The Whistler Sliding Centre and Whistler Olympic Park to open for public tours

Jun 5, 2008

Community invited to learn about venues and sports

Vancouver, BC – The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) today announced that The Whistler Sliding Centre will open its doors for tours this summer, providing the public with the first opportunity to personally touch and feel one of the 2010 Winter Games venues. Located on Blackcomb Mountain in Whistler BC, The Whistler Sliding Centre will be home to bobsleigh, luge and skeleton competitions in 2010. It is one of only 15 international competition sliding tracks in the world, and one of four in North America.

Whistler Olympic Park will also host tours this summer, offering members of the public the opportunity to explore the trails and recreational facilities that make up the venue, and a first-hand look at one of the world’s most sophisticated ski jumps. During the 2010 Winter Games, Whistler Olympic Park will be home to biathlon, cross-country skiing, Nordic combined and ski jumping. Located 15 kilometres south of Whistler, the facility opened its doors to both recreational and competitive skiers during the 2007-08 winter season.

“Tours are a great opportunity for the public to get a first-hand look at some of the most spectacular facilities of the Games and to learn about the sports they will host,” said Cathy Priestner Allinger, VANOC executive vice president, sport and Games operations. “Visitors will leave with a great sense of anticipation for the thrilling competitions that will take place there this winter, and in 2010. This is also a great chance for residents to familiarize themselves with the world-class facilities that are now in their own backyard, and what will be an important part of their community for years to come.”

Canadian athletes who have driven The Whistler Sliding Centre track have said it is one of the fastest and most challenging in the world. After participating in the christening of the track in December 2007, Pierre Lueders, four-time Olympian, and the most decorated slider in Canadian history, noted: “It’s definitely the fastest track in the world and that’s what makes it so difficult.” Canadian skeleton racer Michelle Kelly agreed, stating, “It’s an exciting track and what’s hard about it is that it has crazy speed, but any loss of concentration and you can get in trouble because it is technical as well.” Over 13 days of Olympic competition, athletes will compete for a total 24 Olympic medals at The Whistler Sliding Centre.

Self-guided walking tours of The Whistler Sliding Centre will begin on July 3 and continue until the end of August. Admission for these tours is $5.

Beginning June 15, free, self-guided walking, car or bike tours of Whistler Olympic Park will be available during park hours. Visitors interested in guided tours or tours of the ski jumps, however, must book in advance at www.whistlerolympicpark.com or by calling 604.964.2455. Admission fees for guided tours of Whistler Olympic Park will vary depending on tour choice. Proceeds from the tours will be directed towards general administration and overhead relating specifically to the summer 2008 venue tour programs. Both The Whistler Sliding Centre and Whistler Olympic Park are wheelchair accessible.

After the 2010 Winter Games, The Whistler Sliding Centre and Whistler Olympic Park will provide sport and recreation legacies as well as economic opportunities under the direction of the Whistler Legacies Society.

About VANOC
VANOC is responsible for the planning, organizing, financing and staging of the XXI Olympic Winter Games and the X Paralympic Winter Games in 2010. The 2010 Olympic Winter Games will be staged in Vancouver and Whistler from February 12 to 28, 2010. Vancouver and Whistler will host the Paralympic Winter Games from March 12 to 21, 2010. Visit www.vancouver2010.com.

QUICK FACTS

The Whistler Sliding Centre

• One of only 15 international competition sliding tracks in the world
• Highest vertical drop of any track in the world: 152 metres
• Track G-force is expected to reach 5.02 Gs (men’s luge)
• Highest speed reached in inaugural 2007-08 season: 147.9 kilometres per hour (four-man bobsleigh)
• A thin ice surface measuring between two and five centimetres is produced and maintained by hand
• The track measures 1,450 metres from start to finish, with an elevation change of over 150 metres
• 350 tons of concrete were used to construct the track
• The track has 36 on-track cameras and 42 “timing eyes”
• Energy-efficiency initiatives, designed to minimize refrigeration plant energy use, include an ammonia refrigeration system. Ammonia is one of the most energy-efficient refrigerants, producing no chlorofluorocarbons (which contribute to ozone-layer depletion and global climate change).

Whistler Olympic Park

• First time in Olympic Winter Games history that all four Nordic disciplines (biathlon, ski jumping, Nordic combined, cross-country skiing) are occurring at the same venue
• The only snowmaking system at the venue is for the ski jump landing hill
• The venue has approximately five kilometres of paved rollerski trails and six kilometres of lit trails to enhance training opportunities
• The venue will host 30 per cent of the Olympic medal events and 50 per cent of the Paralympic medal events
• Athletes will ski an average speed of just under 25 kilometres per hour during cross-country ski races, reaching maximum speeds near 60 kilometres per hour
• During the men’s 50-kilometre race, the athletes will climb approximately 2,000 vertical metres (more than twice the vertical of the men’s alpine downhill course at Whistler Creekside). The winning time for this race is expected to be approximately 2 hours, with an average speed of almost 25 kilometres per hour
• Sustainability initiatives include an on-site waste water treatment plant to use leading technology (tertiary membrane filtration and ultraviolet disinfection) for high-quality discharge to local surface water. During Games-time, as with other outdoor venues, temporary wastewater collection infrastructure will be in place to accommodate high user numbers.

Contact

VANOC Communications
mediarelations@vancouver2010.com