Posts Tagged ‘Russia’

Yesterday we talked about the skeleton event at the forthcoming Winter Olympics to be held in Whistler, Vancouver, Canada and today we turn our attention to an extreme sport that is closely related to skeleton – the luge.

In luge – the French word for “sled” – racers begin by sitting on open fibreglass sleds. Pulling on fixed handles in the ice, they burst out of the start. After this explosive start, they use spiked gloves on the ice surface for extra acceleration before lying down on their backs, feet stretched out in front of them, heads back to be as aerodynamic as possible. Luge racers steer using their legs and shoulders, and brake by sitting up, putting their feet down and pulling up on the sled runners.

Therefore the fundamental difference between skeleton and luge is that the skeleton pilots go down the track head first lying on their stomachs whereas the luge pilots are feet first lying on their back. Which is crazier we are not sure – but a similarity would appear to be that you can see very little be it luge or skeleton.

Luge races have grown considerably faster with refrigerated luge tracks and aerodynamic equipment, so that speeds now regularly reach 140 kilometres an hour or more and G-forces reach over 5G.

The singles events consist of four heats over two days. The individual with the lowest combined time over the four runs wins. Men and women compete on the same track, but the women and doubles begin further down the course. The four-run format is unique to the Olympic Winter Games and designed to reward consistency, endurance and ability to withstand pressure – particularly on the second day.

The doubles event consists of two runs over one day, with the fastest total time determining the winner. All events in luge are timed to the thousandth of a second.

Two athletes — Peter Minsch of Switzerland and George Robertson of Australia — who in February 1883 instigated what was called “The Great International Sled Race”. Their time: 9 minutes and 15 seconds, to slide down a four kilometre track joining the Swiss villages of Klosters and Davos was nothing very special but that didn’t matter – it was the idea that mattered.  But it was not until 1964 that luge for men, women and doubles made its Olympic debut at the Games in Innsbruck.

The action kicks off right at the beginning of the games with the men’s singles competition being held over the 13th and 14th Feb. Then it is the turn of the girls who race over the 15th and 16th of Feb – and finally the doubles who compete on Feb 17th.

The favourites for medals in the luge are the Germans who have dominated the event for the last 10 years and in all probability they have a very good chance of winning again. But strong competition usually comes from Austria, Italy, Russia and the USA but with home advantage see what the 2010 Olympics Luge Coach Wolfgang Staudinger says about the Luge Canada team’s chances at the Vancouver 2010 Games. Thanks RayVanEng for the video.

The Canadian team have monopolised the tracks at Whistler in sports such as the skeleton – gaining an advantage over their opponents. All the other visiting nations will have just six practice runs under Games conditions when they get to Whistler to take them to a total of 40 descents each on the track before the skeleton gets under way on 18 February. The Canadians will be up near the 400 mark.

There are two individual skeleton events in the Olympic Games: one for men and one for women. Both events consist of four heats held over two days, timed electronically to 0.01 seconds. The individual with the lowest combined time wins. The tracks run from 1200 – 1650 m, 1200 m of which are downhill

Men’s skeleton was raced at the 1928 and 1948 Olympic Winter Games, both in St. Moritz. Skeleton then re-appeared as a permanent Olympic sport for both men and women at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City.

Skeleton got its name from the sled used — originally metal, now fiberglass and metal — as it resembles a human skeleton. To start, a skeleton slider grasps the handles on either side of the sled, runs as fast as possible for approximately 50 metres, then dives head first onto the sled. Sliders lie on their stomachs and steer by shifting their bodies very slightly.

Like the other sliding sports of bobsleigh and luge, the start is crucial in skeleton — where a tenth of a second lead at the start can become three-tenths of a second by the bottom of the run. These athletes train much like sprinters to develop the powerful legs they need to explode onto the track. But speed is not the only factor: they must also find the best line and steer smoothly through each turn to keep their speed high.

Canadian skeleton slider Mellisa Hollingsworth won a bronze medal for Canada at the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games shortly after winning the overall World Cup title that season and will start as one of the favourites for the women’s event in Whistler.

She will have to be in top form as speeds of up to 140 kmh can be achieved on what is believed to be the fastest track in the world. Athletes  from Germany, Latvia, United States, Great Britain, Italy, Austria, Canada, Korea, Australia, Russia, Norway, Japan, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, France, New Zealand, Ireland, Slovenia,  Bermuda will be lining up to challenge her.

And why not use the home advantage – wouldn’t you – and what else is home advantage for? The Canadians deserve a good return in terms of medals for putting on what we are sure will be a great Winter Olympics – bring them on!

The video below from Blickinsfreie shows you how skeleton is done.

This video from newsliders gives you an idea of the speed you attain as it is filmed from a camera attached to the helmet of the skeleton pilot – terrrrifying!

It looks like the 20th annual international snow sculpture competition which is held in Breckenridge, Colorado from Jauary 26th to 30th is going to be a give away to the very strong team from China.

But the competition comes from around the world with thirteen teams from around the globe competing from seven countries including the Czech Republic, Canada with 2 teams, Lithuania, Mexico, Russia and the U.S. as well as the Chinese.

The United States has 5 teams from Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Snow Sculpting is attended annually by more than 30,000 people of all ages from across the U.S. and the world.

The four-person teams are assigned 12-foot-tall, 20-ton blocks of machine-made Colorado snow. These teams work within a five-day period to create their sculptures. From these blocks of snow, the teams often craft enormous pieces of whimsy, although some deliver powerful political or social commentary.

The finished pieces are achieved after a total of 65 intense hours of work without the use of power tools, internal support structures or colorants — just the ingenuity of the sculptors and a medium that lends itself, if only temporarily, to the persuasion of hand tools. When the sculptures are finished on Saturday, Jan. 30, a panel of well-known artists and patrons of the arts serve as judges. Awards are presented to the first, second and third place sculptures on Sunday, Jan. 31.

Last year it was a team Canada for taking first place with their sculpture titled ‘Family Reunion’ and the Chinese could only manage second place with their sculpture entitled ‘The march of Spring’ – as seen in the photo below.

Awards are also given for People’s Choice, Kids’ Choice and Artists’ Choice. There are no cash prizes; the artists instead revel in the reward of hard work, forged friendships, freedom of artistic expression and the satisfaction of long hours of preparation that lead to the event.

But if the annual International Ice and Snow Festival  which has just begun in Harbin, northern China, featuring giant luminous ice sculptures and a fireworks display is anything to go by the other teams have no hope. Check out what the ‘land of the many’ can do, in the video below from ReutersVideo , when they turn their energies to sculpting ice – impressive.

Back to reality – the Snow Sculptures at Breckenridge are located in the area around the Riverwalk Center at 150 West Adams Avenue, Breckenridge, CO 80424. If you want further information we suggest you visit the website http://www.gobreck.com/events/townevents/budsnowsculpture/

Its gonna be a lot of fun!

Mount Elbrus is the highest peak in Europe, and one of the Seven Summits. It’s located just in Russia, though it is only a few miles from the border of Georgia. Though Elbrus is the highest summit in Europe, it is one of the technically easiest of the higher peaks on the continent. The mountain is in the Caucasus Mountains, which is one of the most rugged mountain ranges in the world.

Elbrus may not be that rugged of a mountain, but that is not the case with all the surrounding peaks! The standard route up Elbrus is long and strenuous but not technically difficult. The biggest danger is the weather which can be particularly nasty on this mountain. Besides the standard route, there are many much more difficult routes on the mountain, though they are very seldom climbed, and little information is available.

Mount Elbrus above – at 5,642 metres or 18,510 feet is Europe’s highest mountain, not considered to be a serious challenge for experienced mountaineers.

Elbrus is an extinct volcano, having it’s last eruption around 50 AD, and it’s crater (300-400 metres in diameter) is now filled with ice and snow. The mountain still retains it’s gently sloping, conical shape. The mountain has two main summits; the Western summit at 5,642.7 metres (18,513 feet) elevation and the Eastern summit at 5,621 metres (18,442 feet) elevation. The saddle between the two summits is at ,5416 merers (17,769 feet) elevation.

The first ascent of the West Peak of Elbrus occured on July 1874. The climbers were F. Crauford Grove, F. Gardiner, H. Walker, A. Sottajev, and P. Knubel. The first ascent of the East Peak was in 1829 by Killar Hashirov.

Routes

The majority of climbers use the standard route via the south face and Azau valley. This route starts at either the Barrels Hut at 3,900 metres (12,795 feet) or Azau Valley at 2,350 metres (7,700 feet), climbs up to the Diesel Hut at 4,157 metres (13,638 feet), climbs up past the Pashtuhova Rocks at 4670 metres (15,321 feet), up to the Saddle between the peaks at 5,416 metres (17,769 feet), and to the West summit at 5,642.7 metres (18,513 feet). The route is pretty straight forward (Russian Grade 2B) in good weather and is usually marked with wands. There are no real crevasses provided you don’t wander of the standard route.

The climb can still be a trial in bad weather, so go well prepared. Total elevation gain from the Barrels hut is 1,743 metres (5,718 feet), and the climb usually takes 6-9 hours up. Descent usually takes 3-6 hours although as can be seen in the video some people descend the mountain in rather a quicker fashion.

The biggest danger on Elbrus is the weather. Sudden storms and extremely cold weather are very common. Although the standard route is free from crevasses, this is not the case if you wander off route. During storms, several climbers have become disorientated, wandered off route and were never seen again. There are many frostbite and hypothermia injuries and deaths on the mountain every year.

The normal climbing season for Elbrus is from mid-May to mid-September. The very easiest time (and the most crowded) to climb the mountain is said to be mid-July through mid-August, followed by early July and late August. September is OK too, but the weather is usually colder and the routes can become icy. In May and June, the snow is usually softer than is in July or August, and the weather is usually colder.

As with all the mountains we have discussed in this series on the Seven Sisters acclimatisation is essential – Mount Elbrus is a moderately high mountain, so acclimatization is very important, especially since most people will be arriving from Moscow at a very low elevation. Altitude sickness is very common on Elbrus. Preferably, at least a week should be spent at altitudes of 2,500-4,500 metres (8200-14,800 feet) to acclimatize before making the final ascent.

Do not underestimate the red tape involved in getting the go ahead to climb Elbrus – let us just say that it is significant – here is a resume of what is required – good luck is all we will add:

1. Russian visa.
2. Voucher with Elbrus region mentioned.
3. OVIR registration.
4. Elbrus Area Preserve permission.
5. Immigration card.

The video below from JustGoRussia shows you in graphic form what conditions you can expect.

Well what about it – climb Europe’s highest mountain and then ski or snowboard down – something to talk about and rather extreme we suggest.

There are eight teams entered and they include an international mix with the United States, Great Britain, France, Sweden, New Zealand, France, Germany,  Russia and Italy all represented.

The competition started on September 7th in the Bay of Angels on the Cote d’Azur in the south of France. Due to the deep waters of the Bay des Angels, racing for the Louis Vuitton Trophy at Nice Côte d’Azur takes place a few hundred meters from the shore and against the backdrop of the Alps, which plunge at different points straight into the blue waters of the Mediterranean Sea. A compelling setting.

Winds from the north in the morning of between 6 and 10 knots are the norm and these generally shift to the southeast or southwest in the afternoon and can build up to 15 knots.

Stage 1 is a round robin for all eight teams. Up to four races per day are scheduled through the conclusion of the round robin and will last no longer than one hour in duration.

Here is some action from the first round kindly provided by louisvuittontrophytv

After the first round robin it was the Emirates Team New Zealand who shared joint first place with Azzurra (Italy) both on 6 points.

Stage 2 is a knockout series designed to allow participants to keep sailing as long as possible.

Stage 3 is the knockout semifinals and final. The racing is now drawing to a conclusion with the semi finals having just started. In the first semi final the Italian team Azzurra defeated the British team: the Italian crew played the right side of the course on the first upwind leg and led by 9 seconds at the windward mark.

The British crew tacked to starboard to leeward of Azzurra but the Italians did a wonderful job and increased their lead to 27 seconds at the leeward gate, and then protected the right side of the second upwind leg to increase its lead to 1:16 beginning the run to the finish. The wind lessened throughout this match, from a high of 9 knots to less than 5 at the finish.

BMW Oracle will be the next match up against the inexperienced French team TFS-Pages Jaunes, then the Russian team Synergy sail against Emirates Team NZ – who on the form to date are the team to beat – and finally we will see the Swedish team Artemis take on the host team, All4one, which is a combined French/German entry.

Here’s some action from the same source from round 2.

With only three days left of competition the semi finals will come thick and fast – we will keep you posted and should you wish to visit the Louis Vuitton website click the link here  http://www.louisvuittontrophy.com/home/

All of this is of course the precursor of the America’s Cup – have you bought your tickets yet for Ras Al Khaimah – we hope not – more about that another day.

My attention was drawn to Mount Elbrus in Russia yesterday when a comment to one of our articles which stated that Mont Blanc was the highest peak in Europe was challenged, and I was informed that Mount Elbrus in Russia was…

My first instinct of course was to reply that Russia is not in Europe and I felt that the Russians might feel it a little extreme to suddenly be called Europeans!

However, I decided the subject needed a little research and this brought up the interesting fact that there is some discrepancy over the continental divide between Europe and Asia – the one does not include Mount Elbrus in Europe, whilst the other does…

This needed further research. Be warned: you are about to get a Geography lesson here…

The eastern boundary of Europe has been variously defined since antiquity. While Europe is considered a geographical entity, it is done so as a super-peninsula of the mainland of Asia as there is no tectonic plate boundary separating the two; as for example there is with the Indian subcontinent, which does reside on a different tectonic plate to the rest of Asia and Europe but is still considered to be part of Asia.

Some atlases state that the Europe-Asia boundary follows the watershed of the Ural Mountains from near Kara, Russia on the Kara Sea to the source of the Ural River, then follows that river to the Caspian Sea. The border then follows the watershed of the Caucasus Mountains from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea.

Hope you’ve got an atlas beside you!

By this definition, the Greater Caucasus mountains are on the border of Europe and Asia. Mount Elbrus is north of the watershed divide and would be entirely in Europe by this definition, making it the highest point in Europe. The Lesser Caucasus is located entirely in Asia by the same criterion.

However, Russian geographers in mid-18th century (and now the current Russian definition and taught in textbooks in the USSR, now Russia, since 1958),  marked the boundary between Europe and Asia as running along the Mugodzhar Hills, then down the Emba River to the Caspian Sea. From the Caspian Sea it runs to the Black Sea along the Kuma-Manych Depression, marked by the rivers of the same name.

It places all of the Caucasus, including countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan and North Caucasian republics of Chechnya and Dagestan, entirely in Asia.

I could go on forever as it has been a fascinating study, but I think it is for this reason that we can be forgiven, in Europe, for calling Mont Blanc our highest peak… It is possibly incorrect and it is obviously, geographically and historically acceptable, to be open to your own interpretation!

Last but not least, if Mount Elbrus in considered to be in Europe it considerably overshadows Mont Blanc. Elbrus is 5,642m high which overwhelms Mount Blanc’s 4,808m. In the worldwide prominence of peaks, Elbrus stands at 10th and Mont Blanc 11th. It is also the highest peak in Russia.