Turkey - part 1

I've been in Turkey for a few days now. Overall, the scene has been pretty chill. There is no racing until Monday, so we've been doing some pretty limited grip tests and mostly just skiing for fun.

This is what it looks like when you precariously balance seven pieces of luggage that weigh 175kg on a baggage cart. The result is slow, nerve wracking movement through the Munich Airport (and Ankara and Erzurum, for that matter).

This is me and an American junior named Cory upon arrival in the Erzurum Airport. I ran into Cory in Ankara as we were both trying to get on the last flight of the trip to Turkey. Overall, this was one of the most epic travel days I have ever experienced. It's almost too much to write down. You should ask me about it sometime.

They take Valentine's Day very seriously here in Turkey. Our hotel is on a huge alpine resort and what you see in this picture is a massive heart of fire burning at the bottom of the runs. Pretty weird.

Because some people asked, here is an update on my hands. That German cream is working well. See before picture - gross.

Playing a game that Heidi learned from a Japanese exchange student. The object is to guess how many people will put their thumbs up. I guess there sometimes isn't a lot to do in Japan...

The dessert table and our hotel. Complete with giant cake.

Day one at the ski centre. What you see behind me are the race trails. There are virtually no trees anywhere. The focal point of the trails is the top of the hill, and the course attacks that hill from every imaginable angle. These are tough trails.

Riding the bus with Emily to the secret team activity. See below.

The secret team activity turned out to be...

... high powered go-carts in the indoor parking area of this giant mall in Erzurum. A really fun night and a great way to fill an otherwise boring evening.

Turkish candy shop. Before this trip I had never even heard of Turkish delight. Now it appears to be a staple in the wax cabin.

Further hands update. Basically all better now.

There is a massive winter storm here in Turkey at the moment. We gain 700m elevation from town to our hotel and this afternoon the car with the waxers got stuck. We had to push a long way, which was pretty epic. When we walked into the lunch room everyone stopped and looked at us covered in snow. I'll try to post a picture of that later.

That's all for now. Not the most exciting update of the trip. Things will get more interesting once the races get started.