30 Days

The latest Olympic controversy is regarding alpine skiing. Lately, skiing officials have been icing up alpine ski runs by water injection - hosing down the race course one or two feet deep, so that the course ices over and does not deteriorate as skiers race down the mountain or in the event of inclement weather. Skiers have been complaining that this is only making alpine skiing more dangerous (a number of Olympic hopefuls have been injured this season). Water injection is also used on the ski cross courses, which athletes aren't happy about either. Officials have not yet decided whether to use this system at Whistler Mountain for the Olympics.

It took 30 years for the U.S. to win a medal in ice dance, which came from Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto in 2006. (Before them, the U.S. team of Colleen O'Connor and Jim Millns won bronze at the 1976 Olympics, the first time ice dancing was an event at the Olympics.) While U.S. figure skaters have always been a threat in men's and ladies skating, ice dancers and pairs skaters haven't had the same success. Belbin and Agosto changed that for U.S. ice dancing when they won the silver medal in Turino and this year, the U.S. doesn't only have them to root for, but U.S. ice dancers Meryl Davis and Charlie White who are also podium favorites as well. Never have two North American teams made the podium at the same Olympic Games, but between them and Canadian threats Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who knows what could happen in February!

On average, skiing officials use 30 km of safety netting on a race course.