The story of the Royal Palace Sprint goes back ten editions. I first heard back in 2004 (my first Stockholm Palace Sprint) that the King of Sweden had a keen eye for nordic skiing, but was dissuaded from the pursuit in his earlier days. His interest in ski racing has burned brightly through the years, though. Having the best ski racers in the world racing around his Palace is apparently a treat for the Swedish King and his Family.
The Palace grounds sit on some incredible real estate. It's an island with the Atlantic Ocean all around. Copper and gold, bridges and pavilions pocket the venue. All the while, gargoyles and golden crowns and impressive carved lions like this keep a watchful eye out on the old town.
The Stockholm weather was... brisk. It was definitely the coldest, most blustery -5 celsius weather I've been in. This dried out the machine-made snow, leaving it sugary and unable to set up properly. Double poling the course on the men's side was prominent.
The view from the King's Castle. The Vasa Museum and other city attractions lay in this neighborhood of the city.
The girl's team taking in the last warm sunny rays of their winterlong European ski racing adventure.
Until next time, from Falun.
No comments:
Post a Comment