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SOCHI, Russia — There are two distinct areas for Olympic activities — the Coastal Cluster, where the skating events happen, and the Mountain Cluster, where the sliding events like skiing, snowboarding and bobsledding will take place.
The two areas are about 45 minutes apart.
A couple of things are obvious at the Mountain Cluster: There isn't a lot of snow, and there is a lot of construction still underway.
Crews made a last-minute rush Thursday to get as much finished as possible prior to Friday's opening ceremony. Projects included repairing parts of the street, putting up a temporary building for an Olympic sponsor, and hanging a sign atop a bank building.
Even though there is not a lot of snow in public areas of the Mountain Cluster, there is snow at the venues, thanks to snow storage areas. Dump trucks continuously visited the storage areas to pick up snow and haul it to the venues, all in preparation for the beginning of the competition.
