You want me to climb where??

It's Friday.  Got here Wednesday night.  Skied yesterday.  Conditions were good, but couldn't see a thing for the fog and snow.  Today is the first day of training. Up by 4 a.m. - not because we have to, but because it's 7 a.m. back home.  My circadian clock hasn't changed yet.  We had plans to be on the hill by 7:30 for our 8 a.m. training meeting.  Murphy's law said otherwise.  Took the bus all the way around the compound (for Phil, that would be the short bus) to go to breakfast, only to be dropped off a block from where we started.  Seems the breakfast drop off is just a block behind us on the one-way route.  Note to self: walk next time.   Since the dining hall is in the "inner circle" of the athlete's compound and we live in the "outer circle", we have to go through a second set of security check points before we can get to the dining hall.   We've done this several times for meals now, so we're getting into the routine: strip off hat, coat, metal-laden credentials, pack, whistle, camera, pocket contents, cell phone.  Even so, the alarm goes off and we have to do the "wand".  Back on with the paraphenalia, off to breakfast.  Gulp down whatever's offered.  Out to the bus stop.  Normal wait is about 5 minutes.  Today it's 15.  This takes you to the outer circle to pick up the touring bus which is designated for the Workforce which then takes you the 10 minutes to Whistler Creekside.  Normal wait for that one is 5-10 minutes, today it took 30.  So now we are late for our first meeting.  Very impressive!

We met our team, got an overview of the jobs we will be doing, the chain of command, radio protocols, and maps of the areas we'll cover, which includes the spectator walkway to the stands at the flats (finish line), the top of the lift (where spectators exit to get to the flats), the Paralympic family clubhouse, and the stands and standing area in front.  Basically we cover everyone who is not an athlete.

Then we hiked up the spectator walkway - basically the equivalent of walking up Broadway and Lower Streak at the Wolf - this on legs I skied all yesterday afternoon on!  I imagine I'll be in better shape by the end of the next two weeks, if it doesn't kill me first.  

At the medical trailer we did a couple of scenarios and went over equipment.  All the while outside it's snowing 2-3" per hour outside.  The course crew is trying to keep the stands clear, using leaf blowers, shovels, and huge plastic sheets (which only serve to collect the snow) in preparation for tomorrow's first event.  Finally it stopped snowing in the afternoon and when the clouds cleared, there was the top, with the trees heavily laden with snow. Wow.   Now the course crew is trying to clear the snow from the race course.  They're actually using snow blowers on the front of the groomers.  Others are bulldozing snow off the course.   While powder hounds are loving the new snow, racers want the course rock hard and bulletproof.   Everyone is shoveling and scraping, frantically trying to get ready for tomorrow.

Locals were saying that today was the best day of skiing in years - the first snow in over a month except at very high elevations.  Apparently there was no snowfall in the village during the entire Olympics (which includes the nearby cross country venue).