At the Winter Olympics, athletes share the stage with nature. That's just how they want it

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy (AP) — Eileen Gu isn't trying to sound zen about all this. There is something inherently dangerous about flinging yourself down the side of a mountain or soaring over snow and ice, yet don't describe what Gu and hundreds of other Winter Olympians who are exposing themselves to the unpredictable whims of the elements across northern Italy as a battle. “There’s a big part of it where you feel like you’re integrating with nature and also surpassing the capacity of mankind at the same time,” Gu said.