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Born for the GamesThe resort of Whistler was in fact born on an Olympic dream. Franz Wilhelmsen, the man who opened Whistler for skiing in the 1960's, did so in the hopes of hosting the Games here. In the following years, some Whistlerites have been a part of the Games as athletes, spectators and organizers. Now, everyone in Whistler will have the unique chance to participate in this once in a lifetime opportunity. The 2010 Winter Games begin in |
These are the first Olympics where the mountain venues have been completed 2 years prior to the Games. Visitors to Whistler village before or during the Games, will not be affected by any construction, as we are ready to host the world.
Definitely! Outside of the month of February, the 2009/2010 season is expected to be business as usual. If you are looking for a more regular ski holiday we would recommend you travel outside of the 17-day period of the Olympics although the skiing is expected to be phenomenal during this time.
Both Whistler and Blackcomb will be in operational before , during and after the Games. Whistler Mountain offers more than 100 trails and only 4 of them will be closed during the games (Dave Murray Downhill, Raven, Franz's Run and Wildcard will be closed). In addition, Blackcomb Mountain will be in full operation, also offering more than 100 trails. So we're 100% open before and after the Games and 95% open during the Games!
Yes! We are expecting the 2009/2010 season to be very similar to other seasons outside of the month of February. During the 17 days of the Olympic Games, it is not yet clear how much inventory Vancouver Olympic Committee (VANOC) will need for many of the hotels, but as we get a better idea of what to expect, the hotels will likely have some rooms available for these dates.
Most of the Whistler properties should soon be able to confirm rates and block for the season of 2009/2010 outside of the month of February. They will have more information regarding availability and rates for the actual Games time in February 2009 after VANOC notifies them of their block commitments.
The Sea to Sky highway construction project is scheduled to be completed in June 2009. In the meantime, the highway remains open and your guests should not be experiencing much inconvenience other than occasional delays and pre-scheduled closures. Improvements include a straighter highway, new passing lanes, highly reflective pavement markings, additional median barriers, better pullouts, and enhanced monitoring by electronic weather stations to improve maintenance response during winter weather.
A Transportation Advisory Committee was formed in February 2006. VANOC has also contracted a company to conduct an analysis of the region. Information collected will be incorporated into plans for key roads, including the Sea to Sky highway, loading zones, general parking, bus operations, client services, traffic management and venue transportation management. A more detailed transportation plan will be announced later this year based on making public transportation during the Games convenient, affordable, and in keeping with environmental sustainability commitments.
In addition to the competition events, there will be many parties, shows, and activities going on including the Olympic Arts Festival and Paralympic Arts Festival which will run throughout each Games. The festivals will celebrate the best in BC, Canadian and international arts and culture featuring aboriginal, classical and contemporary music, theatre, dance, film, literary, visual arts, street entertainment and more.
Yes. Outside of the ticketed events, there will be 6 Live Sites set up throughout the village. These will include big screens showing the day’s events and nightly medal ceremonies, as well as free daily and nightly entertainment including bands, performing artists, and theatre.
By summer, there should be more information about venue tours but here is what we know so far: The grand opening of the Sliding Centre will be in October 2008, possibly with scheduled tours. After the Games, the Whistler Legacies Society will be implementing a tour program for the Whistler Olympic Park and Whistler Sliding Centre. There has also been discussion about a tourist sliding sports ride program. Currently guests can test their skills on the Dave Murray downhill which will be the site of the alpine skiing events and the Whistler Olympic Park is already in full operation offering 40 kilometres (25 miles) of cross-country ski trails ranging from beginner to Olympic caliber.
Yes, because there are more hotel rooms in Vancouver than in Whistler more people will be in Vancouver, however there will still be a lot going on in Whistler including concerts, parties, medal ceremonies, etc.
Each country will have their own official Olympic wholesaler. We will be able to provide you a list of them at a later date. Approximately 1.6 million tickets will be available with more than 100,000 tickets available for $25. Half of all Games tickets will be priced at $100 or less. Tickets will go on sale in October 2008.
Whistler boasts more than 90 restaurants. In addition, hotels and other venues are looking into the possibility of using some of their meeting rooms as F & B locations.
The Alpine Skiing events will take place on Whistler Mountain and include Downhill, Super G, Giant Slalom, Slalom, and Combined. The Men's events will be hosted entirely on the Dave Murray Downhill, widely considered as one of the top 3 courses in the world. The Women's and Paralympic Alpine course will begin on Wild Card, swing over to Lower Jimmie's Joker, and wind its way down a portion of Franz's to finally join up with the Men's course on the Lower Dave Murray Downhill.
The entire Creekside base will be transformed during game-time to accommodate facilities such as wax cabins, athlete's lounge, and security check posts. VANOC is working toward the installation of a cabriole lift at Creekside to carry eager onlookers from the base area to the Timing Flats. In all, this venue will be prepared to host a capacity crowd of 7600 people. After the Games, much of the overlay will be removed and Whistler Creekside will be a site for future international competitions and Canadian team training.
The Nordic Competition Venue is on track for completion in the fall of 2007 and will host all Nordic events: cross country skiing, biathlon, ski jumping, and Nordic combined events.
The construction project involves the competition facilities (including two ski jumps), 14 km of competition trails and 8 km of training trails, as well as utility installation, access roads, parking lots, technical sport buildings, a day lodge and other related infrastructure. The final plan also includes 20-25 km of recreational trails to be built in the area. Three separate, temporary stadiums will be in place for the Olympic Games; each will house 12,000 fans.
Whistler will host the following Paralympic events: all Alpine Skiing events, the Biathalon and Cross-Country events.
All Paralympic alpine skiing events will take place on Franz's Run on Whistler Mountain.
All the Paralympic cross-country skiing and biathlon events will start and finish from the Olympic cross-country stadium and will use parts of the Olympic cross-country competition trails. Competition courses include a 5-kilometre course for the standing classes and a 3.75-kilometre course for the sit-ski classes. Several kilometres of training trails will be available near the competition courses. A temporary and portable 10-metre biathlon range will be set up in the stadium for the biathlon events.
