Raising The Level Of Cross-Country Skiing In America

canmore double-pole sprints

another fine day in canada, eh? cold, though. for the prelims, there was one good spot for photos, and all the photogs were there. most of them were right on the side of the course - i camped out above them on the bank so i wouldn't have to deal with people in my shot. even so, someone walked in front of me when cook went by. i was really happy with my photos from the prelims except for the fact that i completely missed laura valaas. f.

for the men, double-poling was where it was at. i was pretty surprised when i saw the first guy coming up the hill on his skate skis...but i guess the current motto is if you build it they will double-pole it. the course is hard, but the hills aren't long enough to tire out a double-poler, and there is a sharp corner at the top of each hill that the double-poler can skate and accelerate around, so the advantage is to skate skis.

the women's heats had some close finishes which made for some good shots at the finish. i wanted to get some wide angle shots right on the finish line like i did last year in stockholm. mountains and a clear stadium would have made a nice background. but it was the first time so far this world cup that i came across a course official who was more interested in asserting his authority than in using common sense. european world cups tend to be more accommodating. just don't stand in front of a tv camera and don't stand in front of a sponsor banner, and you can do whatever you want. oh well. that said, the volunteers here have been great.

here is a link to a photo gallery from the first 3 days with bigger pictures. enjoy!

andersonbowen.com/philsgood/canmore1

and remember to go to competitive image. that's where i'll post images the most quickly after each race.

http://www.competitiveimage.us/nordic/ALBWC08/index.html