end of February

Hello blog world.  No I did not fall into a crevasse.  There has not been much blog-worthy happening.  Avon is such a bird drought.  The office has entered a slow period, after the Skiing Championships and waiting for the Spring Break families to come in March.  The skiers are happy with the recent 7 inches of snow on the mountain tops.  A few weeks ago I drove south (and east) on Hwy 24 to visit my friend Sandi who lives in a small town in the forest.  She and her boyfriend feed birds on the back porch.  Abert's squirrels come to the feeders occasionally.

I have been avoiding posting photos of snowy landscapes because the East Coast has received so much snow, and sub-zero temperatures.  I found this icicle cascades on a local building.

The wastewater treatment facility in Silverthorne hosts a nice collection of ducks each winter.  Ring-necked Ducks are one of my favorites.

more photos from ski races

Friday morning I arrived a bit later and the stadium was full.  Most people were content to watch the Women's races on the big screen monitors.  I walked up the steep hill to a place I could see over the 4 layers of snow fences and watch each woman zipping by.

This is Lindsey Vonn of the USA team.  She finished 5th.

This is Tina Maze of Slovenia, who posted the fastest time of the race. 

View of finish line from up-slope.  taken as I started down the hill.  It was quite steep and I was  "boot-skiing"  for half of the descent.










An informal presentation of flowers ceremony is held immediately at the conclusion of the races.  A formal medals ceremony is held each evening at a big plaza in Vail. 

Ski races

     Beaver Creek / Vail won the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships for 2015.  The event started on Monday despite the weather.  Needless to say, there are many many people  here to watch the races. Being a spectator is free, and there are caravans of buses to transport people to the stadiums to watch events.  The overnight lodging is the expensive part for most of the guests. 
     Yesterday I took the buses up to the Village and to the race finish location.  Red Tail Stadium was built for this event, and will be dismantled at the end of the season.  The Men's Super G race was just about to start as I arrived.  All the big name skiers from the Olympics are here to compete.
     From the stadium at the finish line only a small portion of the course can be seen.  You have to love technology !!  Big screen monitors show each racer on the course from start to finish.  This is Bode Miller starting on the course.  Unfortunately he crashed into a gate and did not finish.

 This is a European skier coming down fast toward the finish line.

This is Ted Ligety, an American racer, who
skied well but not fast enough for a medal.













This is a European Skier who did quite well on the course.

A spectator's view of the course and the finish line.