Along with possible terror attacks, potential earthquakes, criticism of excessive spending and any issues arising from anti-gay laws, the Sochi Olympics faced a possible practical problem of too little snow – an issue which affected some venues at the the Vancouver Games four years ago, particularly Cypress Mountain, leading to last minute helicoptering in along with truck convoys of the white stuff from higher altitudes and spectators being limited at the venue.
The ski slopes above the warm city of Sochi on the Black Sea coast tend to receive either abundant snow, or almost no snow, and the ski areas had been stock piling last year's stuff and limiting pre-Games slope access in order to maintain stocks.
But with just a week to go it looks like all fears of too little snow were unfounded, the main venue for downhill skiing events, Rosa Khutor, reports 2.7 metres on upper slopes and a healthy base at the bottom too.
In fact with another foot of snow reported in the last 24 hours the issue may begin to be one of too much snow.
"They will certainly have a big task clearing the snow but the area has been very well prepared for such a scenario," an FIS employee told J2Ski.