Going Downhill

What kind of downhill skiing course is the one at Sochi?  It's practically vertical flat, it has such a precarious jump it's actually called the Russian Trampoline,  and it goes past . . . a lake!  A lake!  One wrong turn, and a skier could literally go jump in the lake - not good!

There were no wrong turns at the men's downhill at Sochi - unless you count Bode Miller.  Leave it to Miller to have perfect downhill runs leading up to the big moment, only to choke on the course when it mattered.  Only this time it's nothing to joke about, because Miller gave the race his undivided attention.  He did not get wasted, he did not party before the big event, and he did not make a lackadaisical run.  But he still came in eighth.  At least Miller didn't blame the course, which, it turns out, the skiers actually like.

Anyway, Matthias Mayer of Austria won the men's downhill gold medal, and the Americans got shut out.  Austria might be redeeming itself in Olympic skiing after the dismal performance of its athletes in Vancouver in 2010, but it's not looking good for the U.S.  Lindsey Vonn is already out due to an injury.  What's next? :-( 

Meanwhile, I'm still trying to get slopestyle snowboarding.  These kids slide down the course involving metal rails, which they slide on before they even jump!  Why make an already dangerous sport even more so?  It's all about the adrenalin, I guess, that's always been the hallmark of a sport popularized (but not really invented) by irreverent post-Boomer American youth.  Hey, the popularization of snowboarding may be my generation's only contribution to civilization.

While American Jamie Anderson has won the women's slopestyle - and American Sage Kotsenburg won the men's slopestyle - Shaun White had to drop out of the event owing a wrist injury.  But's that not what caught my attention.  What's up with White's new short haircut?

Is the king of winter sport attitude going James Hetfield on us? :-D