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The first person down the half pipe was world champ, Finley Melville Ives, who lost a ski mid-air and is languishing at the bottom of the leader board.
Ah, here comes Gus Kenworthy, he of the the urinated ‘fuck ICE’ snow message, and silver medallist in the 2014 ski slopestyle for the US, before switching to Team GB. He’s a brave guy, and has received death threats since his protest.
He looks happy enough with 81.25 to nestle just behind Hess in these run one standings.
It’s the turn of the gloriously named Hunter Hess of the USA. He doesn’t fall off and it all looks good to me but Tim and Ed are a bit sniffy about his altitude. He looks pleased however, and he scores enough to go third as things stand.
The conditions are much kinder this morning, and we have action at last at the men’s freeski halfpipe. The qualifying is underway which means everyone’s favourite winter duo, Tim and Ed, are back in their commentary shoebox.
Medal events
All times in GMT:
12.10pm Women’s Ski Cross 🥇
1.15pm Men’s biathlon 15km mass start 🥇
1.30pm Men’s Aerials 🥇
3.30pm Women’s 1500m Speed Skating 🥇
6.05pm🥉: Men’s bronze medal match
6.30pm Men’s Halfpipe skiing🥇:
8.18pm Men’s short track speed skating, 5000m relay 🥇
9pm Women’s short track speed skating, 1500m 🥇
The BBC are showing replays from yesterday’s ski mountaineering, where ridiculously fit men and women ski up a mountain, sprint a flight of steep stairs, before skiing back down again, with jeopardy at each boot change, and in high winds and heavy snow. Truly a different breed of human.
Some beautiful, and blizzard heavy pictures, from Thursday have been curated by our talented picture desk.
Medals table
The Norwegians still reign supreme, but the USA have leap-frogged the hosts to settle into second.
1 🇳🇴 Norway 🥇 16 🥈 8 🥉 10 – Total: 34
2 🇺🇸 United States 🥇 9 🥈 12 🥉 6 – Total: 27
3 🇮🇹 Italy 🥇 9 🥈 5 🥉 12 – Total: 26
4 🇫🇷 France 🥇 6 🥈 8 🥉 5 – Total: 19
5 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🥇 6 🥈 7 🥉 3 – Total: 16
That table in full:
Yesterday’s 40 centimetres of snow means we’re playing catch up today: and things begin with the rescheduled men’s halfpipe and men’s aerial qualifications. Both kick off in half an hour.
Preamble
Good grey morning readers, let us hurry to northern Italy where the skies are blue and the slopes powdery.
Medals galore today as we round the final corner.
After the USA clinched the women’s ice hockey gold on Thursday, more drama at the rink with the men’s semi-finals. Canada play Finland this afternoon and the USA take on Slovakia this evening.
A busy day for the world’s best skiers, in women’s cross finals, and the men’s 15km biathlon.
The men’s halfpipe freestyle final also takes place, under the drama of darkness, with eyes on teenage champion Finley Melville Ives as well as veteran American Nick Goepper; and the day finishes with two short-track speed skating finals, in the men’s 5000m relay and the women’s 1500m.
There’s also more curling. Great Britain’s men get a rest after yesterday’s heroics, but there’s a men’s bronze medal match to look forward to and the women’s semi-finals. Finally, the rearranged men’s aerial finals, where Switzerland’s Noe Rot is hoping to follow in the snowsteps of his mum, who won an aerials bronze 28 years ago.
We’ll be here to cover each stumble and gold, do join us.
