it's awesome

please let cyclocross in the winter olympics 🙂

My Mrs has just been handed all expenses paid tickets through work. I am really quite jealous, although I will get a week or so of doing exactly what I want* at home without her.

*more bike maintenance in kitchen, lots of riding, sitting on the sofa in my pants, scratching my nuts than cocaine and hookers..just to clarify.

For once we have some good chances of winning medals 🙂
Favourite events will be all skiing and snowboarding (swoon Svindal).
Bobsleigh, skeleton and even curling

Anything that involves sliding on various contraptions.......so everything then basically.

Just had an email from the loony tunes fast Anna Turney, and she's going to Sochi!

Best news of the week for me! Look out for her in the para winter games, where she'll be gunning her sit ski and speeds that are down right unnatural!

Slope style qualification is on the Red Button at the moment.

Ed Leigh commentating unfortunately.

One of my best mates is a lawyer for a swiss sports agency and is sending me a never ending stream of very cool photographs, which is making me happy and jealous in equal measures!

Another mate will be kicking international butt in the halfpipe 🙂

I never watched the summer olympics, but LOVE the winter olympics.

Skicross was the star if the show last time around, bonkers. We have one finalist in the snowboard slopestyle already. I'm looking forward to ski events particularly and fingers crossed we can get a medal somewhere (xc ?). Still gutted for Alan Baxter after all these years ....

Skicross was the star if the show last time around, bonkers.

Agreed. Superb watching! Having tried a skicross course a few times, the way those guys rip it up down those courses is super impressive!

Ed Leigh commentating unfortunately.

Could be worse:

[img] [/img]

From kimbers link, this took some practice i bet!

[img] [/img]

Without wishing to be the spoilsport of the thread..
I'm not watching any of it.. due to Putins state sponsored demonisation, arrest, harassment and even torture of gay people...
Sorry..

same here

I'm not watching any of it.. due to Putins state sponsored demonisation, arrest, harassment and even torture of gay people...

Yeah - that'll teach him!

I agree with your sentiment but really what difference does it make if you watch or not? It's not like they count how many folk watch it and pay him accordingly.

I'm not watching any of it.. due to Putins state sponsored demonisation, arrest, harassment and even torture of gay people...

Did you give the same treatment to China?

Khani +1, Wont mean much or anything, but that's the way it is.

Back on the slopes

He's pretty good

I'm not getting into a ten page drama, as above it won't make any difference, but that's the way it is..

Fair enough. I'm going to watch it, but I will occasionally tut disapprovingly.

I'm not watching any of it.. due to Putins state sponsored demonisation, arrest, harassment and even torture of gay people...

@CFH that must have been a laugh and somewhat intimidating ! Showing my age but we where in Meribel in 94 and skied some parts of the ladies downhill, there was one section we could barely manage from a standing start and in the event there where tons of crashes as the girls where coming in at 60mph. When you stand at top of Bevlarde in Val and imagine the Olympic DH just went straight down that.

Could be worse

WTF was that all about? Get some C (to Z) -listers and chuck them into a meatgrinder.

Biathlon for me also

I cannot wait for the holmenkollen round in Norway when I,ll be there 😀

Going to be watching and enjoying all of it, with perhaps the exception of the figure skating. Particularly following the ice hockey and will watch the mogul boy's and girl's with complete and utter awe and admiration whilst holding my knee's in empathy. 🙂

Been looking forward to it for a while now. The Beeb sports site has some good vids on each discipline too.

Did you see the couple of mins on BBC News this morning of the lad who went straight through to the finals in the Boarder SlopeStyle?
A
Maz
Zinga 8)

Doesn't look like this has been posted yet: https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/british-olympic-organisation-accept-emily-sarsfield-s-invitation-from-fis-to-participate-in-the-ski-cross-event-at-the-2014-winter-olympics-in-sochi

She's the sister of a friend of mine. I'll let you read up on the link posted but time is running out for her.

She is easily good enough to compete and the offer has even been made to the BOA that she will pay her own way at the Olympics too but even that has been ignored. 🙁

Easily the most entertaining Olympics.

Cannot wait for most of it to be honest.

The real story so far has got to be the Jamaica bobsleigh team. Outsiders actually qualified and then turned up in Russia without any equipment due to it going missing, meaning they miss the 1st practice.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/winter-olympics/26051530

They should make a film 😆

Just watching slopestyle repeats. Brilliant.

And why the hell would anyone have a problem with Ed Leigh's commentay? Knows his stuff, not a prat, enthusiastic...certainly could be worse.. if it was 99% of other commentators.

The hockey for me, best team game on the planet (imo). I'll be rooting for Canada but Ovechkin's lot will be going balls out for gold.
I love the long track speed skating too, graceful yet powerful, the biathlon is just nuts & can't understand how those lot can be puffing & chuffing one second then holding a rifle stock still the next, awesome athletes.

Yeah I got up early and watched all the slopestyle mens and womens. Amazing Stuff, Jamie Nicholls representing yorkshire landing that massive 1440 got him a ticket straight into the finals. Was feeling pretty proud as I've seen him ride at castleford a fair few times. Will be getting up early for the semis and finals on saturday too. Now we've seen style and nice spins awarded well and triple corks are not the be all and end all, Jamie could well be in with a good medal chance, he's got a triple cork in his arsenal as well, depends if he wants to pull it out.

Worth a watch: [url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26063907 ]http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/winter-olympics/26063907[/url]

+1 Ed Leigh - he's done a great job so far, him and Tim make a good team. It's pretty funny when they pull each other up on calling the wrong moves.

For me, it's all about ski cross! Such an utterly loony race, and great TV too.

Ski Cross rocks. I'm gutted it came along after I finished racing 🙁

As a keen Rugby Player and racing DH and Super G it would have been right in the middle of my skill set !

As with the summer games I'll only avoid events that are judged rather than scored.

"I'm not watching any of it.. due to Putins state sponsored demonisation, arrest, harassment and even torture of gay people...

Did you give the same treatment to China? "

Is China's governmets attitude to homosexuality the same as Putin's then?

I'm not watching it due to Putin's attitude and also the marked failure of our athletes to sign up to the "principle 6" campain.

Those not watching in protest, I'd be more impressed if they actually went to Sochi and protested in front of the cameras. Not watching is utterly meaningless.
And I'll be watching pretty much anything that's on, I enjoy all of it, even the curling! Discipline agnostic, that's me! 😀

Those not watching in protest, I'd be more impressed if they actually went to Sochi and protested in front of the cameras.

Not watching is utterly meaningless

To you maybe..

And the people you are protesting against 🙁

"And the people you are protesting against "

except it's not it is keeping the issue on the agenda and massively embarresing for Putin and the Olympic sponsors look at how the media coverage is constantly refering to it .

Let's not let stupid things like morals or human rights get in the way of some winter sports eh..
Enjoy.. 😀

There was an article in the local (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) newspaper whose sports reporter is in Sochi to cover the Olympics. He found a Pittsburgh themed bar there! 😯 Very odd...

[url= http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/5524461-74/pittsburgh-sochi-bar#axzz2sUT5rl1f ]http://triblive.com/news/allegheny/5524461-74/pittsburgh-sochi-bar#axzz2sUT5rl1f[/url]

[img] http://triblive.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=Kmk82G4y1SRfzgwoypfoGc$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYu_31JxbkypGGqq3_KzwdQVWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg [/img]

[img] http://triblive.com/csp/mediapool/sites/dt.common.streams.StreamServer.cls?STREAMOID=r5G1E_zPg7fOIYFKeBmAJ8$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYsfMicAOJpfwu25HidRISmyWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg [/img]

I will watch, because the Olympics is about much more than Sochi, Russia or Putin. If it were the festival of Sochi laid on by Putin then perhaps. But it's not, it's the world's most prestigious sporting event, irrespective of where it is. Shitbag politicians don't change that.

Mainly looking forward to the alpine skiing.

DH is always a great watch and the skier cross is fantastic viewing too. Se of the crashes on there are fantastic comedy. Most looking forward to the Slalom and GS. I used to race with Dave Ryding (who will be competing in those disciplines) so I'll be watching with great interest.

Going to try and watch a bit of everything really!

I felt the need to stand up for my sideways standing brethren and agree with Jmoid, Ed Leigh is a great pundit to have on the beeb for boarding. He knows the tricks , the riders and he gets genuinely and enthusiastically excited at a good run. Anything, anyone as long as it's not bloody balding.

I have been looking forward to this for the last year! Iv even worked my schedule around it.

Curling. Watching the BBC programme writhe the girls team in the gym. They worked hard mind they do shove big bits of granite around.

Do the Russians know that some of the athletes will be gay?

"And the people you are protesting against "

except it's not it is keeping the issue on the agenda and massively embarresing for Putin and the Olympic sponsors look at how the media coverage is constantly refering to it .

But not watching any of it won't make any difference at all.

The media coverage might, but not watching it won't.

Each to their own though I suppose.

Watching the BBC programme writhe the girls team in the gym.

That could make curling more interesting....! 😉

I knew it was pricey but
"at £30bn, the cost of these Games is more than the combined total of all other Olympic Winter Games to date."
😯

Loving Googles "controversial" stance against Russia's anti-gay laws today...

POLITE REMINDER

Leaving aside the corruption and vileness of Russia, let's try and keep this one on the sporting front shall we?

So, what are you looking forward to?

Naysayers, lobbyists and protesters need not apply. There's a special discount today only on starting your own thread. Thank you.

Thanks, Scuttler. Valid point, well made!

Cool. Nice that it came up at the top of the page where everyone can notice it 🙂

Can't wait for these games to start, looking forward to the sbx and alpine disciplines. TBH I'd rather the press (and riders to be fair) got down to the actual racing and stop all the politicking.

Actually watched the team figure skating last night.

It was excellent, the Russians were amazing.

Going to leave work a bit early to watch the opening ceremony this afternoon, and then look forward to some great events this weekend.

There's snowboard dual slalom - that's damn impressive. Watching these guys laying down in corners while skittering right on the bitter edge of distaster carving on a 45 degree slope of sheet ice. The second run of each pair is also sort of a head to head race - if I read the rules correctly.

Keep seeing people mention ski cross - so they do boardercross on skis now do they..? 😆

Keep seeing people mention ski cross - so they do boardercross on skis now do they..?

Just a bit...

[img] [/img]

I love the Winter Olympics

Its the essential craziness of most of the events that appeals

Luge, Bob, Skeleton - bonkers

Ski Jumping - mad as a bag of badgers

Alpine Skiing - mental

Snow and Boardercross, the maddest of the lot

Ice Hockey

[img] [/img]

Yes I know, it's a picture from a film, but it's a good picture!

Keep seeing people mention ski cross - so they do boardercross on skis now do they..?

Yep, and pretty much everyone I know, from either side of the snow fence, found that the ski version at the last WO was the best sport there! It's utterly batshitmentally awesome!