Tour de Ski time!

Just a couple hours away now from the start of the Tour de Ski in Oberhof, Germany. After finally getting some freezing temperatures in Oberhof yesterday, high winds arrived in the evening which took half of our table at dinner scrambling back to the stadium. A phone call came in from the groomer that all the inflatable arches had blown across the course and most of the banner fences were down in the stadium. The wind brought with it a return to warm temps and fog.

The sport of Cross Country is changing with the arrival of Team waxing trucks. Sweden started the trend I believe in 2009, and Norway followed suit. Now there will be 6 trucks during the Tour de Ski (Sweden, Norway, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy). Finland will debut a truck in February at the World Championships.

Two years ago the Canadian team arrived at the Tour with their own bus. Now Petter Northug has come with his own. Suddenly, there isn't much parking space in the wax areas any more!