Pre-Games Evacuation?

Where have all the skiers gone? 

Note the Emerald Express line-up, or lack of? 

The ski resort is very quiet this week!  

Around 2,000 skiers/riders on Whistler and about 3,000 on Blackcomb....

Lack of parking, fear of Olympic crowds...?

Oh well, I had great skiing on empty runs!

Olympic commuting

The Whistler public transport system is now operating at  "Olympic proportions".  On  February 1 the bus fleet went from around 35 to around 135.   We now have 24-hour service, and a bus passing by our home every 7 minutes from 5am to midnight. 

Bus drivers have been imported from all over and are just now learning their new routes, often taking a wrong turn or arriving several at a time at the same bus stop.  Hopefully they will find their way and enjoy their Olympic adventure!
 
Parking is going to be very limited this month but our volunteer accreditation gives us free, unlimited bus travel.  Hopefully many of us will develop better routines about using public transport rather than private vehicles.

Welcome to a new learning phase:  today my ride home from the ski hill involved three buses, rather than the usual one. For your entertainment....

1st  ~ I took the "village shuttle"  from the bus exchange at base of the mountain because our neighbourhood bus route has been changed for the Olympics and doesn't come to the main bus loop anymore.  Instead, my "Alpine" bus  now stops a fair distance away, further than I wanted to walk in (and wear down) my ski boots.  However, the "village shuttle" route has also changed for GamesTime so instead of a quick circuit around the village to my new bus stop, I enjoyed a long, scenic tour of the Benchlands before I got out at another "usual" stop on Lorimer Road.

2cd ~ I found out my "Alpine" bus route has been changed too and no longer passes by the "usual" stop on Lorimer Road.  To avoid a long walk to the new correct stop I jumped on a passing "Emerald" bus, which I knew would take me closer to home and a guaranteed Alpine  stop.   As it turns out the "Emerald" bus driver had taken a wrong turn (he is just learning his route) and should not have come by the stop where I was waiting.... His mistake was my gain. 

3rd ~ I got off the Emerald  bus at the Rec Centre just as the Alpine  bus pulled in, jumped on my 3rd bus and enjoyed the ride home!  

Getting tickets

Tickets are still available for many of the events at this kiosk by the Awards Presentation Plaza.

We have tickets for five of the local Awards Presentations, but not for any of the events.  Instead of "spectating", we will be fully occupied with our Olympic "volunteering".  

Al will be involved with Timing at the Alpine Ski venues every day, setting up timing connections prior to each race, then working with his manual timing team at the Finish line during races.

I will be involved with the Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS),  on the move between sport venues and inside areas which are restricted to public and spectators. 

We will both gain some interesting experiences as part of the team putting on the event, rather than as spectators.  However, we plan to use our tickets to evening events at the Awards Presentation Plaza, and enjoy entertainment in the village as we pass through each day.

Getting ready for the Olympic Games!

The Olympic Games volunteer accreditation process got underway this month.  As with everything Olympic, there is a strict process to follow.  After our initial volunteering to volunteer we each had to be confirmed by the VANOC team, and then confirm our confirmation.  We attended a volunteer orientation a year ago, then continued to confirm our commitments through the VANOC website.  A month prior to our first day on the job we then booked a time to complete the accreditation process and pick up our uniforms.

In Whistler the accreditation team has taken over the tennis club, turning the tennis courts into numerous spaces separated by blue curtains, and staffing it with dozens of smiling volunteers wearing Olympic blue uniforms. 

Here is the VANOC volunteer team jacket with my accreditation card which indicates all the restricted areas I can access during my work shifts. 

Soon a sea of this colour blue will be seen all over Whistler and Vancouver!

Farewell to the Festive Season!

After a most wonderful festive season it is time to clean up all the decorations and remove the sapin de Noel. 

This tree, which we found under the power lines,  was probably our best ever, and is still fresh-looking after being on display indoors for over a week. 

So, we moved it out to the deck where we continue to enjoy seeing it!

Epiphany Dinner

The most amazing Epiphany Dinner chez Brooks/Devine took place again this year. 

As usual, we spent the evening tasting an incredible variety of reserve wines! 

This photo just shows some of them.


As the evening progresses we feast on course after course after course delicious, creative and unique gourmet items, all lovingly created in the home kitchen.

To the right is my first course.  Did I select the correct wine to accompany it?

Sous-chef Charlotte generally arrives around noon to help prepare this feast, but the meal has already been in production for days. 

Here is sous-chef Charlotte with chef Don.  I think they are already plotting about how to impress us next year!

New Year starts with Slalom for Toria

Toria started 2010 at Val St Come in Quebec where she raced in NorAm slalom events. 

If you take West Jet during the month of January you will see this photo on the seat back! 

Welcome 2010!

Happy New Year! 

 

Here is our mountain view through frosted glass, an exiting way to start the new year. 

It's only month until the Olympic Games and we are enjoying great skiing on uncrowded runs.  Our holiday house guests have departed and we have a few weeks of quieter times before the Games get underway here in early February.  Now we are seeing more obvious preparations around the village, with temporary structures popping up in parking lots, more signage, and more traffic diversions.  There is also a heightened excitement in the air!