Spokin’ Sportsmans

When it was first announced years ago (10 years?) that Vancouver would be hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics I was still in grad school and doubtful that my career would keep me in this town for so many years.  I’m still here and the Olympic Games start tomorrow. 

We don’t have tickets for any of the events mostly because I am cheap.  A friend from work will be attending a the closing ceremonies for just over $550.  There is, however, a metric tonne of free stuff that Scott and I have scoped out including some of the protests.  And we fully intend on using the free valet bike parking at every opportunity.

The torch relay came to North Vancouver yesterday morning and mostly followed my commute route.  I didn’t have a super strong desire to watch the relay, but I know I would have been disappointed to let this experience go by without participating.  Channeling my inner child- because it really was the children who were the most excited and thrilled- I joined the masses at the Lonsdale Quay at 7am.

We don’t need more cowbell- We need more Bear Bells that have been blessed by a local first nation elder.

This bit of incomplete combustion was carried by Julie Payette, female Canadian astronaut.

This puppy was handsome in Olympic mittens.

The flame heads uphill.  Good thing each member of the relay only carries the torch for 300 m (insert questioning emoticon here).  I was intrigued and distantly intimidated by the runners outfitted in grey (to match the Vancouver skies?) flanking the torch bearer.  That is probably the point.

Leaving Lonsdale Quay and starting to go to work I passed this woman.  Canadian flag in her backpack, Canada hoodie, Olympic mittens and bear bells on her handle bars.  The best way to follow the torch is by bike.  The police escort were letting bikes through the closed roads to the ire of the detained drivers. 

This group of children from the local montessori school were waiting for their skating teacher, former silver medalist Karen Magnussen, to carry the torch.

Official sponsor Coca Cola brings free sugar, caffeine, and clubbers to the masses at 8:24am.

But this little girl was too slow and only got a consolation Coca Cola pendant.

Maybe her parents will take here for a consolation Mcsomething-or-other?

There’s plenty of press on Vancouver’s absent winter and upcoming winter Olympics.  November brought cold temps and record setting snowfall, so we got Scott fully equipped with skate skiing and AT gear with a few trips to Sigges, MEC gear swap and Craig’s List.   Then December turned warm, January stayed warm, now the Olympics are almost here and it is still warm.  Cypress Mountain, the North Shore venue for freestyle skiing and snowboarding, is using helicopters to bring snow to the site.  The company I work for had a project at Cypress last year building a water supply reservoir for snow making capacity….looks like it will get used soon.

I knew that if we were going to get out for any ski touring that didn’t involve a 200+ km drive past the fraser Valley (see Scott’s goal of self propelled kms > driven kms), that a trip up the Sea to Sky corridor had to happen before the Olypmic travel restrictions started.  Saturday we went to Elfin Lakes just outside Squamish.  It’s the closest bc tour to Vancouver and there is little to no avalanche terrain on the trail from the parking lot to the cabin.  It’s very popular and very crowded but soooo convenient. Wooohooooo finally out in the SNOW!!!!

Scott showed that making the transition from long-time snowboarder to skiier is easy for the uphill (once we actually hit the snow line at around 1000m).

smiles. No doubt he can climb. 

The trip out and back to the cabin is a tour and we didn’t peel off the trail for turns until the return trip.  The few cms of new snow were wet and heavy keeping speed in check.  The downhill is harder than the uphill when you’re learning to make alpine turns.

Luv the snow. Luv the skiing.  Luv the hubby.

Through the first 21 days of 2010..

Despite the lack of snow, we have been skate skiing (although I still haven’t used my new-to-me alpine touring gear, again, see the lack of snow)

we have ridden our fixies

we have even ridden our roadies

we have travelled for work

we have continued home projects

we have been sick ( H1N1 has reached the Sportsman residence North of the 49th)

we have yogacized

we have imitated runners

and we have lounged

but, on the 22nd day of 2010

we built Emily’s Song and sought some singletrack

there was a little mud, but it was pretty good for Vancouver in January, unless you want snow..

wet enough to create doubts leading up this ride

but the shorter ones were effortless for the more-than-utilitarian Walt

ultimately, we covered 30 km of damp, but glorious North Shore Single Track (including the roads to and fro) before Emily realized that she had no front brake (because her new-to-North-Vancouver-wrench didn’t bleed the brakes after they sat in a box for four months), so we headed home

Emily, still sick, without a voice, but rocking her new F88Me wool jersey and smiling to be back on her Siren Song 55, replete with new ti tubes

we won’t go so long without a mountain bike ride again…