10 days to the 2010 Winter Games

Olympic Flags in Whistler

And Whistler is not slowing down! With over 9m of snow this winter, Whistler Blackcomb are ready to welcome the world.

The first alpine athletes start their training on designated training runs on February 5 and on the Olympic courses on February 10. The first alpine competition is the Men’s Downhill on February 13, the first day of Games competition.

“International Olympic Committee delegates recently skied the course and were very pleased with the results,” says Tim Gayda, Vice President of Sport, VANOC. “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 involved a massive snowmaking effort. Add to that the incredible amount of natural snow that has fallen in Whistler this season, and we’re now ready to deliver an Olympic-class alpine skiing venue that will live up to the reputation that the renowned Dave Murray Downhill course holds the world over. We look forward to debuting the spectacular new woman’s course on Franz’s Run. 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.”