In reply to Doug:
that is fascinating, particularly set against the remarkable notions of 'who will conquer nature?' which the BBC are pushing in their trailers (tv & radio) for the olympics just now.
even before reading that article I was struck by the contrast between the Beeb's romantic images of big, dangerous mountains, and the inevitable artifice that surrounds almost all aspects of winter olympic sports. I'm not at all dismissing what the athletes do - they're amazingly talented and focussed. However, very few (any?) winter olympic sports involve 'natural' as in not-improved-by-humans snow/ ice conditions, and the objective dangers suggested by the mountainous images used in the BBC trailers just don't affect the Games.
so, bearing in mind the Nature article, I think the answer to the BBC question is - the Russians will (at least temporarily) conquer nature...
thanks for posting, Doug.
