Tales from Sochi, a first hand report

[Maximus Farcisimus]

His last post said " I've been told to keep my mouth shut".
It was deleted yesterday, along with Johnnie Balfour's Jan 21 Blog post, a scathing report of what he first encountered.
Johnnie Balfour was blogging about his experience of travelling to the Sochi games to prepare and build the Olympic Ski and Snowboardcross course.

Unfortunately he gave his honest account of what he saw and the Russian authorities have shut him up.


Here is a copy of the original Johnnie Balfour blog post from Jan 21, followed by the text.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...&ct=clnk&gl=ca


Sochi Update. January 21, 2014
Once I land in Sochi, everything becomes a mystery. I still have no idea where I am staying or how I am getting there.
Sochi airport just a small domestic terminal and doesn’t look finished. It was pretty simple to get through the place and grab my bags. I spotted a Sochi 2014 desk surrounded by volunteers and attempted to ask what the hell I do now. I got blank stares. One girl finally stepped up with her hand out and said “Accreditaion”. She checked my accreditation and said, “No this is wrong, you must get it fixed”. I finally worked out that she was telling me to go to the main office at the resort of Rosa Kutor and work it out. She then turned her back and walked off leaving me standing there completely lost. Well, I guess I should try this bus schedule.
Just before I walked out of the main doors and into the rain, I was grabbed by yet another volunteer. “Name! you tell me name now!” I complied and was told to wait. A couple of minutes later I was met by Oleg, the sport manager for snowboard and skicross. I was then piled into a car and we were off and a ridiculous speed in the pouring rain and fog and on the wrong side of the road for most of the time. There were police everywhere who didn’t even give us a sideways glance as we ripped past them at light speed on the wrong side of the road.
We pull into a driveway of a block of buildings that look like a council housing estate in England. It looks like it was built 50 years ago, not 2. The road is half built and there is mud and water pouring down the street off the mountain. This place is a dump and looks like it could fall down at any moment. I am pulled from the car and shoved in front of a pimply kid seated behind a plastic table. He is surrounded by boxes of building supplies and broken tiles, the place smells of concrete dust. Pimple kid hands me a key and points at the next building, “Top floor, room 10”. I turn to leave, “No, you come”. He drags me to another room full of folded laundry, he hands me a two sheets, a pillow case and a roll of toilet paper. As I am signing for my issued bedding and toilet paper, I feel like I am back in the army, this is exactly like basic training. I didn’t sign up to go through that again!
I enter my room and my heart sinks, this is no hotel. There are two small metal framed beds in the centre of the room with thin mattresses leaning against the wall. I turn to ask for some directions about tomorrow and find myself standing on my own. My “room” consists of two small rooms and a bathroom. Before I get a chance to explore, Nick turns up, soaking wet with a “Fuck this” look in his face. Turns out he got onto a bus from Sochi airport and was told to get off in the middle of nowhere. He stood in the pouring rain for almost an hour before another bus showed up. The second bus dumped him at a bus depot. While standing there lost, he heard a familiar voice “Nick!” It was our friend from home who had arrived a few days earlier. Somehow, Steve and Nick just bumped into each other. Luck was on Nick’s side. Nick and I are sharing this little room and Steve is living next door with the other three guys. The six of us are finally together at least.
Check out the video I posted yesterday to see what our place looks like. We did a little rearranging of the bed situation before I made the video which really doesn’t show how bad this place is. The toilet flushes muddy water, there is no hot water, the shower floor is covered in dirt and mud, there was piss all over the toilet, the water is undrinkable (it’s brown) it’s even sketchy to brush your teeth with it and the idea of having internet in this place is a joke. If we want internet, we have to wait till we get to the mountain which is a two hour commute via bus and by foot. I guess I won’t be talking to Willa and Toby for the next month. I’m ready to just grab my bags and head back to the airport. We all eventually get to bed at 0300. I have still not eaten or had any fluids since I left Frankfurt over twelve hours ago.
I’m up at 0600 and we begin our commute at 0700. No buses run until 0800 so we stand in the dark getting rained on for almost an hour. I must also point out that we are just winging it at the moment, we have been given no directions for anything and my accreditation doesn’t work, Nick is in the same boat. After a short bus ride, we then have to walk to rest of the way. If it wasn’t for Steve who has been here for a few days already, we wouldn’t have found our way to the resort. Nothing is finished here and there is piles of garbage everywhere. Muddy water is pouring off the mountain and flowing through the streets and the coblestone pavers are all lifting up or disappearing into sink holes. This entire place was built in the last few years, it looks nice at first glance but look a little closer and you can see that it was just thrown together. Most of the buildings are not finished and with only two weeks to go before the games start, they never will be finished. It is pouring rain and close to 10 degrees above zero. The little snow they have is rapidly disappearing.
I still haven’t eaten or had fluids and it’s been almost 20 hours. I had one Tic Tac this morning, it was delicious. I also haven’t showered since leaving home three days ago. I smell amazingly bad. WE FOUND MCDONALDS!!!! I’ve never been so happy to find McDonalds and even happier to find that it has wifi. After a quick feed a lot of water and some messages sent home, we head off to find the accreditation office. Without valid accreditation, we can’t do anything.
The accreditation office doesn’t open till 10 so we lie in the hallway and wait. This is going to be the story of our day. Nick and I finally get into the office to be told that there is something wrong with our details on the computer system and we will have to wait. A few hours go by and we walk off to find some lunch. You guessed it, nothing is open because nothing is finished being built yet. We eventually find a coffee shop resturant type place and pick up a menu that is completely in Russian. They guy tells us in broken english that they make fantastic pizza so we order a couple of small pizzas and a small drink each. Food was pretty good, the bill was not. Total of the bill was 2450.00 rubles. That works out to $75. HOLY CRAP! I guess we will not be eating out anywhere over the next month.
Back to the accreditation office to continue waiting. After convincing them to give me the wifi code, I log in and find a bunch of travel warnings popping up with increased terrorist attack warnings for Sochi and Rosa Kutor. Being told to avoid public transport, awesome! This just keeps getting better. I fall alseep on the floor.
Finally at 1530 I am issued with my new accreditation, we can now get through security to the gondola and head up to the venue for a meeting at 1730 with the managers and to go over our contracts. What a waste of a day so far.
If you think everything so far sounds bad, wait for it, it’s going to get a lot worse!
We are seated around a big table in a boardroom. At the head of the table is the sport manager, his assistant and another big wig who we are never introduced to. At the other end of the table are the two head builders, Nicko and David. The rest of the table is surrounded by the six of us and we have big issues that need to be addressed. Hot water, accomodation, the commute, food etc are all briefly discussed before we get onto the biggest issue. How they propose to pay us.
In the six months leading up to this moment, we have been in constant contact with these people, sorting out contracts, methods of payment etc. So far nothing has gone as planned. They have wanted to pay us into Russian bank accounts for a few months now and we have fought them long and hard on this point. Yes, you read that correctly, they want us to open Russian bank accounts. How do we do this? Well, we don’t, apparently they have already opened accounts for us! How the hell they can open an account in my name without my details or signature is beyond me and sounds very dodgy!
Before we left home we didn’t win the fight about the bank accounts but we did win the fight for them to pay us within ten days of us signing the contract. Well, that has now changed too. They are now telling us that they will pay us ten days AFTER we have gone home. I have a very strong feeling that we are never going to get paid. During the meeting I told them on no uncertain terms that what they are trying to do is total bullshit and if they had disclosed this information earlier, I would not have agreed to come here.
The two hour commute home seemed to take even longer and the six of us finally sat down together at home to discuss our options. I can’t post what we discussed yet, but all I can say is I am not backing down.
That was the coldest shower I have ever had in my life.

[Rodneyyee]

So what is the deal now? Is he being clamped ? Joke. I would boycott the entire shit show but the USA is so hellbent on all the marketing revenue they would never. Fox News drooling with devastation boners!!

[oftpiste]

yikes.

123456

[DeathVan]

This is gonna be interesting...

[jerlane]

Anyone ever hear an update?

[The SnowShow]

Apparently there are suicide bombers named the black widows who have infiltrated the city borders in the past week.

[TomCrac]

Wow, that sounds really sketchy. I just hope our guys get out of there and get home safely!

[ex-powderbroker]

Shitshow.

[NWSkier]

Good luck hope it starts working out for you guys

[rod9301]

Thats exactly how it was in 04 when I spent 3 weeks skiing krasnaya poliana.

Too bad nothing changed.

Sent from my SCH-I500 using TGR Forums

[Ski to Be]

I have a friend high up at NBC/Comcast that told me they are very worried right now but that the money has already been spent. I just hope that everyone stays safe. This is the most compelling storyline for an Olympic venue in a long time. Outside of the speed events I will be watching just for the train wreck.

[neckdeep]

I have a friend high up at NBC/Comcast that told me they are very worried right now but that the money has already been spent. I just hope that everyone stays safe. This is the most compelling storyline for an Olympic venue in a long time. Outside of the speed events I will be watching just for the train wreck.

Then watch the slopestyle. Today's shitshow story describing rails too close together and jumps with excessive vert that "feels like leaping out of a building." Then again, what would you expect from an empire that collapsed because it couldn't master advanced technologies like shoes and toilet paper.

[Vt-Freeheel]

sochi-orders-killing-of-stray-dogs

[spankthepow]

Just got a 404 error when I clicked the link.

[oftpiste]

This is the most compelling storyline for an Olympic venue in a long time. Outside of the speed events I will be watching just for the train wreck.

sure is getting short shrift in the media. no big surprise but I'd think the salaciousness of it all would be like shit to a fly.

[stuckathuntermtn]

You have to wonder if there are American and European sf/intelligence operators there in plain clothes ready to evacuate their countries' citizens at a moment's notice. It just sounds cool. Like that thing in Iran when they finally got the hostages out. Argo?

[creaky fossil]

You have to wonder if there are American and European sf/intelligence operators there in plain clothes ready to evacuate their countries' citizens at a moment's notice. It just sounds cool. Like that thing in Iran when they finally got the hostages out. Argo?

I love when 4th rate has-been "but I was almost a badass in HS" non-athletes who are even stupider IQ wise get all prescient and wise regarding matters well over their heads.

The "first-hand report" above is intel massage, as are the reports of suicide bombers etc. Holy fuck you Westchester County suburban fucktards are mindless consumers of bullshit "news."

What the fuck is an "sf operator"? Screenfuck? Online dating? Is that some Westchester County Upscale Consumerist shorthand that refers mostly to trinkets you can buy to make yourself appear technologically up-to-date and properly "progressive" when you arrive at Temple on Saturday?

Then again, what would you expect from an empire that collapsed because it couldn't master advanced technologies like shoes and toilet paper.

Look! More proof of USA = Technological Number Won, Son!

Yeah, we're fucking geniuses because we came up with multicurve core profiles to give 8 points of contact between shovel and tail that barely change the skis in 99% of conditions but work 100% of the time at persuading Les Nouveaux Riche TGR trustafarians & dentists that THIS IS THE SKI TO HAVE because some Daddy's Credit Card shitheel on Blister Gear Review told you he skied _______ at Las Lenas and __________ at Craigieburn on it during one of those casually planned Southern Hemisphere trips last August. "While noshing on edamame and kale chips in the salon of my 14k sqft "cabin" outside Boulder, I got a wild hair and decided to ski the Bottom Half! So rad!"

Don't confuse me with a USSR apologist here, you stupid jingoist poseur whineboy.

[jamesp]

yeah they must be salivating at the prospect of being able to pump out another Argo-style inaccurate propaganda POS. ben affleck saves the world from the evil russians?

[Smails]

Jesus, that sounds like a shitshow. What is wrong with the IOC for letting this happen in the first place.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Creaky, you know where I live. If you have some problem with me beyond your e-aggro-butthurt and willful misinterpretation of everything I say, then come have a beer and we'll talk about it. Otherwise, stfu.

Back on topic, guy's blog mentions he's building a course for a Vancouver area local mountain back in BC. Seems like he punched out on the whole thing, and I don't blame him (if any of that is real). I wonder how N Korea is doing with their resort. lulz.
Now I really wanna watch the Olympics. If that is real, there is a massive building collapse in the near future. Or at least some other thing that is so horrifying you can't turn away.

[spook]

one of these days americans will realize you can't just mouth off about anything you want

[east or bust]

^Beat me to it! Yup looks like he packed it up and left, or was told to leave.

From his blog 5 days ago…

..."Now that I’m back home and as it appears jobless, I’ll be pulling out the pencils and drawing the next one"…

http://johnniebalfour.tumblr.com

[old goat]

one of these days americans will realize you can't just mouth off about anything you want

Mouthing off about anything you want is pretty much what this country is about, for better or worse.

[spook]

Mouthing off about anything you want is pretty much what this country is about, for better or worse.

yeah, but not mouthing off in russia about how fucked up things are in russia.

and i didn't mean realize as in "you'll get shipped out." there are worse alternatives when you mouth off about the wrong shit.

[rideit]

In other news, my friend Tanya is cooking for the ski teams, and has reported that what they are accomplishing day by day is fucking astounding. (Her FB post is titled 'don't believe everything you are reading about Sochi'.
The pictures she is posting of the available ingredients and equipment available to her is really amazing.
I am sure there is truth on both sides.
150 billion can make some shit happen.