Paul’s Top 5 Winter Olympic Events to Watch

The Sochi Games are underway. Here are the events I will be making an effort to see.

Note - Times I am listing are the actual competitive events. There are training runs for many of these events that precede the listed dates. Find a full schedule here.

Downhill Skiing

For me, this is the ultimate winter competitive event. 90 miles per hour, might as well have their hair on fire. It's insanity, especially if you've been on Birds of Prey, or any other slope where these types of events are held. This kind of speed makes my car shake, I can't understand how they do it, but they do.

Huge bummer that Lindsey Vonn, the best female skier in the world isn't in the running this year because of an injury.

Men's downhill starts on Sunday, Feb. 9.

Women's downhill starts on Monday, Feb. 10.

Super G Skiing

Super Giant Slalom has gates that are spread very far apart. So, it's not the straight down the hill run like downhill, but not quite the tight turns of slalom or even giant slalom. It's a great combination of speed and technical turning.

Men's Super G starts Feb. 15.

Women's Super G starts Feb. 16.

Hockey

For NHL fans, not much is more fun than seeing their marquee players on their respective national teams. Here is a chance to see all of our favorite goal scorers and tough guys divided up, playing for their homelands.

My partner Susan is super excited that there are a couple of North Dakota girls on the U.S. Women's team, who has a great shot at gold.

Hockey is ongoing, starting on Saturday Feb. 8

Biatholon

I love the sports that hearken back to activities that were probably a part of human survival in the past. I can just imagine some Lapland hunter on skis, chasing a herd of reindeer, working like crazy to get a clean shot at what could be dinner for the family for a few months.

The hardest part of biatholon, and hunting in the snow on skis in millenia past, has to be shooting with their heart rate going through the roof. I mean, their chest has to be rising and falling from the distance skiing, so do they just time their rifle shots to go with the heavy breathing? Totally cool stuff.

Biatholon schedule

Luge/Skeleton

Luge is another sport that requires just the right amount of insanity. And that amount adds up to a lot. A. LOT. If they crash, there is almost no chance of getting off the track without injury. What a ride!

As the NBC.com page says, 'It's crazy, but they like it!'

Luge schedule