As if the OmniGames weren’t enough, Columbia had a lot more planned for the OmniTen. While most of us were getting settled in on Wednesday afternoon, the S4 crew (who had already been in Park City a few days) were at a special media event in which the Olympic Freestyle skiing uniforms for the US, Canada, and Russia were unveiled. I was a bit bummed that we didn’t get to see the announcement, but I had a hunch we would get to see the uniforms eventually.
Thursday Night: Freestyle World Cup Finals
On Thursday, after our long day out at the ranch, we piled in a bus and were taken to Deer Valley Resort. In the distance we could see the bright lights over some kind of race course, and as we took the magic carpet and lift to the tent at the base we got a better look.
Our badges got us into the VIP tent and viewing area for the World Freestyle finals! The top 16 men and women in the sport would be competing for the title, many of whom are athletes that will be competing in next month’s Olympic Games in Sochi. We had dinner and hot chocolate in the VIP tent while mingling with athletes and media, then stepped outside in our toasty warm TurboDown jackets to watch the competition. It was super great to catch up with some of our media friends (#OmniFriends) from our trip to Havasu!
I’ve seen this event so many times on TV but never in person. I can’t help but think “ouch ouch ouch ouch” as I watch them bounce down the moguls, and then to see them perform those well-controlled flips and jumps in the middle is just amazing! I just had my iPhone along so my photos aren’t anything special, but that’s something for the professional photographers to handle. I enjoyed sitting back and just watching them compete. (Stepping inside every once in a while for a refill on the hot cocoa, of course).
I think everyone had the most fun getting down off the mountain. We had taken the magic carpet and lift up, so on the way down most of us sat on our butts and slid down the hill. I’m glad I wore my snowpants!
Friday Night: The Olympic Uniforms!
On Friday night, we were whisked back to the Olympic Park for cocktails and dinner at the Salt Lake City Olympic Museum. After grabbing our hot toddies and apple pie moonshine some of us wandered the museum. I picked up a curling…stone? Rock? Thing? It was really heavy. There were a lot of artifacts from the opening ceremonies and it was amazing seeing the detail in the puppets and costumes.
After the cocktail hour we were rounded up and brought inside for a …..Fashion Show! After a run through of the Columbia Fall 2014 line (Me through the whole thing: “I want that. I have that. I have that but want it in that new color. I need that.”), they brought out the big guns, the Olympic Uniforms.
Russia, Canada, and the USA freestyle ski uniforms were all beautiful. After the show and dinner, we had a chance to look at the uniforms and their technology up close. I loved the subtle design details, especially in the Canadian uniforms. It’s almost enough for me to root for our friends up north!
The Gear!
I couldn’t talk about a trip with Columbia without mentioning the gear! In my post about Thursday I talked briefly about the TurboDown jacket, and after two days of living in it I can say it is legit! I stayed toasty warm even while outside in a winter storm. Considering the weight, it was much warmer than I expected. Even though I am currently enjoying 70 degree temperatures in San Jose, I can’t wait to use it again next week when I return to SLC for the OR Show.
One reason for this is the OmniHeat reflective material on the inside of the jacket. All of the pieces we received for playing in the snow (fleece tops, base layers, gloves, hats, pants, jackets) have the OmniHeat on the inside and this stuff works so well. In fact, sometimes I think it works too well! The idea of the OmniHeat is that it reflects your own body heat back at you. When you are moving and generating a lot of heat it can warm up quite a lot when you are under four layers of OmniHeat! (Base layer, fleece pullover, TurboDown jacket, waterproof shell).
Bottom line, I have to say thanks to Columbia for keeping me, the very cold person who never can warm up, cozy and dry the entire time I was in Park City. It’s a tough job and you passed with flying colors!
