White Snow / Black Sea

Panorama View of Olympic Village and Olympic Park This photo...

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:56:35 -0400

Panorama View of Olympic Village and Olympic Park

This photo from Sochi 2014 showcases the relative positioning of the Olympic Village to the Olympic Park. From anywhere in the Olympic Village, it will be less than 10 minutes’ walk to any competition venue in the Coastal Cluster.

Sochi’s New Olympic Village As this YouTube video from...

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:52:38 -0400

Sochi’s New Olympic Village

As this YouTube video from Olympstroy points out, the final work is being completed on Sochi’s Olympic Village in the Coastal Cluster. The exteriors of the buildings and apartments, some of which will have views of the surrounding Black Sea, are being designed in the style of a Mediterranean villa.

Panorama View of Sochi’s Olympic Park As seen from a...

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:45:59 -0400

Panorama View of Sochi’s Olympic Park

As seen from a vantage point over the Black Sea - the current state of Sochi’s Olympic Park, home to the Adler Arena (far left), Iceberg Skating Palace (left-center), the Bolshoi Ice Dome (right-center), and the Fisht Olympic Stadium (far right).

Mountain Olympic Village Almost Completed The Mountain Olympic...

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:15:11 -0400

Mountain Olympic Village Almost Completed

The Mountain Olympic Village, located next to the Rosa Khutor ski resort in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana, is entering into the final round of construction. The housing complex, located more than 1,100 meters above sea level, includes 40 different buildings designed in the style of a European chalet.

Modern Sochi: The Russian Riviera A lone beachgoer looks out...

Tue, 21 May 2013 11:50:00 -0400

Modern Sochi: The Russian Riviera

A lone beachgoer looks out onto the Black Sea from the pebbled beaches of the Primorskaya Naberezhnaya (“Seaside Embankment”) in Central Sochi.

Retro Sochi: The Russian Riviera The pebbled beaches along...

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:15:00 -0400

Retro Sochi: The Russian Riviera

The pebbled beaches along Sochi’s Black Sea coastline became the basis for a new Russian Riviera and a favorite summertime destination during the 1970’s.

Retro Sochi: Summer Beach Scenes Archival photos bring to life...

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:13:00 -0400

Retro Sochi: Summer Beach Scenes

Archival photos bring to life Sochi during the early-to-mid 1970’s, when the city was emerging as the preeminent vacation destination in the former Soviet Union. In the top photo, the children appear to be wearing red Pioneer head scarves and holding a sign that reads, “Black Sea.”

Aerial Sochi: Laura Alpine Ski Resort Construction continues on...

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:28:46 -0400

Aerial Sochi: Laura Alpine Ski Resort

Construction continues on new gondola lifts at the Laura alpine ski resort, (popularly referred to as “Gazprom” by Russians), as seen from this helicopter view of the Krasnaya Polyana ski valley. At the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, Laura will be the site of the cross-country skiing, biathlon and Nordic combined events.

Aerial Sochi: The Sanki Sliding Center A bird’s eye view...

Mon, 20 May 2013 12:10:09 -0400

Aerial Sochi: The Sanki Sliding Center

A bird’s eye view of the Sanki Sliding Center, situated at the far end of the ski valley in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana. The Sanki Sliding Center will be the home of bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

Adler to Krasnaya Polyana in 5 Minutes Watch a first-hand driver...

Sat, 18 May 2013 07:08:06 -0400

Adler to Krasnaya Polyana in 5 Minutes

Watch a first-hand driver cam view of what it feels like to drive from Adler to the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana in five minutes.

The Transformation of Sochi After the 2014 Winter Olympics With...

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:12:00 -0400

The Transformation of Sochi After the 2014 Winter Olympics

With still eight months to go before the start of the 2014 Winter Olympics, Russian sports officials are already coming up with plans of what to do with Sochi’s competition venues after the Winter Games. One plan, endorsed by President Vladimir Putin, is to create an All-Russian Children’s Sports-Educational Complex out of the training centers in the Mountain and Coastal clusters. As Russian news service Izvestia reports, this complex would open immediately after the Olympics and feature youth camps for sports such as figure skating, skiing and hockey.

Sunrise over Sochi’s Olympic Park With Fisht Olympic...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:02:21 -0400

Sunrise over Sochi’s Olympic Park

With Fisht Olympic Stadium (left) and the Bolshoi Ice Dome (right) in the background, the sun rises over Sochi’s Olympic Park.

RusSki Gorki: Ski Jumping on Turf As part of a continuing series...

Thu, 16 May 2013 09:26:27 -0400

RusSki Gorki: Ski Jumping on Turf

As part of a continuing series on the eco-friendly and innovative aspects of Sochi’s Winter Olympic competition venues, state Olympic construction firm Olympstroy highlights the new all-season turf layer for the RusSki Gorki ski jump venue. “Snow’s not necessary!” (But let’s hope it comes, all the same)

Sochi 2014 Promo Shoot for Team Canada Canada’s top...

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:48:00 -0400

Sochi 2014 Promo Shoot for Team Canada

Canada’s top Olympic hopefuls prepare for Sochi 2014 with a promo photo shoot with broadcaster CBC, complete with fake snow. Pictured are snowboarder Spencer O’Brien (above) and sledge ice hockey player Greg Westlake (below).

Team Canada Prepares for Sochi 2014 In a promotional photo shoot...

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:42:40 -0400

Team Canada Prepares for Sochi 2014

In a promotional photo shoot for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Canadian Olympic hopefuls such as freestyle skier Kaya Turski (pictured here) - showed off their national pride for fans.

Sochi 2014 Preview: Alpine Skiing Powder! A downhill skier...

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:35:58 -0400

Sochi 2014 Preview: Alpine Skiing

Powder! A downhill skier navigates the giant slalom course at Rosa Khutor

Sochi 2014 Preview: Biathlon Russian sports news agency R-Sport...

Wed, 15 May 2013 13:32:34 -0400

Sochi 2014 Preview: Biathlon

Russian sports news agency R-Sport (an affiliate of RIA Novosti), has started to profile the Winter Olympic sports that will appear at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi. Here are two biathletes traversing the course at the Laura Biathlon course in the mountains of Krasnaya Polyana.

Sochi 2014 Preview: Test Events This 3-minute YouTube clip...

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:46:28 -0400

Sochi 2014 Preview: Test Events

This 3-minute YouTube clip provides an overview of the test events recently concluded for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. During 2012 and early 2013, Sochi hosted the greatest number of test events in Olympic history.

Shayba Arena at Night The Shayba Arena, which recently co-hosted...

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:43:41 -0400

Shayba Arena at Night

The Shayba Arena, which recently co-hosted the first-ever international hockey tournament in Sochi — the World Junior Ice Hockey Championship — stands out against the night sky along the Black Sea coastline.

Sochi: Can Infrastructure Be Beautiful? This may not be what you...

Tue, 14 May 2013 13:05:59 -0400

Sochi: Can Infrastructure Be Beautiful?

This may not be what you think of when you think of Sochi (most likely, you think of pebbled beaches or groomed ski pistes) - but the massive infrastructure build-out of new highways and railroads connecting Greater Sochi may be one of the best untold stories of the 2014 Winter Olympics. There’s something romantic about the old-fashioned elektrichki and the long, winding road up to the mountains, but there’s also something dazzling about high-speed trains linking central Sochi and the airport and a new mountain train linking the Olympic Park with the ski resorts of Krasnaya Polyana.