Friday, January 10, 2014

Dawn Lights the Forest

A winter storm keeps me close to the fire. Wind gusts are predicted to 75 miles an hour.  Breckenridge is hosting the final Olympic trials for Snowboard and Slope Style.
The winners will compete in Russia (there is a large continent of Russian athletes here). Teams from all over the world converge on Peak 8. Luckily, there's an abundance of snow, but the wind chills are brutal.  Standing to await your turn in the half pipe must be torture. The force of the wind is dangerous to the competitors. These are highly trained athletes, but Nature is having her say. In the end, after all the work and all the training, winning sometimes hinges on luck and weather. 





wind and snow
snow and wind
dawn's conflagration
merely an illusion of warmth 

small stone

11 comments:

  1. oh, that sounds brutal! i feel bad for the athletes and the judges and all involved.

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  2. I love the brilliance of the sun....and can only imagine how really cold it is in the "blue" forest.

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  3. The hardest part is the waiting, and competitors, judges, and onlookers will all be feeling the cold so much, wonder if there is a handy "warming-up" area with hot drinks, hand warmers, maybe even a portable gas heater??? They would not want that last nervous trip to a non-existing bathroom before their turn for sure!!! Lovely words, cheers from Jean.

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  4. The sunrise makes the forest looks like it's on fire. How far from the truth. I feel for those who have to endure the cold.

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  5. I would also stay with the open fire, the wind makes it even colder.

    Greetings,
    Filip

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  6. Ohhh that sport seems so difficult under ideal circumstances, let alone these. What a perfect picture of dawn breaking through.

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  7. 75 mph winds sound powerful and cold. You are smart to sit by the fire. ;)

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  8. In the end, Mother Nature always seems to have her way. :)

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  9. 75 mph! We haven't had winds that strong in a long while. Oddly enough, my brother has been out your way. My mom simply said he flew out to Denver and is skiing. Hope he wasn't caught in any bad weather. Hope he found a fire. Hey, maybe you two even ran into each other--unknowingly.

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  10. I love "merely the illusion of warmth" and sometimes that is enough! Your photos are always stunning.

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  11. I do find that when the sun shines, which has been rare here lately, you can feel its warmth. From indoors where I sit - this looks spectacular.

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Your comments are always one good thing for me!