Sochi organizers were summoned last week to a high-level meeting where they were peppered with questions about salt.
Lots and lots of salt, as in 19 tons of it. According to The New York Times, they were told in no uncertain terms that they risked turning Alpine ski events into a farce -- or having the races canceled altogether -- unless they could quickly import that much salt to be spread along the courses.
As had been explained to Russian officials last fall, sodium chloride is important because it melts the soft snow cover so that it can refreeze into a hard surface overnight. But the newspaper said organizers did not listen until they were dragged into Thursday's meeting with experts including Canadian consultant Tim Gayda.
Once the Russians conceded that they hadn't planned properly and had exhausted skimpy reserves at the Nordic and halfpipe venues, a huge problem remained. The organizers said the quantity of large-gran salt, desired because in sinks deep into the snow, being requested did not exist in Russia.
That triggered a fascinating chain of events as movers and (salt) shakers in Sochi for the Olympics jumped into action to buy a commodity that sells for a mere $150 a ton in a bid to save a $50 billion enterprise being watched closely around the world.
"This Sochi salt accord involved a Swiss salt salesman working late into the night; a rerouted airplane that may or may not have come from Bulgaria; an Olympian turned salt savant; and Russians powerful enough to clear months of customs bureaucracy overnight," the paper reported.
Hans Pieren, a former skier who competed in the 1988 and '92 Games, contacted a supplier in Switzerland to ask if 24 tons of salt could be shipped immediately. The company had that much big-grain salt stored in a warehouse and the sale was approved.
The paper reported a plane in Sofia, Bulgaria, was rerouted to Zurich and flown to Sochi. In an act of startling efficiency, the contents passed through a security check on the same day for transport to the various Alpine and Nordic venues barely 24 hours after Thursday's emergency meeting.
