Key events
The BBC are showing replays from yesterday’s ski mountaineering, where ridiculously fit men and women ski up a mountain, sprint a flight of steep stairs, before skiing back down again, with jeopardy at each boot change, and in high winds and heavy snow. Truly a different breed of human.
Some beautiful, and blizzard heavy pictures, from Thursday have been curated by our talented picture desk.
Medals table
The Norwegians still reign supreme, but the USA have leap-frogged the hosts to settle into second.
1 🇳🇴 Norway 🥇 16 🥈 8 🥉 10 – Total: 34
2 🇺🇸 United States 🥇 9 🥈 12 🥉 6 – Total: 27
3 🇮🇹 Italy 🥇 9 🥈 5 🥉 12 – Total: 26
4 🇫🇷 France 🥇 6 🥈 8 🥉 5 – Total: 19
5 🇳🇱 Netherlands 🥇 6 🥈 7 🥉 3 – Total: 16
That table in full:
Yesterday’s 40 centimetres of snow means we’re playing catch up today: and things begin with the rescheduled men’s halfpipe and men’s aerial qualifications. Both kick off in half an hour.
Preamble
Good grey morning readers, let us hurry to northern Italy where the skies are blue and the slopes powdery.
Medals galore today as we round the final corner.
After the USA clinched the women’s ice hockey gold on Thursday, more drama at the rink with the men’s semi-finals. Canada play Finland this afternoon and the USA take on Slovakia this evening.
A busy day for the world’s best skiers, in women’s cross finals, and the men’s 15km biathlon.
The men’s halfpipe freestyle final also takes place, under the drama of darkness, with eyes on teenage champion Finley Melville Ives as well as veteran American Nick Goepper; and the day finishes with two short-track speed skating finals, in the men’s 5000m relay and the women’s 1500m.
There’s also more curling. Great Britain’s men get a rest after yesterday’s heroics, but there’s a men’s bronze medal match to look forward to and the women’s semi-finals. Finally, the rearranged men’s aerial finals, where Switzerland’s Noe Rot is hoping to follow in the snowsteps of his mum, who won an aerials bronze 28 years ago.
We’ll be here to cover each stumble and gold, do join us.