""It's really a discussion once every four years when [viewers] see shots of people whose faces are just disgustingly covered in saliva and they're like, What the fuck is going on here?" said Nathaniel Herz, a competitive cross-country skier turned journalist who's doing on-the-ground reporting at the Games for FasterSkier. "I think for people in the sport this is pretty much business as usual. I don't think everyone who competes in it recognizes that it's disgusting and gross.""
"During the cross-country and biathlon events at the Milan Cortina Olympics, I've thrilled at the sight of athletes giving everything they've got. I've also nearly gagged at the mucus dripping from their noses and the saliva pouring out of their mouths in long, dangly strands. That goo has a tendency to linger on their faces, building up and turning frosty. These snotcicles and viscous beards are incredibly gross. In cross-country skiing and the biathlon, they're also completely normal."
Television tight shots often reveal mucus and long strands of saliva on athletes' faces during cold-weather endurance events. Those buildups can freeze into snotcicles and viscous beards that look unpleasant. Cross-country skiing and biathlon take place over long distances in cold air, which dries nasal passages and prompts increased mucus to moisturize them. Intense metabolism during competition further accelerates mucus production, and some athletes experience cold-induced rhinorrhea or skier's nose, causing excess fluids and irritation. The phenomenon is physiologically driven and common among competitors, though many viewers react with surprise or disgust.
Read at Slate Magazine
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]