Whistler Blackcomb ready for the Olympics!

29 Jan 2010

With an unprecedented 9.88 metres (32.4 feet) of snow blanketing the host venue for the men's and women's alpine skiing competitions, Olympic ski officials have declared the Whistler Blackcomb venue ready to go. 

"VANOC has now taken over the men's and women's courses entirely from Whistler Blackcomb ski operations and we're in to the home stretch on our final preparations," said Tim Gayda, Vice President of Sport, VANOC, in a release. 

"International Olympic Committee delegates recently skied the course and were very pleased with the results," he said. "From the beginning of the season, VANOC and Whistler Blackcomb crews have worked hard together to prepare the courses to create a very dense base of snow that has fallen in Whistler this season." 

Deep snow at Whistler Blackcomb is not unique, but reaching the average annual snowfall (10.13 metres or 33 feet) this early in the year is unusual. Since snow reporting began in the 1979/80 season, this is the first time that Whistler Blackcomb has received this much snow by the end of January. The prior record was set in 2006/07 when 945 centimetres or 31 feet of snow fell by January 31.

Whistler Blackcomb remains 90 per cent open throughout the Games with base access via the Whistler Village Gondola, Fitzsimmons Express, Excalibur Gondola and Wizard Express. Although the Creekside Gondola will be closed February 1 to March 1, a ski-out will remain available via Peak to Creek. 

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