Olympic Snowboarders Concerned About The Safety of The Sochi Halfpipe

There's been a great deal of controversy surrounding the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, some of which includes media reports of a brown water, unfinished hotel rooms, and of course the infamous side-by-side toilets that most of us have seen pictures of by now. However, there's now some speculation that the halfpipe, used by Olympic snowboarders to perform tricks, isn't safe to use.

On the day before the Sochi halfpipe competition was scheduled to begin, team-USA snowboarders Shaun White and Danny Davis voiced their concerns about the venue's safety The two Olympic snowboarders claimed the sides were too steep and that the warm weather was melting the snow.

You might be wondering why melting snow is a problem for Olympic snowboarders. Well, the reason why most snowboarders prefer snow (rather than slushy ice) is because it's softer and more comfortable to land. When you're flying several stories up into the air, you want to land on something soft like snow, as it's somewhat absorbent and spongy. Ice, on the other hand, is hard and difficult to land.

Last week, White injured himself while practicing the slopestyle course, which was also reported to have a mixture of slushy ice in certain patches. White dropped out of the event to prevent further injury while allowing himself to heal for the upcoming halfpipe. But even now, it looks like there's mounting concerns by other Olympic snowboarders regarding the safety of the Sochi halfpipe.

Professional team-USA snowboarder Shaun White said the following:

"I'm hoping they can do whatever they can to make it a better pipe. It's hard to get here and see this and feel the pressure. Not so much myself, I won't name who it was, but there was a girl in front of me very distraught to be all the way here to Russia with the Olympics and really having a hard time with this pipe. But I'm hoping for the best."

Hannah Teter, American snowboarder, also stated:

"It is a little dangerous.I saw more people fall today than I have all season. It's just dangerous because it's crappy, you know?"

Olympic organizers remain committed to providing a safe environment for all athletes. They've brought in teams of volunteers to scan the halfpipe for any signs of damage or inconsistencies, along with experts to keep is covered in "soft" snow. With the men's halfpipe competition scheduled for later today, we'll have to wait and see what kind of changes (if any) are made to the venue.