Dramatic is the single best word to describe the 2010 Cross Country Olympic venue. There's wide trails that swoop around the valley like a rollercoaster and big mountains steeped in fog. It would be less dramatic if you stopped to notice that the trails bend back on themselves and bunch up together so they don't actually cover a very large area but it's so white that you don't really see any of the other trails. It's so white here, in fact, that I originally went skiing without sunglasses because I looked up at the cloudy ski. After a walking out onto the trail, however, I dashed back in to get my Rydons... I'd forgotten that snow, when white, can be blindingly reflective even in low light. Huh, white snow. The best skiing I've had this year has all been in Canada-- Silver Star, Canmore, and here. I wish we got to race in Canada more often!

And, since we're taking note of the days these days if anyone gets smug about not being assassinated today just look evil and say, "Yes, the Ides of March has come, but it has not passed."