Welcome to Nakkertok

Another amazing day at the Whistler Olympic Park encountering a great variety of folks and taking in the Nordic ski festival sights and sounds in the middle of this beautiful forest. I have been in the Olympic cross-country ski bubble, aware of but not able to follow biathlon, ski jumping or Nordic combined, let alone the eleven other sports that have been bubbling away elsewhere these past sixteen days. The rain and wet snow has returned, lending a misty, mysterious air to the trails – as well as a real challenge for competitors and their wax technicians trying to find the right combo of grip and glide for the last two races: the all-important marathons of the women’s 30km and men’s 50km events.

I am writing from the warmth of my hosts’ home in Pemberton, the smell of dinner cooking and the Canada-USA hockey game providing ample distraction in the background. The cross-country venue has seen its own fair share of action, from the elimination rounds of the sprints to the mass starts of the pursuits; from the medal performance of the injured Petra Majdic to the first women’s gold medal in forty-two years for (can you guess?) Sweden. The sight of the Canadian skiers mixing it up with the rest of the world’s best is inspiring enough, let alone yesterday’s historic top-15 finish of four Canadian men. All the action has been illuminated by the most brilliant blue skies and incredible alpine views; a wonderfully sunny, warm day out for the spectators, the press, us and the rest of the cast of hundreds that help make the show happen, but widely variable conditions for the groomers, racers and their wax technicians with crusty nighttime lows of -3 to mushy highs of +6.