New 2010 Map!

In order to help you to find what you want to find we've created a new Google Map that lists all of the competition venues, celebration sites, media centres, athletes' villages, and more!

We're going to be added many more "Olympic Locations" to the map as time goes on so check back often.

View the map here.

More Ticket Info from VANOC

VANOC has released more information about the Olympic Experience Packages (OEPs) discussed in this previous post.

For an in-depth article please visit our free forum. (No registration required for viewing)

Some example OEPs:

City packages: (25 in total)
City OEP1: $1,032
Feb. 12, Opening ceremony.
Feb. 13, Women's hockey preliminary.
Feb. 14, Speed skating, 3,000 metre final.
Feb. 14, Vancouver victory ceremony at BC Place Stadium.

City OEP2: $457
Feb. 13, Short-track speed skating, women's 500 metre qualification, women's 3,000 metre relay qualification, men's 1,500 metre qualification/ final.
Feb. 14, Figure skating, pairs short program.
Feb. 15, Women's hockey preliminary.
Feb. 16. Vancouver victory ceremony at BC Place Stadium.

Whistler packages (eight in total)

Whistler OEP 2: $220
Feb. 12, Men's ski jumping.
Feb. 13, Men's alpine skiing, downhill.
Feb. 14, Men's luge singles final.

Mixed (City and Whistler events) packages (17 in total)
Mixed OEP 1: $750
Feb. 12, Opening ceremony.
Feb. 13, Women's freestyle skiing, qualification and final.
Feb. 14, Men's Nordic combined event.
Mixed OEP 2: $850
Feb. 12, Opening Ceremony.
Feb. 13, Biathlon, women's 7.5 k sprint.
Feb. 14, Women's hockey preliminary.

Local packages, eight in total (five city and three Whistler-specific), which package four to six events spread over weekends and evenings.

Local City OEP 1: $1,267
Feb. 12, Opening ceremony.
Feb. 17, Men's preliminary hockey.
Feb. 18, Women's snowboarding, halfpipe qualification/ semifinal/ final.
Feb. 18, Vancouver victory ceremony at BC Place Stadium.
Feb. 20, Women's curling qualification.
Feb. 20, Women's hockey semifinal.

Local City OEP2: $352
Feb. 13, Women's freestyle skiing, moguls qualifications and final.
Feb. 17, Men's hockey preliminary.
Feb. 19, Vancouver victory ceremony at BC Place Stadium.
Feb. 20, Men's curling qualification.
Feb. 24, short-track speed skating, women's 1,000-metre qualification, men's 500-metre qualification and women's 3,000 metre relay final.

Local Whistler OEP 1: $335
Feb. 13, Men's ski jumping, normal hill individual final.
Feb. 17, Men's luge doubles, runs 1 and 2 final.
Feb. 20, Cross-country skiing, men's 15 + 15 k pursuit.
Feb. 21, Alpine skiing, men's giant slalom, qualification/ final.
Feb. 26, Biathlon, men's 4 x 7.5 k relay.
Feb. 27, Bobsleigh, men's four-man runs 1 and 4 final.

Visit here for more examples.

Crash at My Place for 2010

With some 300,000 visitors expected for Vancouver 2010 and only 75,000 hotel rooms alternative accommodation is required. This necessity is leading many to consider renting out their own places during the Olympics and planning to get themselves out of town for the month of February 2010.

Because of the situation people will have to look for and offer accommodation on alternative websites like Winter2010Rentals.com where they can find out information on venues, areas they might want to rent in, and of course best practices for both renters and landlords.

To post your FREE rental listing or wanted ad visit Forum.Winter2010Rentals.com.

Prices vary greatly depending on location, features, size, etc.. But many places are priced at approximately $500 per bedroom per night. This price/bedroom ratio goes up for both the smallest and largest of available places.

More from The Globe and Mail.

Major Sea to Sky Rock Slide

Fortunately it appears that there have been no injuries in what is one of the most significant rock slides to hit the Sea to Sky Highway in more than 10 years. Tuesday evening around 11:20pm approximately 16,000 cubic metres of rock broke free of the cliff side and crashed on to a section of the highway and the neighbouring rail line.

A bus was travelling by the site as the rocks tumbled down. The bus driver heard and saw the rocks starting to come down and sped up as much as possible. The bus managed to escape without injury to its' passengers although the bus lost most of its windows and received punctures to the vehicles shell.

Initial reports claimed the highway would be shut until mid- morning on Wednesday but further investigation moved that estimation to a couple of days. The most recent estimation of the clean-up period is up to 5-days rendering the road completely shut right through the BC Day long weekend.

This will undoubtedly affect countless tourists in addition to the businesses that are supported by them and raises questions regarding contingency plans during the 2010 Whistler portion of the Olympic Games.

Fortunately during the 2010 Games the athletes will be housed in Whistler but if a slide a other major disaster occurs spectators will be largely out of luck. The vehicular alternative to the Sea to Sky highway is reportedly nearly an 8 hour detour. Planes do fly into Pemberton (30 minutes north of Whistler) and Boats can travel right up to Squamish.

Bottom line... stay near events you plan to spectate and keep your fingers crossed that the Achilles heel of the Vancouver Whistler 2010 Olympic bid does not come back to haunt them.

More from the Globe and Mail.

Sea to Sky Highway Updates or BC Highways.

Photo Credit : Rowan Palmer

West Van becomes Official Host Venue City...

...thanks to 6 generous local families who were asked to help the city come up with the minimum financial contribution needed to be officially recognized by VANOC.

The group of six donated $1M to the City of West Vancouver who in turn are passing it on to VANOC to gain their official status. The families will not be receiving anything more than a tax-receipt, which in their postal code is highly coveted, for their generous donations.

The City of West Vancouver has acknowledged their high civic tax burden through this and decided some time ago that they would not pay out of the city coffers for the Olympics.

The money donated will probably be partly returned to the city as a part of the Cultural Olympiad festivities that will take place in West Vancouver.

The city is already home to the Freestyle Skiing & Snowboarding events up on Cypress Mountain.

More from the Vancouver Sun.

VANOC Wants YOU!

There's no denying that ticket prices to the highly sought after Olympic events will be hard to come by and some may be quite expensive. An alternative that may get you into the odd event is to volunteer for VANOC. They're looking for a few good men and women.

So you didn’t quite make it as an athlete, but you’re as passionate as ever to leave your mark. This is your ticket to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.

By getting involved as a volunteer, you could be joining a team of 25,000 who’ll be welcoming the world to Canada. We’re looking for a team that shares our values of excellence, teamwork, creativity, sustainability and trust. If these words speak to you, read on. We’d love to tell you more about what it takes to join our team.

From Vancouver2010.com:

• We're looking for volunteers who are available before, during and after the 2010 Winter Games. We encourage everyone to apply, but please keep in mind that the more time and flexibility you have, the more opportunities there may be for you to get involved.
• With an expected 25,000 volunteers, accommodation is an important consideration. Although pre-arranged accommodation is not a pre-requisite, we would strongly recommend it.
• You must be 19 years old on or before September 1, 2008 to apply for a volunteer role.
• We’ll be using electronic communication (such as the volunteer website and e-mail) to pass along important information. You’ll need a valid e-mail address and access to the internet to access this information. If you don’t have an e-mail address or access to the internet, view our Frequently Asked Questions for suggestions on your options.
• Your computer must be Javascript enabled. For instructions on how to do this, visit the Technical Help section of our Frequently Asked Questions.
• You must complete and pass an RCMP background check, as well as any other relevant security clearances to be considered for a volunteer role.
• There are many areas of the Games that need your help. Check out our list of Functions for a closer look at our departments.
• We’re also looking for Sport Event volunteers. Sport Events are major national or international events, such as World Cups or World Championships that will take place locally in 2008 and early 2009. VANOC will be testing operations at these events. Each sport discipline will be tested at least once leading up to the Games, so there are many chances for you to get involved. You’ll be asked if you’re interested in volunteering for Sport Events on the volunteer application form. Don’t forget to click ‘Yes.’

Ready to fill out and submit an application as a part of your Olympic Legacy? Click Here.

News : Game Plan 2008

With the games fast approaching, only 611 days away at time of entering this blog, VANOC will be hosting a series of informational sessions called Game Plan 2008 to help give persons living and working in and around Games Venues a more clear idea of how their lives will be affected.

“Citizens living and working near a Games venue have a unique opportunity to be at the heart of the Olympic and Paralympic experience,” said Terry Wright, VANOC executive vice president of services and Games operations. “Game Plan 2008 offers the community an overview of current Games planning and a first look at how Games venues will operate before, during and after 2010. We look forward to beginning the process of providing those who live, work and play near the venues with the information and tools they need to have an exciting and memorable 2010 Winter Games experience.”

The first Game Plan 2008 presentation will be held in Whistler on June 17th. The first half of the meeting will focus on Whistler venues, transportation, public safety, security and municipal operations. The second half of the meeting will provide an opportunity for community members to speak directly with venue specialists and other planning teams as well as view more detailed information displays.

A session will be in Richmond on June 18th and several more will be held in Vancouver throughout June and July.

Whistler - Maurice Young Millennium Place - June 17th - 5pm
Richmond - Richmond City Hall - June 18th - 6:30pm
Vancouver - TBA

Further Game Plan sessions will be held throughout 2009 and leading up to the games in 2010.