Freestyle Skiing - Part H - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

(Based on the book, “Winter Olympics:  An Insider’s Guide to the Legends, the Lore, and the Games”, Vancouver Edition, copyright 2008 by Ron C. Judd)

NEXT STOP:  CYPRESS MOUNTAIN

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.

Location:	West Vancouver, B.C. (Canada)
Spectator Capacity:	12,000 in each of two temporary stadiums
Elevation:	915 metres (3,020 feet) at the base;
	1,240 metres (3,940 feet) at the top
Other Events:	Snowboarding
Medal Ceremonies:	B.C. Place Stadium

All of the “thrill sports” of the 2010 Vancouver Games share a common address:  Cypress Mountain, a popular ski area contained in a large provincial park above West Vancouver, which will host the snowboarding and freestyle skiing competitions.  With a seating capacity of 12,000 in each of two temporary stadiums, the mountain will carve out courses for some of the Winter Games’ more spectacular spectator events, including snowboarding’s halfpipe contest, the snowboard cross races and freestyle skiing’s high-flying moguls and aerials contests, put the new event of ski cross.

Add spectacular views of the city of Vancouver and its harbor from the top of Cypress, and you’ve got a venue that’ll make producers from NBC and CBC drool.  Fans should love the venue as well.  It’s rare to have a snow-sports venue so close to a major host city.

There’s one worry about Cypress, however, shared by organizers and competitors alike, and it’s a significant one:  wet, foggy, or just plain warm weather at the venue.  A test event in February 2008 revealed how bad it could get.  A men’s World Cup moguls event was placed on hold in the middle of the first run when fog and rain rolled in.  Spectators, huddled under tents at the base area, couldn’t even see up to the midpoint of the course, so thick was the fog.

By midday, things had not improved.  Melting snow around the base area formed into small ponds, which turned into small streams, leaving volunteers scurrying to release the backed-up floodwaters by scooping shovelfuls of brown water with snow shovels.  A day later, conditions were basically the same, and an aerials event scheduled for that day was cancelled.

Good weather or bad, look for this to be a hopping venue during the 2010 Games, and one frequented by a younger crowd.  Its proximity to the largest metropolitan city ever to host a Winter Olympics ensures that tens of thousands of youthful, pumped fans will be on hand for the Games’ hippest and newest sports.

After the Games, the area will revert to its former use – a popular day-ski area for Vancouverites in the winter and hiking area in the summer months.

Freestyle Skiing 2010 Schedule:

Date	Event
February 13	Women’s Moguls
February 16	Men’s Moguls
February 20	Women’s Aerials, qualifying
February 21	Men’s Ski Cross
February 22	Men’s Aerials, qualifying
February 23	Women’s Ski Cross
February 24	Women’s Aerials, finals
February 25	Men’s Aerials, finals