The International Olympic Committee has delayed a decision to allow women to participate in ski jumping events.

The Olympics could be in for a major facelift, if proposals being introduced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), to ban the use fireworks and add female ski jumping. Continue reading ‘Fireworks ban and women ski jumping events being considered for Olympics’

Whistler Mountain recently unveiled an Olympic legacy display.

As the Official Alpine Skiing Venue of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, Whistler Blackcomb have unveil an Olympic Legacy display at the Roundhouse Lodge on Whistler Mountain. With Canada’s record breaking medal haul on home soil, the display illustrates the successes of local Olympic and Paralympic winter athletes as well as Games-time highlights.  It records the achievements at the Games of Whistler’s local athletes, Sea to Sky athletes and all medal winners in the alpine events that took place on Whistler Mountain. Continue reading ‘Olympic tribute unveiled in Whistler’

Pitzal was the sight of an all-weather snowmaking test for the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. Organizers want to avoid the problems Vancouver experienced with the snow.

Organizers of the Sochi Winter Olympic Games are looking for ways eliminate any chance of repeating the scene at Cypress Mountain this past winter when the ski area struggled to provide enough snow to build terrain features for freestyle event because of an unusually warm weather spell prevented organizers from operating the snowmaking equipment. Continue reading ‘Russian officials inspect all weather snowmaking system ahead of Sochi Olympics’

Whistler finally takes a breather after an epic 2009-2010 season

Despite the ups of the Olympics, and the threat of being auctioned off, Whistler ended its historic 192 day long 2009-10 ski season a couple of weeks ago and has now published some statistics for its momentous 50^th winter which saw the high points of record snowfall and the fulfillment of the resort’s long held dream to stage a Winter Olympics and the low point of owners Intrawest nearly facing major financial problems.

Continue reading ‘Whistler’s 50th year ends on an epic note’

Dutch Snowboarder Nicolien Sauerbreij had a second triumphant home coming to the Netherlands at the end of the season last month.

Nicolien who won the country’s first ever Alpine sports gold medal in snowboarding at the Vancouver Olympics returned to celebrate her win at SnowWorld Zoetermeer where she had carried out a lot of her training.

Hundreds of Dutch Winter Sports fans were there to honour Nicolien who reported she was very happy with all the attention.

Continue reading ‘Dutch boarder welcomed at second Netherlands snowdome’

Whistler-Blackcomb ski resort in British Columbia, Canada.

An estimated 3.5 billion people around the world watching the Games on their televisions and online.

That was a big boost for the already-famous ski resort and Olympic co-host Whistler-Blackcomb. Based on a study conducted by Tourism Whistler in partnership with Tourism British Columbia, awareness of Whistler increased significantly in the key overseas markets of United Kingdom, Germany and Australia.

The study measured awareness of Whistler before and after the 2010 Winter Games. It found that British awareness of Whistler increased from 32 per cent to 45 percent, and German awareness increased from 19 per cent to 42 per cent.  In Australia, already the most aware with 48 per cent of Australians knowing about Whistler before the Games, 62 per cent were aware afterwards.

Continue reading ‘Whistler’s post-Olympics international fame is quantifiable’

One of the iconic images of Vancouver’s Olympics was the lone snowboarder making a spectacular jump through the Olympic rings at the start of the opening ceremonies.

But few know that it was Toronto snowboarder Johnny Lyall making this unforgettable entrance into the Stadium, and that it was made on a SnowFlex artificial slope. If the world is a stage, then Snowflex was cast in a prominent supporting role on the biggest stage and in front of one of the largest audiences in the world, and so was Lyall.

Continue reading ‘The making of Vancouver’s opening moment’