Cortina d'Ampezzo-Milan Winter Olympics

[Tricycle Rider]

Yeah, this sprint format is pretty pointless and an absolute waste of the sport's potential.

I'm watching some of the ski mountaineering right now for the very first time, I think the sprint looks more like training rather than a proper race. I think mountaineering implies you're going to be in the mountains for a while, so what's the rush and why a sprint?

I like that it's snowing though, the fresh snow is nice.

 

[Mayomaniac]

I didn't think you could climb Stelvio in under three minutes. The W/kg must be through the roof!

I don't know what the usual distance for sprint races is, but since there aren't that many athletes here and they don't do any of those more or less pointless individual time trials like in snowboard cross, it shouldn't have been a problem to have made the course at least twice as long without the races becoming too time consuming.

The relay format sounds a little more interesting though.

The sprint is an unholy abomination that has nothing to do with real ski mountaineering and should have been drowned at birth!
It's a circus act with artificial obstacles

Now I get that they didn't want to put in the long Individual event (at leat 3 longer climbs and downhills with a max of 1900m of altitude gain, no single climb have more the 50% of the total altitude gain), but the Vertical, an uphill mass start race with usually around 700m of altitude gain would have been perfect.

But the IOC probably heared the sprint being described as "short, explosive and action packed" and creamed their pants thinking that the young folk will love it...

 

[Mayomaniac]

I'm watching some of the ski mountaineering right now for the very first time, I think the sprint looks more like training rather than a proper race. I think mountaineering implies you're going to be in the mountains for a while, so what's the rush and why a sprint?

I like that it's snowing though, the fresh snow is nice.

Many athletes were dissapointed by the fact that they only included the sprint and not the proper events (see my previous post) and those who aren't as explosive but more diesel engines had to totally change their training for the Olympics.

In the individual and the Vertical race the dominant body type is usually tall and really skinny, because w/kg and stride length are the most important factors in this sport.

 

[Tricycle Rider]

But the IOC probably heared the sprint being described as "short, explosive and action packed" and creamed their pants thinking that the young folk will love it...

Yeah, I'm wondering which demographic this sprint format was aimed at, I'm guessing not at seasoned XC ski followers. I'd like to give this sport a chance, but not if it's going to be just a short and sweet sprint with obstacles that look pretty out of place in a mountain setting.

 

[kingjr]

Toni Palzer co-commentating for German Eurosport!

 

[Tricycle Rider]

Toni Palzer co-commentating for German Eurosport!

What does he think of the Olympic ski mountaineering sprint? Did he say?

 

[Libertine Seguros]

I'm watching some of the ski mountaineering right now for the very first time, I think the sprint looks more like training rather than a proper race. I think mountaineering implies you're going to be in the mountains for a while, so what's the rush and why a sprint?

I like that it's snowing though, the fresh snow is nice.

Cross-Country skiing implies that you'll be going across countryside, but they seem obsessed with crappy short in-stadium sprint races too.

 

[Samu Cuenca]

Well the Nordic Combined isn't a contest where you switch between drinking beer and liquor. Not that I am much better at that than the actual sport.

 

[kingjr]

What does he think of the Olympic ski mountaineering sprint? Did he say?

Don't know, I only have the commentary on while the race is happening.

 

[Rechtschreibfehler]

Well the Nordic Combined isn't a contest where you switch between drinking beer and liquor. Not that I am much better at that than the actual sport.

Geiger listened to your suggestion and got drunk, fell and now the German Team will finalize the reason to drink heavily after the games as well.

Edit: Germany and Austria BOTH drunk apparently.

 

[kingjr]

No chance against someone who is technically much superior in these conditions.

 

[jmdirt]

Cross-Country skiing implies that you'll be going across countryside, but they seem obsessed with crappy short in-stadium sprint races too.

Well, its called Nordic so should the races have to be in Northern Europe/North Atlantic?

 

[Mayomaniac]

No chance against someone who is technically much superior in these conditions.

It also looked like there was more fresh snow on the outside lanes on the finishing straight.

Italy 4th, but the talent pool is comically small. It's a few guys from Val Gardena who grow up near a ski jumping venue and also have good endurance. Ok, maybe also a few near Tarvisio and in the Val di Fiemma, but you get the point.

 

[KZD]

Hattrick for Oftebro with Norway winning the NC team sprint and getting their 16th gold in this Olympics (which ties their record from Beijing).

Finland's first silver medal of the Olympics, hopefully they can still get one gold.

 

[BigCoward]

Hattrick for Oftebro with Norway winning the NC team sprint and getting their 16th gold in this Olympics (which ties their record from Beijing).

It would seem impossible they don't win the men's 50k, and maybe get another in mass start biathlon. Any other sports they could still get more golds? I don't follow much else.

 

[Brullnux]

The sprint is an unholy abomination that has nothing to do with real ski mountaineering and should have been drowned at birth!
It's a circus act with artificial obstacles

Now I get that they didn't want to put in the long Individual event (at leat 3 longer climbs and downhills with a max of 1900m of altitude gain, no single climb have more the 50% of the total altitude gain), but the Vertical, an uphill mass start race with usually around 700m of altitude gain would have been perfect.

But the IOC probably heared the sprint being described as "short, explosive and action packed" and creamed their pants thinking that the young folk will love it...

It looked like something out of wacky races. I think the people it appealed to most are the Harry Potter type American millennials, who do in fact seem to be the target market for many of the IOC's newer events.

I agree that the Vertical sounds better than the sprint, but the Individual seems obviously to be the creme de la creme. And it's the Olympics, it should have the most important events from a particular sport. This feels like as if Alpine Skiing was just a parallel GS.

 

[kingjr]

It looked like something out of wacky races. I think the people it appealed to most are the Harry Potter type American millennials, who do in fact seem to be the target market for many of the IOC's newer events.

I'm not an American, but as a millennial who knows the Harry Potter books more or less by heart, I should like to hear you elaborate a bit on this.

 

[Brullnux]

I'm not an American, but as a millennial who knows the Harry Potter books more or less by heart, I should like to hear you elaborate a bit on this.

No it's not serious, I just meant it as shorthand for the Buzzfeed/Starbucks aficionados. I think it's a specifically American profile but from the reaction I've seen online they have also enjoyed it the most.

 

[nightowl]

It looked like something out of wacky races. I think the people it appealed to most are the Harry Potter type American millennials, who do in fact seem to be the target market for many of the IOC's newer events.

I agree that the Vertical sounds better than the sprint, but the Individual seems obviously to be the creme de la creme. And it's the Olympics, it should have the most important events from a particular sport. This feels like as if Alpine Skiing was just a parallel GS.

The IOC messed up climbing pretty bad when it was first included in Tokyo, before it started to get better already in Paris. Fingers crossed the same happens with SkiMo and we get a proper event next time.

 

[search]

What does he think of the Olympic ski mountaineering sprint? Did he say?

there was a bit of a chat with him in the studio before the event, and he sounded positive about the Olympics improving the awareness of the sports etc. He didn't go into detail whether a different format would be more suitable or not.

 

[kingjr]

Once more, a Chinese athlete prevents Wennemars from getting a medal.

 

[Brullnux]

Crazy level in the 1500m, four athletes under OR pace and two more just outside it.

 

[Sciatic]

I have also just seen that it didn't have to be this way! There's an individual race at the World Champs that looks a lot more like actual ski mountaineering – steep, long uphills without gimmicky plastic stairs and obstacles; mogul-filled blacks; and 1500m+ of elevation gain. Now that is actually worthy of a medal!

The Olympics (perhaps at behest of NBC) want the abbreviated, compact version of any new sport.

 

[Sciatic]

The sprint is an unholy abomination that has nothing to do with real ski mountaineering and should have been drowned at birth!
It's a circus act with artificial obstacles

Now I get that they didn't want to put in the long Individual event (at leat 3 longer climbs and downhills with a max of 1900m of altitude gain, no single climb have more the 50% of the total altitude gain), but the Vertical, an uphill mass start race with usually around 700m of altitude gain would have been perfect.

But the IOC probably heared the sprint being described as "short, explosive and action packed" and creamed their pants thinking that the young folk will love it...

So, so true!

 

[Red Rick]

The sprint is an unholy abomination that has nothing to do with real ski mountaineering and should have been drowned at birth!
It's a circus act with artificial obstacles

Now I get that they didn't want to put in the long Individual event (at leat 3 longer climbs and downhills with a max of 1900m of altitude gain, no single climb have more the 50% of the total altitude gain), but the Vertical, an uphill mass start race with usually around 700m of altitude gain would have been perfect.

But the IOC probably heared the sprint being described as "short, explosive and action packed" and creamed their pants thinking that the young folk will love it...

You mean it's like an unwanted 4th child in the 1 child policy era?