OCR Text |
Show Vtinuivf, Hard 10, 17 Pagt 7 H : L Iwith Cresg Altschul A funny thing happened on my way to the Winter Olympics. I only got as far as the living room couch. I considered applying for press credentials so your fearless intrepid reporter could bring you a first-hand view of the quadrennial masterpiece, but I worried about IOC reaction. There's a rumor afloat that I don't take our sport too seriously and in Austria that's a crime punishable by 18,000 kilometers on cross-country .skis..;. . v t: So, like so many of you, I was a front row spectator promising each and every night to send Jim McKay a new ski sweater. Finally, by the fifth night, I had the answer. Whenever Jim came on at the anchor desk in beautiful downtown down-town Innsbruck, I reached over and pushed the color button. I could make his sweater green, orange, pulsating mauve or whatever color I thought he ought to be wearing that day. The fact that his face reflected his sweater was irrelevant. irrelev-ant. Never before in the history of televised'sport has a network performed as did ABC in Austria, The Olympic coverage, produced by Roone Arledge, was absolutely spectacular. It was so spectacular in fact, that I was willing to say it even surpassed my favorite film slip ... the jumper in the "agony of defeat." t Franz Klammer's downhill race had me hiding under the couch's pillow. Our sheepdog barked at him. My wife, Peggi, suggested downhill racing might be good for me. Why did she . suggest that? ; I fell in love with Dorothy Ham'il and swore: to practice my double axles. I even went out to look for one of Dick Button's bow ties. I am convinced I was the only one in the country who thought Pierre Salinger was funny. And, Bill Koch deserved more than a medal. He deserved a Purple Heart. The Winter Olympics were more interesting in my little Connecticut town than in Austria. They had to be. : ;vfo,;; - I stopped for coffee downtown on my way to e?.lc MMMTO sixmaeny laaies. mere was iiuie aouDi. siuers, thefen't "Elsie," one said so I couldn't help but overhear. "Did you see that little Rosie Mid; dlelayer last night? I was convinced she missed that fifth gate." f ; "Nah, Gertie," the other said. "But, I heard our coach say. his skiers wouldn't reach their peak till next year. There's no excuse for that lack of planning." "You're right," chimed in another. "He said, the World Cup was a better test. And, I drank out , of one of those things and a medal is more im-! portant." , ; :.v' They all laughed. I left and headed for the office. In the elevator a dignified business executive was talking to his companion. "Joe," , he said, "I can't understand why that guy in ' Oestria II went off the track. If he'd, cut his corner just slightly to the right, he'd have won. ; Stupid, stupid. They ought to fire the coach." t "You're right, Bill," he said. "And, how come our luge team doesn't luge any better?" All of a sudden ... last month ... America came ; out of its snowbank and decided there was such a thing as winter sports. Where've you been, America? ,? The Olympics are oyer. The talk has died down. The thrills of victory and the agony of defeat are gone. No one will mention a luge again ,,' until 1980. And, just before the Lake Placid Games begin, we'll read the articles about how our team is just " a year away from peaking and we'll watch people with names we can't pronounce take home our gold. And, instead of this superb ABC-TV effort really making a difference, we'll go through the same old thing. Then, in March, 1980, back to business as usual. Because we really don't care. If we did, we'd , have our checkbooks out and would be helping, the US Ski Team do something about it. ; Or, perhaps a surtax on lift tickets IS an an-swer. an-swer. What the hell. At $12 a ticket, what's a t quarter? Five million quarters will add up to . gold. .Now, back tcjj. reality v. .and Marcus Welby, s answer - yi Keen vou S&TIPS iH i .. s "pnditins;' .r . r4T ,,,42V ,1-r.CT K'fn V V V V V V W V V W V V W V V V V W.W V V w vvv v t xy What really makes the sport of skiing? What really causes all those hundreds of thousands of so-called enthusiasts to come out rain, or shine, sleet or snow, roads open or closed, with traffic jams, fighting crowds, 80 mph winds, frostbite, sunburn, the dangers of running into trees, running into people, being caught in an avalanche, skiing into a stream, getting cold, ; wet, miserable, battling the crust, the crud, the slop, the mush. Those beautiful hot sunny days skiing into the Uintas in your shots and T-shirt, getting two miles from your car, having the temperature drop 20 degrees and turn into a raging blizzard. Spending the next hour sheltered under the nearest and largest tree attempting to scrap off your red klister with your fingernails, thinking of that new steel scraper you left in your auto. Finally, making that mad dash back to the car only to find a flat tire, a broken jack ... Back at the ranch, sitting around the old cook stove or in the sauna, reminiscing over days spent touring Alpine wilderness - the challenge of the unskiiable crust, the beauty of the intense weather storming down as you telemark through the trees. How fine you feel during those 80 mph winds when you're cold, wet, and wonderfully in touch with all that's around you. That friendly smile of a passing guide who hands the right way, a scraper or a hit on his wine skin. The thrill of coming down Red Pine after 5:00 on a spring Klister day. . Add up all the factors and that must be the variety - a million and one different each time voii no out is never, auite miWWii'fm key -that t keeps your in- WWVI terest. But is 'a also the factor that sometimes makes you wish you had purchased those wayless skis during last spring's sale. Some people will claim that waxing is the hardest part of the Nordic's world. '-. A debatable point (especially if you've ever tried skiing ice on your tooking skis) but just as in all aspects of cross-country skiing, you can make it as easy or difficult as you like. At the same time, some conditions are a harder way to go than others. Anyone who has toured in Utah long knows for most of the winter (at least at higher elevation) you can generally get by with green, blue and a little violet hard way. As long as it stays below 32 degrees and the snow is stilllresh, a minimum amount of waxing knowledge is needed. Rub a little on and be on your way. ' V" . '' . Once the temperature has risen well above the freezing point for a few days and all those sharp little crystals smooth out their rough edges, on goes the klister without a worry. But when that old snow is in the in-betweens; when it just can't make up its mind to melt or stick around (and often times it decides to stick to the bottom of your skis) and you usually have an equally hard time making up your mind whether to stick with klister or slip into something else. Those conditions will even make 1 PRESCRIPTIONS FILLED 1 Pharmacist on Duty 1 2-6 p.m. Dafly FREE DELIVERY 7 WE ALSO HAVE GREETING CARDS I FILM MAGAZINES I 649-8300 NEW STORE HOURS I Ij. ' 10 o.m. - 6 p.m. (QPt DAILY isTM Tarns by Steve Erikson Bill Koch bring out his waxless skis. Still, there are ways of making the old skis work, that is if you have the right equipment and don't mind taking the extra time. The needed items would include; first, a good assortment of waxes, one of all the klisters and one of all the hard waxes, a torch for changing , the consistency or removing wax, a scraper (a must! ), metal is best and keep it sharp, a cork is handy and a little wax remover is handy also. (Spot remover works well but be careful on synthetic base skis). With these items in your possession you're ready to .start some experimentation ex-perimentation in those difficult conditions. Now practice makes perfect and only with practice can the desired results be obtained but here are a few things to experiment with that may help. When temperatures reach and pass the freezing point and your hard wax starts slipping back jadly, it's time to start (and I do mean just start) pulling out the old klister. Klister (meaning glue) is a nasty word to many ski tourists. It seems to bring out visions of klister plums stuck to your head, to your hands, to your feet, to your clothes and car seat. But, as the experienced tourist knows, with a little care it can bring joy to the hearts of thousands. To start, it won 't hurt to scrape off any old wax although not absolutely necessary, then apply a very thin coat of klister. Now wet your skis, sit in the cold air until the klister firms up. Then take the appropriate hard wax and apply the proper amount directly over the klister, that's right,' on top of klister. All right, you say (not really believing this combination will be too easy to apply or even work for that matter), let's assume it can be done and if the application and proportions are correct it will work. But how the hell do you figure out the recipe? Well, first I'll have to say there is no real set recipe, again practice and failure must preceed success. But here are a few things to consider. First, take the appropriate klister for the temperature tem-perature and apply a coat, extra thin, and maybe even go give it a try. If your findings show it to be slick, apply SLIGHTLY thicker coats until it works or sticks. If it sticks, scrape off the snow, let the skis dry and then apply the equal (correct temperature) of hard wax or maybe the next step up. Cover that klister with a thin coat, then, with a torch and cork, mix thoroughly then test.-Too test.-Too sticky? Apply another coat of hard wax. Repeat this procedure until desired consistency is obtained. Sometimes it's better to go a little cold on the klisters and a little warm on the hard Wax. .: -r1- The two most important considerations, I think, would be keeping the klister thin and keeping in mind that, these being the most difficult dif-ficult conditions to wax for, don't be too picky. Let your technique make up for a little slippage. The last factor necessary to be successful in difficult waxing conditions is that waxing is an art that must be worked with and enjoyed. THE MAIN STREET PHOTOGRAPHER FILM CAMERAS DARKROOM RENTALS FILM FINISHING PHOTO GALLERY CUSTOM BLACK. AND WHITE AND COLOR ENLARGING PHONE 649-9431 I) H II |