TRACKSIDE 2010: Women's Team Relay (4x5km)

The snow conditions have returned to the early days of these Games - slushy and difficult waxing. The only difference is that new snow is mixed in with the old, giving it more structure.

I learned a bit about snow structure from Tom Kennedy, Vancouver Island's Mt Washington head groomer that the snow temperature is always at zero degrees at ground level. And if air temperature is also at zero, then even with metres of snow built up all season long, the structure falls apart. It becomes "bottom-less" - which we can all understand with spring ski conditions...sinking through to the bottom when trying to walk on it.

This is again the situation up at WOP. It is a slightly better situation now than at the beginning of the Olympics, as we received new snow in between. Thus 'salting' is working far better than at the beginning races. Salting attracts water, which allows the surrounding snow to freeze even at + temperatures. It does create a difficult waxing surface, as it becomes extremely hard in the tracks and inconsistent across the groomed track surface as the pellets can't reach every square inch evenly as it is spread.

Yesterday during the lead up to the Women's Team Relay, I was marshaling up on the red classic course. I witnessed Jody Cairns driving the snow machine with Dave Woodfine on the back spreading "urea" a common fertilizer over the tracks. They called in support when noticing that the outer track at the top of the red "elevator" turn had collapsed. Like a sink hole...the track had dropped a full foot below the rest of the surface. We shoveled snow to build it up, raked 'er and then Jody and Dave returned with a manual track setter they pulled by hand to re-create a perfect classic track. To finish it off 'urea' was again spread over the surface.

Watching the wax experts ski up the consistent gradient testing the grip wax watch quite alarming. No-one seemed to have good consistent grip over the full area. Perhaps good on the initial climb, then slipping on the steeper portions, and slow on the gradual sections.

Glide wax too seemed a huge challenge.

In watching the skiers come into the stadium it was painful to see how hard they double poled and really not reach a fast result.

Sara Renner opted out of the Relay Team to rest for tomorrows 30km classic competition. Our Canadian team consisted of Dasha and Peri in classic, then Chandra and Madelaine skiing the skate legs. It was a tough battle and the conditions today didn't make it easy for Team Canada.

A rest day for xc skiers Friday, then the final weekend for the 2010 Olympic Games.

Met up with Nakkertok's Ian Austin on the shuttle bus up to the inukshuk. He is a Sports writer for the NY Times and was also up for writing a grooming article for an automotive magazine.

West chats with East - groomers Bill Pfifer, Sovereign Lake and Michel Power of Mt Ste Anne review the night shift details.