Sochi Olympics - Mountain Venues

Krasnaya Polana, or ‘beautiful meadow’, is the gateway to the Caucasus Mountain ski and snowboard venues for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. (V. Undritz for VOA)

This highway suspension bridge is part of an $8 billion road and link designed to transport Olympics attendees between the skating venues on the Black Sea coast and the snow venues in the Caucasus Mountains. (V. Undritz for VOA)

Once tranquil mountain villages are being transformed by the massive construction of Olympic housing. High rises are to become hotels and condominiums for vacationers after the games. (V. Undritz for VOA)

Russians hope that their world-class ski resorts will become part of the legacy of the Olympics. (V. Undritz for VOA)

At the base of the brand new Rosa Khutor ski area, a faux Alpine village has been built in the last 1,000 days, complete with a German-style “Rathaus” or town hall. (V. Undritz for VOA)

Visitors study the ski trail map of Rosa Khutor, which suffered from erratic snow cover and rain in February and March of this year. (V. Undritz for VOA)

A brand new European-made gondola carries skiers to upper slopes. (V. Undritz for VOA)

Poor weather – high winds and lack of snow – forced organizers to cancel a cross country event. (V. Undritz for VOA)

Maslenitsa doll awaits her fate with ski at the Rosa Khutor resort. (V. Undritz for VOA)

In a pre-Lenten festival, Russians dance around the Maslenitsa doll. (V. Undritz for VOA)

The Maslenitsa figure burns as Russians celebrate the end of winter. (V. Undritz for VOA)

The Rosa Khutor base village at night, where developers have sought to create the night life found in European and American mountain resorts. (V. Undritz for VOA)

The Olympic ski jump rises from the mountain mists above Sochi. The jump’s price tag: $265 million. (V. Undritz for VOA)

Diggers carve a mountain valley for a road and rail link from the Black Sea Coast. It is unclear if restoration of the landscape will be completed in time for the Feb. 2014 Olympics. (V. Undritz for VOA)

The concrete pylons of a railroad bridge through the once clear waters of the Mzimta River. Once a magnet for rafters and spawning salmon, the river is now brown and routed through many concrete channels. (V. Undritz for VOA)