10 Things to say to impress your friends while watching ski racing during the Winter Games

Don’t know anything about ski racing? No problem! Use the quotes below to impress your friends and make them believe you are an expert.

Like any athletic event, the Winter Games are more engaging to watch when you understand the nuances that make the sport unique and can follow the observations made by the commentators. Just like Michael Phelps taught the world the difference between breaststroke and butterfly during the Summer Games, we want to get you prepped for the Winter Games in Vancouver by offering the 10 Things you can say to sound like you know what you are talking about while watching ski racing, even if you’ve never seen snow:

1. When noticing the tree branches scattered and blue paint lines around the race course: Yup, they put the pine boughs and paint on the course to help aid visibility in flat light.
2. When watching anyone who is really fast: Did that guy got a podium spot at the Hahnenkamm?
3. When discussing Bode and the US Ski Team: Bode Miller invited me back to his RV when I ran in to him in Austria, we bad mouthed team sports for a while.
4. When watching Julia vs. Lindsay: I have been following Julia Mancuso since she was the Lange girl in 2006, but Lindsay Vonn was both on the cover of Sports Illustrated AND in the swimsuit issue.
5. When a racer looks as fast as another, but her time is way off: Her skis are running a bit slow, I wonder if they used the wrong wax?
6. When commenting on an athlete’s over-excited celebration: That guy drinks more espresso than Alberto Tomba!
7. When watching slalom: She skied that flush gate perfectly, though she may have washed out on the last few turns.
8. When watching downhill: He pre-jumped that knoll perfectly, it is too bad he caught an edge when he landed.
9. When early skiers have slower times than later skiers: The course ran much slower during gate inspection, the forerunners probably helped make the snow faster.
10. When a skier falls and loses some skis/poles/etc after making a turn: She seemed to lose her edge as she crossed the fall line, which lead to her complete yard sale.