a onblur=”try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}” href=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2yfEEoAvYI/AAAAAAAAA0M/09jyPZ70M-8/s1600-h/IMG_0239.JPG”img style=”display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 179px;” src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2yfEEoAvYI/AAAAAAAAA0M/09jyPZ70M-8/s320/IMG_0239.JPG” border=”0″ alt=””id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434893742639201666″ //abr /div style=”text-align: left;”Today concludes the first week of my final preparations for the Games. We’ve spent the week at Mt. Washington Resort on Vancouver Island, just a short flight away from Vancouver. It is a unique place, but offered a good range and training venue to prepare for Whistler. Perhaps it has been most valuable because it has been a week of training in adverse conditions: snow, wind, fog, icy snow, slow snow, soft snow, light wind, gusty winds, hints of rain….I could go on. All such conditions we can be sure to encounter at the Whistler venue./divdivbr //divdivI took a short run yesterday afternoon through the neighboring village. It snows so much here that it has become custom to just groom the “streets” instead of plow, which only adds to the winter wonderland allure of this place. /divdivbr //divdivspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2yYMMPSBOI/AAAAAAAAAzU/JpVOzLMvIfM/s200/IMG_0223.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434886185540519138″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”There is tons of snow here! /divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2yYL2nhnoI/AAAAAAAAAzM/7w0csixWUag/s200/IMG_0219.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434886179736624770″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”And there are kids everywhere taking advantage of the massive snow banks for sledding, climbing and snowcave building./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2yYLYU8gDI/AAAAAAAAAzE/1uMS0OhrpbA/s200/IMG_0218.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434886171605631026″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”Cabins are packed in right next to the alpine trails./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2yYKyUWNgI/AAAAAAAAAy8/nU2vp1BYhek/s200/IMG_0216.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434886161402574338″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”China, Canada, Sweden, Germany and the US: the teams training here this week./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2yYMg9qjbI/AAAAAAAAAzc/Mdr7e4E5yMc/s200/IMG_0227.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434886191103774130″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”The snow finally ceased snowing yesterday afternoon to get a glimpse of the water below, reminding me that we are on an island./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2ybWOIVxCI/AAAAAAAAAzk/Wn6ylsdgAOU/s320/IMG_0234.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434889656381850658″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 179px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”Ha, funny sign to have in your neighborhood, huh? The curving downhills only asked to be ridden down./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2ybXvV-1DI/AAAAAAAAA0E/NZ4I3D_xuaM/s320/IMG_0232.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434889682477306930″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”The tall cedars and hemlocks are quite enchanting in the winter too. And here, they even seem small compared to the mainland and skiing around Whistler. /divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2ybWdc1DYI/AAAAAAAAAzs/MwOekTiFabg/s320/IMG_0235.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434889660494318978″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”One of the stylish ski cabins./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2ybW-DG7FI/AAAAAAAAAz0/zR_jWZJa0IY/s320/IMG_0238.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434889669244808274″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 320px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”Good wishes from one of the nearby ski cabins./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv style=”text-align: center;”span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; “img src=”http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_k1DHbqzFvCE/S2ybXDRM1sI/AAAAAAAAAz8/NSdxtmCIqic/s320/IMG_0229.JPG” border=”0″ alt=”” id=”BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434889670646093506″ style=”display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; ” //span/divdiv style=”text-align: center;”On my way back to our apartments./divdiv style=”text-align: center;”br //divdiv class=”blogger-post-footer”img width=’1′ height=’1′ src=’https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/1362992899157556571-8054446453249685881?l=comeskiwithme.blogspot.com’ alt=” //div
