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A Brief History of Openly Gay Olympians
Americans Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy are the latest LGBTQ athletes to go for the gold
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Meet the 2018 Olympic Artists in Residence
Four artists who are also athletes will make art by Olympians for Olympians at the PyeongChang Olympics
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How Physics Keeps Figure Skaters Gracefully Aloft
Every twist, turn and jump relies on a mastery of complex physical forces
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A Brief History of Women’s Figure Skating
You might be surprised to learn that this sport where women now shine was initially seen as solely the purview of male athletes
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Meet the Robots of the 2018 Olympics
The Pyeongchang games will have bots to clean, dance, serve drinks, provide translation and more
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The Slick Science of Making Olympic Snow and Ice
Crafting the ideal ice rink or bobsled course takes patience, precision and the skill of an Ice Master
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Five Whimsical Words of the Winter Olympics, from ‘Skeleton’ to ‘Salchow’
The sports are hard. The words are harder. We’re here to help
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The First Ice Skates Weren’t for Jumps and Twirls—They Were for Getting Around
Carved from animal shin bones, these early blades served as essential winter transport
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Why Winter Is the Perfect Time to Visit Bavaria
This corner of Germany is the ultimate cold-weather playground, a place where sledding down a mountain, or knocking back beers are equally worthy pursuits
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The First Artificial Skating Rinks Looked Pretty But Smelled Terrible
Before the technology to reliably freeze water existed, the first rinks used pig fat and salts
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Swedish Woman Smashes Record for Skiing Solo to the South Pole
Skiing for 38 days, 23 hours and 5 minutes Johanna Davidsson beat the previous record by almost 10 hours
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Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Alaska
How a Two-Time Iditarod Racer Fell in Love With Dogsledding
Lesson one in mushing class: Don’t let go!
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Why the 1980 Olympic Village Is Now a Prison
It’s one way to deal with leftover infrastructure
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Are the Fancy New Curling Brooms Fair? Robots and Lasers Will Help Figure It Out
So-called “Frankenbrooms” are causing tension amongst the world’s curlers
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Alaska Is Shipping in Snow for This Year’s Iditarod
Could a warm winter make the famous sled race go to the dogs?
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The World of Competitive Curling Has Its Very Own Scandal
Is new technology too dominant for the Olympic sport?
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Canada’s Outdoor Ice Skating Rinks’ Days Are Numbered Thanks to Climate Change
Skating rinks are already open for fewer days in the year than they were just a decade ago
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It Was Cold Enough This Winter to Go Ice Yachting on the Hudson River
This high-speed sport only happens when conditions are just right: a frozen river, lots of wind, and cold temperatures
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Why Curling Ice Is Different Than Other Ice
There is a science to preparing ice for the shuffleboard-like sport. It’s all about the pebbling
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What Happens When There’s a Tie at the Olympics?
Until they start 3D printing golds on demand the IOC will have to prepare for ties, regardless of how unlikely they are
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