Georgian Nodar Kumaritashvili's sled flipped and he smashed into a steel pole at the Whistler Sliding Centre, killing the 21-year-old.

BBC: Olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili dies after crash

Early on the opening day, a Georgian athlete, Nodar Kumaritashvili, was killed during a practice run when his luge flipped over, throwing him into a steel pole and raising questions about the track's safety.

ECONOMIST: Sporting success and brash patriotism

Wells Mason's chairs, benches, and tables are simultaneously playful and--with their stark joining of organic and man-made materials (such as the Baltic birch, stainless steel, and fiberboard embedded in a telephone pole in the Shelf Life chair, bottom)--aesthetically and intellectually challenging.

FORBES: Above photo courtesy of John Langford

Umasi, a collection of work by artist Wells Mason, blurs the line between sculpture and furniture, with man-made materials such as stainless steel and tempered glass colliding with organic (exquisitely finished woods) and even obviously salvaged materials (a telephone pole, recycled rubber, bicycle parts).

FORBES: Above photo courtesy of John Langford