Morning links, Day 5

Big day ahead, with men's hockey and both bonspiels getting underway. Here's a few things to set you up for the day.

The age-old practice of waxing skis is a little more complex than it would seem, including the final, last-minute layer on the skis - not wax, actually, but pure flourocarbons. From wired.com:

“During the technical inspection of the course, I’ll take the snow temperature and humidity,” says Schiller. “Then I’ll pick the right fluorocarbon for the flatter sections of the course, where gliding speed matters the most.”
These pure fluorocarbons, which come in powder or solid form, are insanely slippery, and shockingly expensive. A 15 gram block can run $109, or a cool $3,290 a pound.

Remember Lindsay Jacobellis? Sure you do. She's the U.S. snowboard racer who, way out in front four years ago in Turin, blew the gold medal with some shameless hot-doggery - then wouldn't own up to it afterward. Well, she's back, and along with her in the field vying for favourite status in the betting is World Canada's Maelle Ricker, fourth in Turin and then out with one of the more memorable descriptions for the Olympics' most lamented of spots: "Placing fourth is like seeing the love of your life on the subway but never getting to meet them." 

One more time with the video (no commentator; if you're impatient, skip ahead to 1:30 for the unshining moment):

And finally, in honour of today's opening of the curling, here's a Swedish comedy troupe called Galenskaparna, and their take on it all. Full marks if you can make it to the end: