THE OLYMPICS / WINTER GAMES AT ALBERTVILLE : DATELINE: Albertville

Snow in the mountains is a requisite for good competition in the Winter Olympics, but that same snow can make for difficult traveling. Sportswriter Thomas Bonk and photographer Vince Compagnone of The Times had a harrowing ride the other night. Bonk describes it:

“Doucy-Combelouviere, a tiny ski resort high above the Morel Valley in the Tarantaise section of the French Alps, is a popular destination. Part of the excitement is the trip up. Not the one on the ski lift, the one by car.

“It’s a 4,290-foot ascent up a twisting road about as narrow as a 1950s tie. When it snows and the asphalt gets slick with hard-packed snow and ice, the road from La Lechere in the valley begins to resemble the Olympic downhill skiing course at Val d’Isere.

“ ‘When I first saw the road, I said “Oh, my God!,” ’ said Catherine Pointed, who manages the ski resort. ‘But not as many cars go over the side as you think.’

“She didn’t say anything about buses.

“Many of the American journalists covering the Olympics stay in housing near the ski station, which requires shuttle bus trips to and from the main press center at La Lechere. In bad weather, it isn’t a relaxing ride, unless you are used to commuting from, say, Magic Mountain.

“On this particular night, a storm was dumping more than a foot of snow on the Tarantaise, which made the narrow road treacherous.

“At one point, the driver stopped the bus to put on chains. We moved on, but minutes later there was a bang. One of the chains had snapped.

“We stopped again and, once more, the driver got out.

“Then, suddenly, with a groan, the bus lurched and began rolling backward into the blackness. Somebody screamed.

“The bus rolled probably 15 feet before Mark McDonald of the Dallas Morning News jumped out of his seat, stepped on the brakes and turned the wheel, aiming the bus toward the side of the mountain.

“It was all over quickly, although it seemed as if it lasted forever.

“ ‘I saw my life pass before my eyes--and it was boring,’ said David Casstevens of the Arizona Republic.

“We walked most of the rest of the way. About a mile. Uphill. In the snow. Nobody minded.”

Well, Compagnone minded a little.

He was carrying a lot of heavy photo equipment.