The Crime Traveller barrelling down the bobsled track

Today I make my last of two trips to Whistler during these Games. I head down early before my event to allow for some time to take in the Whistler Village experience. The shops, restaurants and bars are packed beyond capacity and the entire community exudes a palpable sense of excitement and camaraderie. Contrary to what many believe, the vast majority of Whistler’s slopes remain open for business during the games and skiers mix with spectators at every turn.

I join the throng outside CTV’s Whistler studio and watch athletes be interviewed before parking myself on a snow drift in front of the massive screen set up at the mountain’s base to take in the end of the Russia vs. Czech hockey game. A VJ from Much Music chooses me out of the crown to do an on-camera interview discussing the implications of this game in the broader round-robin tournament but sadly, doesn’t invite me to join Much’s outdoor hot tub bubbling away at the foot of the ski lift.

After the game, I head up early to the Whistler Sliding Centre hoping to stake out a prime location from which to view the men’s 2-man bobsled finals. I’m stunned to find that arriving over an hour before the event leaves me well behind a wall of humanity pressed against the entire lip of the 1.4km track. Blinds are pulled down around the venue obstructing much of the public’s view in an effort to protect the icy track from the powerful unseasonable warmth of the sun’s rays that are beating down.

Time to get creative. I spot a group of men wearing the distinctive badges of authorized VANOC personnel.  They turn out to be a group of NBC production engineers who have come to enjoy a day off watching the bobsled runs. I’ve got a bag full of fancy camera gear. They have official-looking passes. A plan forms. Next thing I know, the four of us are positioned on a raised platform track-side reserved for Olympic photographers. The ruse holds for three runs before an over-zealous security volunteer realizes that my partners in crime are back-stage techies and not front-line photographers. He’s even less impressed when he realizes I’m an absolute nobody. Oh well. I score some outstanding shots while it lasted and then reposition myself mid-way down the track to take in the rest of the event.

As the bobsleigh finals comes to an end, all of Whistler is drawn, as if by a gravitational force, to the centre of Whistler Village where the big screen is airing the third period of Canada’s now-infamous loss to the U.S. in men’s hockey. 5000 fans pack the small square drowning out the cheers of the smaller American contingent with cries of “Luongo!” and promises of revenge.

I board the return bus for Vancouver secure in the knowledge that my tickets to tomorrow’s Team Canada women’s hockey game against Finland will yield a more positive result.

For more of my bobsled pix, check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/prutschi/sets/72157623487030632/.

Can you spot the Official Olympic Mascot?