Hello
I will be going to work in Kazakhstan soon, in Atyrau on the Caspian
Sea. I know that it gets very cold (-30 or less) and there is snow,
and that the country has some medal winning skiiers. Does anybody know
of any cross country skiing there?
Robert Brown
AMEC intend to resubmit a plan for a windfarm in the Clashindarroch
forest. In attempt to alleviate some of the criticisms' raised at the
Public Inquiry that rejected their original proposal AMEC plan to build
22 turbines instead of the original 47. Three turbines that were to be
built near the Timberline/Haute Route area of the ski trails have been
removed.There will be no felling of trees near any of the ski trails.
AMEC will be presenting their plans at the following meeting from 4pm
to 8pm:
Mon 23rd June, Cabrach Primary School.
Tues 24th June, Stewarts Hall, Huntly.
Weds 25th June, Gordon Arms, Rhynie.
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
I have placed in the files section (Snowsport GB folder) the Selection
Criteria for the British Cross-Country Ski Squads for the 2008/09
season. These criteria were decided at the the SSGB Nordic Committee
meeting in May.
If anyone has about questions about these selection criteria please
feel free to contact myself or the SSGB Nordic Director, George Gabriel.
Peter Thorn
huntlynordicsc@...
I have placed in the files section a letter from George Gabriel,
Snowsport GB Nordic Director, on the current status of the British
Cross-Country Ski Squad. It has been an exciting & successful year for
our skiers.
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
British juniors skiers finished off their season with some excellent
results in Finland with two Scottish skiers (Andrew Musgrave (18) &
Andrew Young (16)) scoring under 100 FIS points. This is the first time
a British skier has scored under 100 points since 1994. A full report
can be found in the Snowsport GB website news section at:
http://www.snowsportgb.com/dtrack.asp?r=docs/Latest%
20News/junior_Finland_Cup.pdf
I have also put a copy in the Nordicscotland Files section.
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
There is indeed excellent skiing in the Clash. The trails were groomed
today & are in probably the best condition of the season. I'm hopeful
the great skiing will last into the weekend. I will update on Friday.
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
Dominic
The best place closest to you is GlenIsla forest but I was up there
Monday and not enough snow - otherwise I would make the trip up to
Clashindarroch near Huntly even though its further its a great place to
start !
peter
Dominic Paterson wrote:
>
> Hi,
> I have a a pair of cross country skis and I would love to try and use
> them but not really sure where would be the best place to go near me. I
> live near brechin. Does anyone have any ideas of where I can go that
> has plenty of snow at the moment?
>
> Thanks
> Dom
>
>
Hi,
I have a a pair of cross country skis and I would love to try and use
them but not really sure where would be the best place to go near me. I
live near brechin. Does anyone have any ideas of where I can go that
has plenty of snow at the moment?
Thanks
Dom
Great Report, thanks Al
Congratulations to the British Team, the Coaches and Officials and all the
families.
The Eurosport commentator reporting on the WC races at Lahti this weekend made
reference
to a winner at the Nordic World Junior Champs and Mike Dixon gave his
congratulations to
the British Team for their successes.
Mike
I noticed that some on the group had been enquiring about the progress
at world juniors, so now the dust has settled I have uploaded our
official team report to the files area. It is a 2Mb report complete
with some great images of the team in action.
Many thanks
Al Dargie - Team Manager / Junior Team Coach
British Nordic Ski Team
I would to thank Claire, Jim & Rupert for posting the links & info
on the exploits of the GB Junior Squad in Europe over the last few
weeks.
The results from the younger juniors at the Austrian Champs were
amazing. It is not often that a "no-snow" can go & take medals from
a ski nation.
Then this past week 8 British juniors have been competing at the
World Junior Championships in Malles, Italy. These athletes have had
to cope with delay & change of venue & then the unexpected problem
of coping with skiing at altitude. The standard of competition is
very high for example Theresa Johaug bronze medal winner from last
years senior World Champs was racing. We should be proud of the way
our young skiers have risen to the challenge. And most will have
have a couple more years in the junior category.
When Head Coach, Roy Young, gets home he will update his website
with a summary of results of all British skiers in international
races which save you the trouble of hunted around the internet:
http://toutxc.pbwiki.com/GB+Skiers+Result+Page
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
I have uploaded a file containing my report on the recent Austrian
Youth Cross Country Ski Championships at Nordic Scotland Files Austrian
Champs report 2008. An excellent performance by all
the British youth skiers was topped by a win by Andrew Young. For
results see Saalfelden ski club results page under Oesterreicher
Meisterschaften at http://schiklubsaalfelden.com/schi/results/extern
Below is a link to an article about a recent visit by Canadian coach
Les Parsons to Huntly to coach the GB Juniors.
http://www.fasterskier.com/news4610.html
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
The final results tables for the the GB Rollerski Series 2007 have
been posted in the files section. If anyone spots any mistakes please
let me know. Series winners were:
Senior Men - Mike Dixon (Cairngorm).
Senior Ladies - Fiona Crossley (Cairngorm) for the third year in a
row.
U18 Men - Cameron Dudgeon (Cairngorm)
U18 Ladies - Marsha Dixon (Cairngorm)
U14 Boys - Scott Dixon (Cairngorm)
U14 Girls - Katy Homyer (Cairngorm)
So congratulations to Cairngorm for a clean sweep of titles for 2007.
The British Rollerski Championships were held at Huntly this year
(GB6) & winners were:
Senior Men - Andrew Musgrave (Huntly)
Senior Ladies - Fiona Hughes (Yorkshire Dales)
U18 Men - Cameron Dudgeon (Cairngorm)
U18 Ladies - Deborah May (Huntly)
U14 Boys - Ruaridh Newman (Huntly)
U14 Girls - Katy Homyer (Cairngorm)
140 skiers took part in a least one series race compared to 117 in
2006. And the largest event attracted 70 skiers. So it seems the
series remains reasonably popular although only a small proportion of
skiers attend more than three races.
It is planned for the Series to go ahead in 2008 and Adam Pinney &
myself (co-Series Directors) welcome any suggestions on how to
improve the Series & hopefully encourage skiers to to attend more
races. We will review what races are included in the Series. We will
keep the same points scoring system although we may adjust the number
of scoring races in particular for the junior categories.
So thanks to all who competed or helped with this years competition &
I hope to see you at the races next year.
A reminder that the London Region 4hr Endurance race is at Hayes on
Sat 20th Oct & that Wessex are hosting a new race at Castle Coombe
Race Track, Wiltshire on Sun 28th Oct (further details in Files
Section).
Regards, Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
The Guardian article is an ideal example of the general public perception of the sport, or rather, the activity of cross country skiing. Those of us who are interested, and in particularly on the sporting/competitive side, have a very different view based on the effort that we have to put in to achieve anything in the field of competition.
Ordinary Joe who wants to give it a go doesn't need to be fit at all - if you can walk, with a little bit of guidance, you can cross country ski. Initial perception on the flat cross country loipe is somewhat different to the initial perception on clumpy downhill equipment on a tiny section of flat terrain surrounded by what the novice sees as towering mountains, and cliff like slopes with no control whatsoever over the contraptions on their feet.
On the ratings for roller skis, again it is a perception thing. To move roller skis requires considerably less effort than snow
skis - even more so with fast bearings, and it is relatively easy to cruise without a great deal of effort if taking part in an activity environment rather than a sport environment - you don't need to be fit to roller ski while you might need to be to race. The danger rating is also reflected in the article - the perceived danger has been removed by performing the activity on traffic free roads/tracks. Even on a downhill road that is traffic free the perceived danger is less than on a narrow track surrounded by trees - especially on a sharp bend. Furthermore, on being introduced to the sport/activity one is hardly introduced to, or, even recommended to consider something like the Cairngorm hill road - sensible advice for the activity roller skier is to remove the skis. The thrill rating is hard to deduce, but I must admit to a certain thrill of achievement in negotiating a tight bend on a downhill track something the novice very rarely does.
In summary the article would appear to reflect the experience of the author, and that may be fair comment. From a sport development point of view we need to be able to introduce people to a more dynamic, exhilirating, and uplifting experience - snow and environment are always going to be the key - thinking caps on?
Jimd
iainxc <iainxc@...> wrote:
For fitness, if rollerskiing only gets a 6, and XC skiing gets a 7, what on earth gets a 10???
I'd thought only a couple of sports even came close
to XC skiing in all-round fitness and strength demands!
For the record, I had nothing to do with the ratings, but may have put a positive spin on the danger aspect of rollerskiing.
--- In nordicscotland@yahoogroups.co.uk, "Horsley, Dr David" <d.horsley@...> wrote: > > Nope not at all. Compare it to the ratings for nordic skiing in the same > article: > > Roller skiing > Thrill rating 4/10 > > Danger rating 2/10 > > Fitness rating 6/10 > > Nordic skiing > > Thrill rating 4/10 > > Danger rating 4/10 > > Fitness rating 7/10 > > > > I'd rate the danger of roller skiing over cross country at a much higher > level - falling on tarmac does a lot more damage than falling on snow. > I'd also probably rate the fitness as higher
for roller than > crosscountry as I reckon its a lot easier to take it easy and plod > along on snow than on rollers. The thrill rating is very dependant on > where you are skiing - eg roller skiing down the hill road at cairngorm > whould definitely be a 'thrill' > > > > Dave > > > ________________________________ > > From: nordicscotland@yahoogroups.co.uk > [mailto:nordicscotland@yahoogroups.co.uk] On Behalf Of Peter Thorn > Sent: 02 October 2007 17:04 > To: nordicscotland@yahoogroups.co.uk > Subject: [nordicscotland] Guardian article on rollerskiing > > > > The link below takes you to an article that appeared in the Guardian
> newspaper recently. Do you agree with its ratings for thrill, danger & > fitness? > > http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/adventure/story/0,,2176012,0 > <http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/adventure/story/0,,2176012,0 > > > 0.html > > Regards, Peter > www.nordicski.org >
For fitness, if rollerskiing only gets a 6, and XC skiing gets a 7,
what on earth gets a 10???
I'd thought only a couple of sports even came close to XC skiing in
all-round fitness and strength demands!
For the record, I had nothing to do with the ratings, but may have put
a positive spin on the danger aspect of rollerskiing.
--- In nordicscotland@..., "Horsley, Dr David"
<d.horsley@...> wrote:
>
> Nope not at all. Compare it to the ratings for nordic skiing in the same
> article:
>
> Roller skiing
> Thrill rating 4/10
>
> Danger rating 2/10
>
> Fitness rating 6/10
>
> Nordic skiing
>
> Thrill rating 4/10
>
> Danger rating 4/10
>
> Fitness rating 7/10
>
>
>
> I'd rate the danger of roller skiing over cross country at a much higher
> level - falling on tarmac does a lot more damage than falling on snow.
> I'd also probably rate the fitness as higher for roller than
> crosscountry as I reckon its a lot easier to take it easy and plod
> along on snow than on rollers. The thrill rating is very dependant on
> where you are skiing - eg roller skiing down the hill road at cairngorm
> whould definitely be a 'thrill'
>
>
>
> Dave
>
>
> ________________________________
>
> From: nordicscotland@...
> [mailto:nordicscotland@...] On Behalf Of Peter Thorn
> Sent: 02 October 2007 17:04
> To: nordicscotland@...
> Subject: [nordicscotland] Guardian article on rollerskiing
>
>
>
> The link below takes you to an article that appeared in the Guardian
> newspaper recently. Do you agree with its ratings for thrill, danger &
> fitness?
>
> http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/adventure/story/0,,2176012,0
> <http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/guides/adventure/story/0,,2176012,0
> >
> 0.html
>
> Regards, Peter
> www.nordicski.org
>
Nope not at all. Compare it to the ratings for nordic skiing in the same article:
Roller skiing
Thrill rating 4/10
Danger rating 2/10
Fitness rating 6/10
Nordic skiing
Thrill rating 4/10
Danger rating 4/10
Fitness rating 7/10
I'd rate the danger of roller skiing over cross country at a much higher level - falling on tarmac does a lot more damage than falling on snow. I'd also probably rate the fitness as higher for roller than crosscountry as I reckon its a lot easier to take it easy and plod along on snow than on rollers. The thrill rating is very dependant on where you are skiing - eg roller skiing down the hill road at cairngorm whould definitely be a 'thrill'
Dave
From: nordicscotland@... [mailto:nordicscotland@...] On Behalf Of Peter Thorn Sent: 02 October 2007 17:04 To: nordicscotland@... Subject: [nordicscotland] Guardian article on rollerskiing
The link below takes you to an article that appeared in the Guardian newspaper recently. Do you agree with its ratings for thrill, danger & fitness?
Below is revised report replacing deleted report posted earlier today.
British Rollerski Championships 2007
Huntly Nordic & Outdoor Centre
Saturday 15th Sept 2007
The weekend of the 15/16th Sept saw the two largest British rollerski
races of the 2007 British Rollerski Series. On Saturday the Huntly
Nordic Ski Club hosted the British Rollerski Championships 2007 at
the Huntly Nordic & Outdoor Centre. Despite the heavy rain 69 skiers
from all parts of the UK and of all standards and ages competed over
1.8 to 7.1km courses. The senior men's and ladies 7.1km races were
both won by 17 year old skiers racing up an age category: Andrew
Musgrave (Huntly Nordic SC) and Fiona Hughes (Yorkshire Dales CCSC).
Both skiers set new course records of 18min 55sec and 23mins 05secs,
these times were even more remarkable considering the wet conditions
which saw the majority of skiers skiing far slower than usual. The
Bob Lacy Memorial Trophy for first male veteran (and second overall)
was awarded to Peter Kuznetzov, a Russian skiing for London Region
Nordic SC. The U18 5.1km mens race was won by Cammy Dudgeon
(Cairngorm Biathlon & Nordic SC) who just beat Calum Smith of Huntly
NSC by 1 second. While in the U18 ladies race Deborah May of Huntly
won by just 2 seconds from Marsha Dixon of Cairngorm. The U14 2.1km
boys race was won by Ruaridh Newman (Huntly) and the girls U14 by
Katy Homyer of Cairngorm. A competitive Novice race over a 1.8km flat
course had a field ten skiers from the age of eight up to adult. The
first boy was eight year old Oliver Newman who came 4th overall and
first girl was nine year old Lynne Gray, who came 8th overall; both
Huntly NSC.
At prize giving Evgeny Gorbenko, on behalf of the Russian contingent
of skiers praised the standard of competition and warm welcome they
had received in Huntly. He presented a certificate and calendar of
Russian cross country skiers as a momento to the Huntly club.
Scottish Rollerski Championships
Cairngorm Hill Climb
Sunday 16th Sept 2007
On the Sunday skiers moved over to an equally wet Cairngorm for the
Scottish Championships hosted by Cairngorm Biathlon & Nordic Ski
Club. These races took the form of a hill climb up the Ski Road with
seniors skiing 5.4km and gaining 287m of height, the U18 3.1km and
224m of height and the U14 2.25km and 147m of height. Once again
Andrew Musgrave and Fiona Hughes won the senior races in new course
records of 18min 39secs and 23min 47secs. In the U18 men's race Calum
Smith reversed the previous days race order coming in ahead of Cammy
Dudgeon. Alison Duncan of Cairngorm won the U18 ladies hill climb.
The U14 boys & girls races were won once again by Ruaridh Newman and
Katy Homyer.
These two races formed races 6 and 7 of the British Rollerski Series.
The final race of the series is at Lancaster on the 29th September.
Report by Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic Ski Club)
www.nordicski.org.uk
While on the subject of Austria there may be some interest in the
subject of snow, and the forthcoming season. The Salzburgland area
has had some spectacular snow for the time of year - causing chaos
on the Tauern Pass near Obertauern, and all the high level Alms for
cattle. Snow tyres, and chains required in September! Hopefully this
means a good season, however, a word of caution we had early season
snow in November last year, and it didn't mean much. Nevertheless,
we live in hope. Currently looking at the snow on the hills
(mountains) opposite the house, and already dusting skis of for an
early season start.
Jimd
--- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@...>
wrote:
>
> Mike,
>
> That was my understanding of the situation. I didn't mean to imply
> that Sachenbacher, or any other of the athletes who received a
short
> ban at Turin were guilty of blood doping. The fasterskier article
> gives that impression & this is incorrect.
>
> Jim, thanks for reminding me about the Austrian team outcome. I
> remember now, I had just forgotten about it.
>
> The sad fact is that drugs in sport is very prevalent & we are
> getting to a situation where you think that any winner is a cheat.
>
> Peter.
>
> --- In nordicscotland@..., "michael_drmn" <mike@>
> wrote:
> >
> > I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high
haemoglobin
> > was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption
to
> make.
> >
> > Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping
was
> > undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have
that
> > high a concentration legitimately.
> >
> > Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to
> contradict me.
> >
> > Mike
> >
> > --- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi
> Sachenbacher
> > > was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought
she
> was one
> > > of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their
> hemoglobin
> > > levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught
doping
> since
> > > then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a
> big
> > > cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't
true.
> > >
> > > I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team
> after
> > > they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say
> their
> > > team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
> > >
> > > All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people
away
> from
> > > sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
> > >
> > > Peter.
> > >
> >
>
The whole situation with physiology, and biology in sport leaves a
lot to be desired, and I guess the current rules try their best to
contain the scientific development. Is their any difference between
drugs, and what is termed as blood doping. What is blood doping?
Lasse Viren used to change his blood from one altitude to another.
What is the difference between training at altitude to alter blood
make up, and carrying a spare pint or two that has been taken at
altitude in previous training - all dodgy stuff, and someone has to
draw the line, the trouble is when the line becomes a sqiggle who is
right, and who is wrong. Its a shame they couldn't all live on fish
and chips, and compete like Alf Tupper the tough of the track!
Jim D--- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn"
<peter@...> wrote:
>
> Mike,
>
> That was my understanding of the situation. I didn't mean to imply
> that Sachenbacher, or any other of the athletes who received a
short
> ban at Turin were guilty of blood doping. The fasterskier article
> gives that impression & this is incorrect.
>
> Jim, thanks for reminding me about the Austrian team outcome. I
> remember now, I had just forgotten about it.
>
> The sad fact is that drugs in sport is very prevalent & we are
> getting to a situation where you think that any winner is a cheat.
>
> Peter.
>
> --- In nordicscotland@..., "michael_drmn" <mike@>
> wrote:
> >
> > I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high
haemoglobin
> > was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption
to
> make.
> >
> > Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping
was
> > undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have
that
> > high a concentration legitimately.
> >
> > Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to
> contradict me.
> >
> > Mike
> >
> > --- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@>
> wrote:
> > >
> > > I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi
> Sachenbacher
> > > was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought
she
> was one
> > > of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their
> hemoglobin
> > > levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught
doping
> since
> > > then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a
> big
> > > cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't
true.
> > >
> > > I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team
> after
> > > they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say
> their
> > > team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
> > >
> > > All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people
away
> from
> > > sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
> > >
> > > Peter.
> > >
> >
>
Mike,
That was my understanding of the situation. I didn't mean to imply
that Sachenbacher, or any other of the athletes who received a short
ban at Turin were guilty of blood doping. The fasterskier article
gives that impression & this is incorrect.
Jim, thanks for reminding me about the Austrian team outcome. I
remember now, I had just forgotten about it.
The sad fact is that drugs in sport is very prevalent & we are
getting to a situation where you think that any winner is a cheat.
Peter.
--- In nordicscotland@..., "michael_drmn" <mike@...>
wrote:
>
> I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high haemoglobin
> was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption to
make.
>
> Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping was
> undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have that
> high a concentration legitimately.
>
> Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to
contradict me.
>
> Mike
>
> --- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@>
wrote:
> >
> > I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi
Sachenbacher
> > was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought she
was one
> > of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their
hemoglobin
> > levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught doping
since
> > then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a
big
> > cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't true.
> >
> > I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team
after
> > they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say
their
> > team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
> >
> > All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people away
from
> > sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
> >
> > Peter.
> >
>
The IOC banned two Austrian bi athletes, and two coaches for life -
this was upheld by the Austrian commission into the scandal. The IOC
also banned for life 4 Austrian cross country athletes, however, the
Austrian commission found them not guilty, and they are awaiting an
appeal hearing to the IOC.
JimD
--- In nordicscotland@..., "michael_drmn" <mike@...>
wrote:
>
> I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high
haemoglobin
> was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption
to make.
>
> Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping was
> undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have that
> high a concentration legitimately.
>
> Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to
contradict me.
>
> Mike
>
> --- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@>
wrote:
> >
> > I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi
Sachenbacher
> > was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought she
was one
> > of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their
hemoglobin
> > levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught doping
since
> > then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a
big
> > cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't true.
> >
> > I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team
after
> > they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say
their
> > team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
> >
> > All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people
away from
> > sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
> >
> > Peter.
> >
>
I think its just jumping to the conclusion that the high haemoglobin
was due to blood doping, which is a fairly reasonable assumption to make.
Its only a short ban because they can't prove that blood doping was
undertaken, but its incredibly unlikely that anyone would have that
high a concentration legitimately.
Anyone with better knowledge of these things, feel free to contradict me.
Mike
--- In nordicscotland@..., "Peter Thorn" <peter@...> wrote:
>
> I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi Sachenbacher
> was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought she was one
> of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their hemoglobin
> levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught doping since
> then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a big
> cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't true.
>
> I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team after
> they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say their
> team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
>
> All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people away from
> sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
>
> Peter.
>
I was a bit confused by the article as it says that Evi Sachenbacher
was caught for doping at the Turin Olympics. I just thought she was one
of several athletes given s short 5 day ban because their hemoglobin
levels were too high. I haven't heard that she was caught doping since
then. However if what the article says is true then it casts a big
cloud over the whole German team. Like you I hope it isn't true.
I never heard the outcome of what happened to the Austria team after
they got raided by the italian police at Turin. My sources say their
team quarters resembled a clinical laboratory.
All very sad, it is the sort of thing that will drive people away from
sport if they believe that most athletes are cheating.
Peter.
The Reporters Report & findings from the Public Inquiry held last year
can be viewed at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/917/0052765.pdf
It is a long document (196 pages) but the main skiing section starts at
page 93. There is other skiing relevant information in other parts of
report.
The Reporter gives her reasons for recommending that the windfarm be
turned down. Basically AMEC proposal, although a weighty document, was
badly flawed in many places. For a big organistation they didn't do a
very good study on the impact of the windfarm & how to mitigate any
harm.
AMEC have asked for a review of their case so it isn't finished yet but
whatever the final outcome it seems the skiing interests will be
protected.
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
The proposal by AMEC to build a windfarm in the Clashashindarroch
forest has been turned down by the Scottish Government. I don't know
if AMEC have a right to appeal against the decision. Report on BBC
website reads:
"Plans for a wind farm in Aberdeenshire which sparked controversy
have been turned down by the Scottish Government.
The energy company Amec had applied to build 40 turbines at
Clashindarroch near Huntly.
Ministers have now sided with the argument of local campaigners who
said it would be potentially damaging to the environment of the
Deveron Valley.
Another wind farm near Aberfeldy in Perthshire was rejected, however
one in Dumfries and Galloway was approved.
Amec applied for consent to construct the wind farm at Clashindarroch
in 2003. The proposal was for 47 turbines, which was later reduced to
40.
A public local inquiry was held in May last year."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/north_east/6987126.stm
Peter Thorn (Huntly Nordic SC)
www.nordicski.org.uk
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