(I won’t be there because of budgetary reasons. I’m not broke, but why fly across the country when I have a TV? Plus, I added up the cost of plane tickets, hotel room, food, souvenirs, etc., then fainted. Sorry, I digress).
But, rain or shine, those who will be going might not get to see all of the events.
Worse still, some of the athletes, after months or years of training, might not get to see events very dear to their hearts, i.e., their own.
Why?
[The view - or lack thereof - at Cypress Mt.: photo link]
This, from Tuesday’s London Free Press:
Rain, wind, and warm temperatures have forced the ski resort that will host the freestyle skiing and snowboarding events at next month's Winter Olympics to close until at least Wednesday...
Given the current snow conditions, Kent Rideout (a spokesperson for the ski venue) said the freestyle ski events could probably be held. The bigger issue would be visibility. (link to The Canadian Press)
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100111/national/oly_snow_woes
Now, if I was a skier, I’d say reduced visibility while going downhill at a thousand kms per hour (modern skiers go that fast, right?) is a big issue indeed.
Poor or lack of visibility would give new meaning to “caught an edge,” as in, “the skier went over the edge and nobody caught him.”
According to the news article, not holding a skiing event isn’t unprecedented as ‘soft snow conditions bordering on dangerous forced the cancellation of a men's and women's World Cup parallel giant slalom snowboard event last winter.’
In my opinion, though having to shut down a mountain and cancel events is a hardship , especially for athletes who have trained for years and spectators who have front row seats but don’t own an umbrella, that climate change concerns and warming trends are hitting high altitudes isn’t totally unexpected.
Recently, severe winter storms related to climate instability and a wonky Gulf Stream made news in England.
News from melting mountain tops just before the Olympics may emphasize the fact that climate change concerns are starting to pile faster than the necessary snow for sporting events.
***
‘Live Small and Prosper’ is my motto.
What’s your motto?
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