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Whistler Sliding Centre

A Need for Speed at The Whistler Sliding Centre

Photo of bobsleigh courtesy Tourism British Columbia

By Sheri Radford

If you’ve ever dreamed of hurtling along an icy track at 135 km/hr (85 mi/hr), here’s your chance. The Whistler Sliding Centre offers two-hour bobsleigh rides and skeleton slides for adrenaline junkies. After gearing up, you rocket down the track like a pro, experiencing what it must have felt like to compete in the 2010 Winter Games here. Although there’s no need to be an Olympic athlete to embark on these heart-pounding adventures, they’re not for the faint of heart, either. If you’d rather leave the speed to the professionals, check out the FIL Luge World Cup (www.fil-luge.org) on Dec. 9 or the FIBT Bobsleigh & Skeleton World Cup (www.fibt.com) on Feb. 2.

More information:

WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE 4910 Glacier Lane. 604-964-0040. whistlerslidingcentre.com

15 Things We Love About Whistler

Photo by Chad Chomlack courtesy Tourism Whistler

1 Spectacular scenery, such as the gorgeous Whistler Olympic Park with its welcoming inukshuk. Whichever way you turn, you’ll see a picture postcard come to life.
2 Devouring a juicy Triple O burger at White Spot. This local restaurant chain was founded in 1928.
3 The abundance of festivals and special events, everything from bike races to rock concerts to a children’s art festival.
4 Looking for reminders of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. Their spirit lives on in venues such as the Whistler Sliding Centre. (more…)

Hot Entertainment: Sliding Star

Whistler Sliding Centre photo by Leanna Rathkelly courtesy Tourism Whistler

Take a self-guided tour of the Whistler Sliding Centre, on Blackcomb Mountain overlooking the Fitzsimmons Valley. The site, former host to the bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions during the 2010 Winter Games, now hosts world-class tournaments on its 1,450-m (4,757-ft) track.—Kristina Urquhart

Sport of the Day: Skeleton

Olympic mascots Miga and Quatchi. Photo copyright VANOC/COVAN

THE WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE

This sport appeared at the Winter Games in 1928 and 1948 but didn’t permanently join the roster until 2002. In skeleton (named after the small sled that resembles a human skeleton), the competitor grasps the sled, runs for about 50 m (164 ft), then dives on headfirst and hurtles down the icy track. Times are measured to the one-hundredth of a second.—Sheri Radford

Sport of the Day: Luge

Olympic mascots Quatchi and Miga. Photo copyright VANOC/COVAN

THE WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE

This sport made its Winter Games debut in 1964. In luge (French for “sled”), a slider sits on a sled, pushes off, lies back and races down the icy track, feet first. Speeds often top 140 km/h (87 mi/h) and the gravitational force can exceed 5G. Times are measured to the one-thousandth of a second. Events include singles and doubles.—Sheri Radford

Top 10 Reasons to Return

If you think Vancouver is beautiful right now, just wait until you see the city in the summer

by Sheri Radford, Jennifer Patterson and Kristina Urquhart

Downtown Vancouver and the North Shore mountains, as seen from the oceanfront between Kitsilano Beach and Vanier Park. Photo copyright Ann Badjura/Dreamstime.com

1 Gorgeous Scenery
Vancouver has no shortage of breathtaking outdoor escapes: the rolling waves of the Pacific Ocean, the almost-year-round snow-capped mountains, and greenery as far as the eye can see. Wriggle your toes in the sand at one of the many public beaches, including Kits Beach—rated one of North America’s top 10 sexiest beaches by Forbes Traveler—or Wreck Beach, where clothing is optional. Head up the mountains for scenic 360-degree views, challenging hikes and glimpses of local wildlife. Grab your camera and visit one of the city’s many green spaces, including VanDusen Botanical Garden and Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. Bike, walk or run Vancouver’s famous seawall, a 22-km (13.7-mi) shoreline stretch that wraps around Stanley Park, past Science World and Granville Island, finishing up at Kits Beach.—J.P.

2 Major Attractions
Seek refuge in Stanley Park, where you can see summertime displays of roses and rhododendrons, catch outdoor theatre

A team races in the annual Dragon Boat Festival in front of Science World at Telus World of Science. Photo by Tom Ryan courtesy Tourism BC

shows, frolic on beaches and ogle baby beluga whales at Vancouver Aquarium. Views abound at Capilano Suspension Bridge and Grouse Mountain, where observing the antics of Grinder and Coola—two orphaned grizzly bears—is a popular summer activity. False Creek forms the backdrop for Granville Island, a hub for artist studios. Impromptu street performances are common, the Public Market boasts seasonal bounty from local farmers and the public fish sales dock is a local favourite for buying fresh, in-season seafood. Closed through most of March, Science World is spending our Winter Games as the pavilion for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games. This iconic “golf ball” is a fixture in the Vancouver skyline; inside you’ll find hands-on exhibits, science demos and educational films in the OMNIMAX Theatre.—K.U.

3 Festivals & Special Events
July and August brim with outdoor events that take full advantage of the long, sun-soaked days. Bard on the Beach presents Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, Antony and Cleopatra, Falstaff and Henry V against a stunning ocean-and-mountains backdrop. Theatre Under the Stars mounts Joseph and the

The ferris wheel at the PNE. Photo by Sheri Radford

Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Singin’ in the Rain on alternating nights in Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl. The Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) celebrates its 100th anniversary with rides, midway games, outdoor concerts, parades, the PNE prize home, mini-donuts and, of course, the Superdogs. The Vancouver Folk Music Festival brings musicians from around the world to Jericho Beach Park for three days of groovy sounds. Pride Week bursts with a rainbow of gay-pride events, culminating in the Pride Parade and Sunset Beach Festival. The HSBC Celebration of Light marks its 20th anniversary with fireworks over English Bay that light up Metro Vancouver.—S.R.

4 Outdoor Adventures
When the temperature rises, outdoor enthusiasts take to the seas for kayaking, scuba diving and whale watching. From late April through October, the waters surrounding Vancouver and Vancouver Island are abundant with orcas (formerly called killer whales). Whale-watching trips offer glimpses of other wildlife, too, including porpoises, sea lions, harbour seals and eagles. Thrill-seekers in both Vancouver and Whistler ride high above the treetops of rainforests while

A pod of orcas. Photo copyright Lazareva Evgeniya/Istockphoto.com

harnessed to a cable called a zipline. Avid cyclist? Participate in myriad bike races, or head to the Whistler Mountain Bike Park for 1,507 m (4,946 ft) of bike trails and a jump park. Hike the mountains and nearby national parks, or take a low-key stroll around the seawall. After a long day in the sun, relax like a Vancouverite with a yoga session on the beach.—K.U.

5 Golfing, Sailing & Skiing
You might have heard a rumour that it’s possible to golf, sail and ski in Metro Vancouver, all on the same day. Unlike most rumours, this one is true. Highly rated courses such as University Golf Club, Westwood Plateau, Furry Creek Golf and Country Club, and Nicklaus North Golf Course boast views so stunning that it may be difficult to keep your eye on the ball. Local companies such as Sewell’s Marina can take you on a sea safari or—if you’re up to the job of captain—rent you a boat to go exploring on your own. As for catching

Nicklaus North Golf Course in Whistler

some powder in the summertime, Whistler Blackcomb’s Horstman Glacier stays open for intermediate and advanced skiers and riders through July.—S.R.

6 Winter Games Sites
Relive exciting moments from the 2010 Winter Games with a tour of Olympic and Paralympic venues, either by yourself or guided by Enjoy Tour and Travel. Canada Hockey Place, otherwise known as GM Place, is home to our NHL team, the Canucks, and sits alongside BC Place. Up on Cypress Mountain, take in the view of the Vancouver Convention Centre. To the east is the Pacific Coliseum, the showcase for figure skating. Experience your own medal-worthy moment with a lap around the Richmond Olympic Oval, open to all levels of fitness after the Games. In Whistler, follow the path of gold-medal bobsledders with a guided tour of the Sliding Centre and Olympic/Paralympic Park.—J.P.

7 Sports Teams
You’ll hear the hoots and hollers of Vancouver Canucks fans until regular-season games wrap up Apr. 10—but if the team advances to the Stanley Cup playoffs, ’Nucks fever can last into June. September marks the start of the 2011 game season for both the Canucks and the Vancouver Giants, the city’s major junior hockey team. Football fans root for the BC Lions

Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo. Photo by Jeff Vinnick courtesy Vancouver Canucks

(Jun. to Nov.), and the Vancouver Canadians play the ol’ ball game at historic Nat Bailey Stadium (Jun. to Sep.). The Vancouver Whitecaps don their cleats this summer (Apr. to Oct.) before beginning their major-league soccer career in 2011.—K.U.

8 Day Trips
Head to Squamish and Whistler for outdoor activities aplenty, including windsurfing, mountain biking and canoeing. Hop aboard BC Ferries for a trip to Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia and home to our historic parliament buildings. A skip-and-a-jump between Vancouver and Vancouver Island are the Gulf Islands, and there’s no shortage of charming getaways on Salt Spring, Galiano and Mayne islands. The Fraser Valley is the perfect spot to grab farm-fresh cheese and u-pick raspberries. The province’s wine region can be found in the Okanagan, known for its dry, sunny climate. South of the border is Seattle, home to rock legends Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix, as well as the iconic Space Needle.—J.P.

9 Restaurants
Vancouver boasts world-class cuisine, but many of our best restaurants are rented out or booked solid during the 2010 Winter Games. Return in the warmer months, then, for an eating-and-drinking tour of the city featuring summer’s cornucopia of fresh

The seaside neighbourhood of Yaletwon, with Burrard Bridge in the background. Photo copyright KWest/Fotolia.com

local produce and sun-kissed patios with breathtaking views. Your stomach will thank you.—S.R.

10 Sunshine
Contrary to popular belief, it doesn’t always rain in Vancouver. But July and August are especially bright for sun worshippers.

Building the Games

The athletes may be the stars of the 2010 Winter Games, but the backdrops for their amazing feats are these equally impressive venues

by Sheri Radford // Photos by KK Law

The twin domes of BC Place (left) and Canada Hockey Place (right)

CANADA HOCKEY PLACE
Ice Hockey
Though it has a new moniker during the Games, GM Place is still the same arena Vancouverites know and love. Completed in 1995, downtown’s 19,300-seat venue serves as home ice for the Vancouver Canucks during hockey season and hosts big-name concerts ranging from Britney Spears to The Police. Its NHL-sized ice, which is smaller than international-sized ice, is being used during the 2010 Winter Games, marking a first in Olympic history.

UBC THUNDERBIRD ARENA
Ice Hockey, Ice Sledge Hockey
This 6,800-seat arena on the University of British Columbia (UBC) campus opened in 2008. You might call UBC the birthplace of Canada’s Olympic hockey dreams: in 1963 at UBC, in preparation for the 1964 Olympic Winter Games in Austria, Bob Hindmarch and Rev. Father David Bauer established Canada’s first national hockey team. The newborn team almost scored bronze.

VANCOUVER OLYMPIC/PARALYMPIC CENTRE
Curling, Wheelchair Curling
This eco-friendly building, completed in 2009, recycles energy and minimizes water use. Post-Games, it will become a community centre housing a curling rink, ice arena, aquatic centre and library.

PACIFIC COLISEUM
Figure Skating, Short Track Speed Skating
The newly renovated home of the Vancouver Giants hockey team has been used for everything from concerts and basketball games to ice shows and circuses. Opened in 1968, this 14,200-seat arena was home ice for the Vancouver Canucks until GM Place was completed in 1995.

The award-winning Richmond Olympic Oval

RICHMOND OLYMPIC OVAL
Speed Skating
Named the 2010 Winter Games’s “sexiest” venue by Omega Lifetime magazine, this new building on the Fraser River keeps racking up awards for its stunning design and eco-friendly building practices. The extraordinary 2.6-hectare (6.5-acre) roof, made from pine-beetle-damaged wood, collects and funnels rainwater, while energy required to make the speed-skating ice is captured and used elsewhere in the building. During the Games, you might notice 13 million cranberries floating in the shapes of a maple leaf and the Olympic rings in the river outside the Oval; this is a tribute to Richmond’s iconic berry. Post-Games, the Oval will house fitness and sports medicine centres, as well as ice rinks, hardwood courts and running tracks.

WHISTLER CREEKSIDE
Alpine Skiing
After several unsuccessful attempts over four decades, Whistler (in partnership with Vancouver) finally won the bid to host the Winter Games. Now Whistler Mountain’s original base, which opened in 1966, has undergone more than $30 million in upgrades to prepare for the monumental event. Men’s alpine skiing events take place on the black-diamond Dave Murray Downhill, the world’s second-longest downhill course, while Franz’s Run hosts the women’s Olympic and all Paralympic alpine events.

WHISTLER OLYMPIC/PARALYMPIC PARK
Biathlon, Cross-Country Skiing, Nordic Combined, Ski Jumping
Opened in 2008, after years of work and $120 million spent, this sprawling park in the picturesque Callaghan Valley hosts a third of all the Olympic events and half of all the Paralympic events. The park’s elevation ranges between 840 and 930 m (2,756 and 3,051 ft).

THE WHISTLER SLIDING CENTRE
Bobsleigh, Luge, Skeleton
Completed in 2007, this slick new venue is part of an extremely elite club: there are just 15 international-competition sliding tracks in the world. And if the secret to a building’s success is location, location, location, then it has a bright future, indeed. It sits on an area of Blackcomb Mountain called Wild Spirit Place (Kwekwayex Kwelh7aynexw) by the Squamish people and Spirited Ground (A7x7ulmecw) by the Lil’wat people.

CYPRESS MOUNTAIN
Freestyle Skiing, Snowboard
A 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver, this area is popular with locals for

The Olympic and Paralympic Village Vancouver, on False Creek

skiing, snowboarding, tubing and snowshoeing. In case of mild weather, a snowmaking system (complete with 35 snow guns) guarantees a winter wonderland.

OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC VILLAGE VANCOUVER
Forget about the cost overruns and financing snafus: this billion-dollar village is a wonder to behold. Located on the waterfront in False Creek, with a view of downtown, the low- and mid-rise apartment buildings are housing 3,000 athletes and officials in style during the Games. After, they will be sold as eco-friendly condos.

OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC VILLAGE WHISTLER
In the gorgeous Cheakamus Valley, bordered by forests and the Cheakamus River, this mix of apartments, townhomes and hostels comprises the home-away-from-home for more than 4,000 athletes and officials during the Games.

BC PLACE
For the first time ever, the Winter Games’s opening and closing ceremonies are being held indoors. The nightly victory ceremonies, featuring a stellar line-up of musical acts, also take place inside downtown Vancouver’s 55,000-seat domed stadium, which opened in 1983. Better take a snapshot of the venue’s marshmallow-like roof, since it won’t be around much longer: a state-of-the-art retractable roof will replace it next year.

WHISTLER MEDALS PLAZA
After the Games’s medal presentations and nightly concerts are a mere memory, this outdoor venue’s amphitheatre, children’s play area and performance spaces will still attract locals.

WHISTLER MEDIA CENTRE
Journalists lucky enough to be assigned to Whistler are headquartered in the

The newly expanded Vancouver Convention Centre is the Main Media Centre during the Games

Whistler Conference Centre, which underwent a huge renovation in 2003. The building is now larger—and kinder to the environment.

MAIN MEDIA CENTRE
Media assigned to Vancouver are in for a treat at the newly expanded Vancouver Convention Centre. Its east building, which showed off the city to the world during the Expo ‘86 World’s Fair, and its brand new west building now cover 111,500 sq m (1.2 million sq ft), or four city blocks. Approximately 40% of the west building juts out over the ocean. Its interior walls, made from renewable Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast hemlock, resemble artfully stacked lumber. And its 2.5-hectare (6-acre) living roof—complete with four beehives, a bee-keeper and 400,000 plants—helps the environment.

The Games Are Here

Live it up in the host mountain resort for the 2010 Winter Games

By Lucas Aykroyd

In Whistler Olympic Park, ski jumps form the backdrop for an inukshuk rock sculpture. Photo courtesy Tourism British Columbia

Whether you visit Whistler before, during or after the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, you’re in for a gold-medal experience. It’s been a jam-packed calendar since July 2, 2003, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) chose Whistler to co-host the 2010 Winter Games along with Vancouver, beating out Pyeongchang, South Korea and Salzburg, Austria. With Alpine skiing, Nordic skiing and sliding events on the menu, Whistler has solidified its reputation as a must-visit sporting destination. Remarkably, all three Whistler competition venues—Whistler Creekside, Whistler Olympic Park and the Whistler Sliding Centre—were completed years early.

Key dates? The Olympic Torch Relay lights up Whistler on Feb. 5. If you’re arriving in time to catch the world’s top winter athletes, go to the official Vancouver 2010 website (www.vancouver2010
.com) for tickets to Olympic events (Feb. 12 to 28) and Paralympic events (Mar. 12 to 21). The Cultural Olympiad (Jan. 22 to Mar. 21) features several free concerts in Whistler Village Square.

All winter long, participate in downhill skiing and snowboarding at Whistler, enjoying the 88 lifts, 200-plus runs and 3,307 ha (8,100 acres) of diverse terrain—over 90 percent open during the Games. See it all from a bird’s-eye perspective in the recently launched Peak 2 Peak Gondola, which offers a magnificent trip between Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.

Alternatively, go cross-country skiing amid the snow-dusted spruce, fir, hemlock and cedar trees of Whistler Olympic Park, where about 55 km (34 mi) of trails will remain open, along with 42 km (26 mi) of the adjoining Callaghan Country this winter (Nov. 21 to Jan. 31 and Mar. 1 to May 2). Or check out the Whistler Sliding Centre, where daredevil lugers and bobsledders exceed speeds of 150 kph (93 mph).

The great thing about visiting the host mountain resort any time of year is that you don’t need to be a world-class athlete to have fun. Those who prefer culture or shopping are in for a treat, too.

Fascinated by aboriginal culture? Two of the official Four Host First Nations, the Squamish Nation and the Lil’wat Nation, have their traditional territories overlap in Whistler. The spectacular Squamish-Lil’wat Cultural Centre, which seamlessly blends glass, Douglas fir timbers and Native artwork in its three-storey, 2,824-sq-m (30,400-sq-ft) layout, offers a great introduction and provides special programming during the Cultural Olympiad.

A Canada flag waves above the spectators in Whistler Olympic Park. Photo courtesy Tourism British Columbia

Shoppers can attempt to set a world-record pace. Buy Olympic souvenirs such as jewellery, clothing and mascot toys at The Olympic Store, The Trading Post, The Bay stores, Zellers stores, Vancouver International Airport (www.yvr.ca) and online (www.vancouver2010.com). Head to local liquor stores to pick up 2010-branded Jackson-Triggs wines or Tribute, the commemorative sparkling wine by Sumac Ridge. Games-themed stamps and coins are available from Canada Post (www.canadapost.ca) and the Royal Canadian Mint (www.mint.ca), respectively.

Long after the Olympic flame has been extinguished, retooled competition venues open to the public will foster a lasting legacy. For instance, the Whistler Sliding Centre has already been chosen to host the 2013 FIL World Luge Championships. So beyond golden memories, there will always be Olympic-calibre reasons to keep coming back.