Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

This report is just a short interlude between the next batch of photos from Japan.

The last week has been tough in Thredbo. Yes, I know it has been even tougher in other regions, especially Victoria with the bush fires.

On top of several hot days and quite warm nights we have had thick bush fire smoke in the valley each night. Last Sunday night was the worst with visibility on Monday morning less than 100m. Last night was the coolest and least amount of smoke since Sunday night, so hopefully that phase of Summer is over. Fingers crossed.

On my walk when I took the following photos in a reasonably stiff breeze I can report no march flies and only a few bush flies :-)

There's road being built in The Basin to Ramshead chair

This first works towards the new chairlift?

Mount Kosciuszko and the last of the Kosi Cornice

Etheridge

Carruthers and the Club Lake chutes

Bush fire in Victoria to the south east beyond Karels T-bar

Looking out from the bridge over Merritts Creek behind Eagles Nest

Monday morning: View to Lower Sundance and High Noon through choking bush fire smoke

Olympic Grumps: It's only my own personal opinion but from what I have seen so far, I think the Sochi games organisation is pretty woeful. Watching injured athletes lying on the snow and no help rushing to their aid is far from what we should expect as a an Olympic standard. As for the state of some courses - well?

In this digital TV age of multiple channels, I find Ten's coverage of the games equally woeful. With the opportunity to show so much, the limited streaming and constant duplication of events cross channels is pretty poor.

And finally, when are Australian "journalists" (and I use that word sparingly) going to stop the pressure they constantly put on our athletes (not just the winter Olympians)? Sure we want our team to do well but let them do their best without the brutal pressure of building them up and crashing them down, applied by what I see as leeches earning money off the back of the athletes. You only have to look at how well our winter athletes do in world events when the Australian media is not covering them to realise that when the Olympics come around and the media goes feral that the media frenzy must be affecting their performances.

Enough said - may be it's the all the smoke I've ingested. Yes, I will continue watching the Olympics and I wish our athletes the very best. I commend Torah on her attitude to competing - well done.

PS: For those wanting to see some summer/winter events closer to home - street luge is on this weekend at Mt Gladstone, just out of Cooma.