TripSay blog

There are three sports events above all: Football World Cup; Summer Olympic Games; and Winter Olympic Games. These are the events that draw the whole world’s attention. Many athletes train for years in order to be at their very best during these events. And there’s fierce competition between cities (and nations) to become the host for the next games.

Each of the events is held only every fourth year. Next up will be the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, B.C. I took a journey to Canada to find out about the games. Is there any truth in the legendary Canadian hospitality? Are the venues ready? Would I get to try the tracks myself?

Remembering the previous Winter Games in Turin, Italy, where the organizing committee almost went bankrupt, I didn’t know what to expect!

Vancouver, British Columbia, sets the bar high.

No worries about the stadiums: the sports venues are already finished almost a year before the games. Actually, as a good omen, the first newspaper I read after arriving in Vancouver ran a story about completion of the Olympic Centre.

Sea-to-Sky Highway leads from Vancouver to Whistler, where the alpine skiing and nordic events will take place. Whistler is an alpine-style village with an easy access to both Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The resort is nowadays better than ever: the mountains are connected with a brand new record-breaking Peak-to-Peak gondola. The gondola runs for 4.4km (2.73miles) in about 11 minutes and provides great views over the creek far below. The lift queues in the resort were reasonable, snow was excellent and the slopes are suitable for the games. I took my chance on the Dave Murray Downhill slope and I can say it takes stamina to get down in one piece. The slope is long and steep! Definitely a world class course!

The nordic events competitions are held in Whistler Olympic Park, some 20 mins by car from Whistler Village. The Olympic Park is ready for the games. And, even better, you have a chance to try out the venue yourself! I tried shooting at the biathlon stadium. My result: five out of five! I also rented cross-country skis to try out the olympic ski tracks. The tracks are technical and a lot of fun. After 16km on the go it was time head back with a smile on my face. Excellent tracks, I recommend you take a day off from the mountains and go cross-country skiing!

All in all, the olympic venues are in great shape. My only worry is transportation. It seemed like a lot of athletics accommodation is still under construction. And there were a lot of roadworks on the Sea-to-Sky Highway. The venues are great but are the sports fans able to get there?

My experiences in both Vancouver and Whistler confirm Canadian hospitality and friendliness. I’m expecting a lot from the games! Good luck for the athletes!

Posted by jussi

Date: Friday, March 6th, 2009 at 14:11 | Category: travel, tripsay | RSS Feed: RSS 2.0 feed.
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