The dulcet tones of Eddie Butler are setting the scene for the snowboard slopestyle final. Remember, this is the first of 98 medals to won at the Winter Olympics. Can Britain win their 10th Winter gold in history and their first ever on snow?

Ollie Williams
BBC Sport at the Shayba Arena in Sochi

"Finland have done well to hold the US to one goal having conceded within a minute of the start. The US have had 15 shots on goal, the Finns have had three.

"Hilary Knight, scorer of that goal, has a cousin called Chip who competed at three Olympics for the US as an Alpine skier. Chip was once dubbed the "anti-Bode" since while Bode Miller was racking up seven-figure sponsorship deals in the mid-2000s, Chip was being asked to cough up $8,000 just to stay on the national team."

"Reflecting on reaching snowboard slopestyle's first-ever Olympic final Billy Morgan says he "couldn't be any happier."

'The final is so strong, it's going to be insane!' he said.

"Will he go for two triple-cork spins (toughest moves in the sport) in the final?

'It has to be,' he says. 'It's tough to keep up with the craziness that is slopestyle now.'

Hold on to your hats. Five minutes and counting until the men's slopestyle final, with Billy Morgan and Jamie Nicholls right in the mix for medals.

Over at the Shayba Arena, the US women are still beating Finland 1-0 after the first period of their group match thanks to Hilary Knight's early goal. Goalkeeper Noora Raty is really coming into her own, although rumours that she stars in the Finnish version of Last of the Summer Wine have yet to be confirmed.

Image source, Getty Images

Here's US skier Bode Miller fine-tuning his skills on the Sochi slopes this morning ahead of the men's downhill on Sunday. Miller has won five Olympic medals, including a gold in the 2010 Super Combined.

Andrew Leason:, external Loved watching snowboarding on the red button this morning. Some incredible air they were getting!

Andrew Butler:, external It's only taken one slopestyle run to remind me how good the Winter Olympics really is.

Alexander Stuart:, external Going to watch some Slopestyle in the hope somebody in with a chance of a medal falls and starts crying (not British of course)

Anna Thompson
BBC Sport in Sochi

The GB men's and women's curling teams are having their first look at the ice at the Ice Cube Centre where they will be competing for the next couple of weeks. They will have 20 minutes on each of the four sheets or lanes to check out the newly-laid surface.

The women, who are the current world champions, and the men, who won bronze at the World Championship, are definite medal contenders here in Sochi.

They popped into the BBC offices in the International Broadcast Centre to have a look at how we will be covering the Games.

The blue riband event of the Olympics, the men's downhill, takes place at 07:00 GMT on Sunday. BBC Sport's Rob Hodgetts has put together a cracking feature to whet your appetite, in which five-time Olympian Graham Bell and France's Luc Alphand, a 10-time World Cup downhill winner, provide the inside track on what it is like to throw yourself down the steepest of slopes at the highest of speeds.

Team GB Sochi Olympic chef de mission Mike Hay has been reflecting on British snowboarders Jamie Nicholls and Billy Morgan contesting the slopestyle final.

"It is extraordinary traditionally we don't start that well at an Olympics but with the addition of slopestyle we've made a great beginning," he tells BBC Radio 5 Live.

"Hopefully we can have a go at the podium as well."

Ollie Williams
BBC Sport at the Shayba Arena in Sochi

"And if you do want to keep an eye on Finnish goalkeeper Noora Raty, as aforementioned, it looks like you'll have plenty of opportunity. It took the US 53 seconds to score their opening goal of the tournament - they destroyed the Germans in a practice game I saw earlier in the week, and chances are you'll be seeing a lot of the Finland goal over the next couple of hours. This may become Raty versus America."

One other sport to flag up for you this morning. The women's 15km skiathlon starts at 10:00 GMT. The event involves a split between two skiing techniques: classic, which involves skiing along pre-set parallel tracks, and freestyle, which closely resembles the motions of ice skating. Norway's Marit Bjoergen is the overwhelming favourite after defending her 2011 title at last year's World Championships.

Ollie Williams
BBC Sport in Sochi

Image source, AP

"Keep an eye on Finnish goaltender Noora Raty in the opening ice hockey contest of Sochi 2014, between Finland and the US women.

"Many people think Raty is the reason Finland have half a chance in this game. She's been on the national team for almost a decade since joining as a 15-year-old and some people have her down as the best female goaltender in the world.

"When Finland registered an unlikely victory over the US in a tournament last year, Raty stopped 58 of 59 shots on goal, an impressive figure for any goalie.

"She seems fairly calm about today's encounter, spending the build-up tweeting about her toilet, external (something of a pastime for new arrivals in Sochi)."

We're keen for you to get involved in our live text commentary as well so ping your best patter my way via Twitter on #bbcsochi,, external text to 81111 or the BBC Sport Facebook page., external What are your favourite Winter Olympic moments? Which sports are you most looking forward to? Which winter sport would you most like to try?

I'm pleased to announce that BBC Two's live coverage of the Winter Olympics is starting now. If you are not near a telly, you can watch online by clicking on the Live Coverage button at the top of this page. On there you will also find a live stream showing the ice hockey Group A match between Finland and the USA.

Details of the BBC Sport's live coverage.

Billy Morgan celebrates reaching the snowboard slopestyle final:, external "Aaaahahaha! How did that happen! Me and Jamie Nicholls in the Olympic final! Proper stoked! Right now."

After the snowboarding, there will be no let up in the pace as we head to the 8,000-capacity Adler Arena, for the men's 5,000m speed skating. The red hot favourite will be Sven Kramer of the Netherlands - aka the Flying Dutchman - who is the world record holder in the 5000m, 10,000m and team pursuit, and unbeaten over those three events in the 2013-14 World Cup season.

Rob Hodgetts
BBC Sport in Sochi

The final launch ramp to Olympic history. Where it could be decided for Billy Morgan and Jamie Nicholls.

Nick Hope
BBC Sport in Sochi

"Confirmed start list for the first-ever Olympic snowboard slopestyle final sees British pair Billy Morgan and Jamie Nicholls go fourth and fifth respectively in the 12-strong - two heat - event."

Action at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park gets underway at 08:45 GMT live on the BBC Sport website.

"I think the whole of Great Britain should be going wild right now," Team GB slopestyle snowboarder Aimee Fuller tells BBC Radio 4.

"British heart-throbs Jamie Nicholls & Billy Morgan are going to go big in the final!"

Fuller will be giving her expert view on the final from 08:45 GMT on BBC Radio 5 live with commentator Will Perry.