‘94 WINTER OLYMPICS / LILLEHAMMER : NOTEBOOK

What has become of Austria, Switzerland and France--all Alpine countries--in Alpine skiing?

At the Olympic halfway point, skiers from those countries have no medals.

In medals, the United States leads the big three, four to none.

“The expectations are difficult (for the Alpine countries),” said Patrick Lang, a free-lance journalist who serves as a translator for the World Cup circuit and the Olympic Games. “For America, ski racing is not ranked in the top 20 sports in the U.S. Skiing only exists for the Olympics. I think the American spirit is, ‘Let’s go for the win, there’s nothing to lose. Let’s have fun.’ ”

To many Europeans, ski racing is a year-round passion, and the Olympics are merely a stop on the tour.

“It’s not the World Cup, it’s a game where anything can happen, and it’s good, it’s fun, but you have to put everything into perspective,” Lang said. “It’s an Olympics. It doesn’t mean anything before and it doesn’t mean anything after.”

Especially if you don’t win anything.