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Sports
Les Wiseman
December 2009
Movie Entertainment
Better pack long johns and a rubber doughnut cushion if you are heading to Whistler for the Nordic sports events, because not even the sight of rifle-toting hordes swooping down will raise your temperature enough to make you forget that these events are held in open-air stadiums. In February. In Whistler. At high altitude.
The Whistler Olympic Park is located in the Callaghan Valley, about 14 kilometres from Whistler village. Its central hub includes three stadiums: one each for biathlon, cross-country skiing and ski-jumping in an area about one square kilometre. Each stadium holds 12,000 spectators.
Surrounding this hub are 15 kilometres of competition trails and 40 more allocated for recreational use after the Games. The competition trails are a minimum of six metres wide and have varying vertical gains. For instance, the four-km biathlon track has a total climb of 137 metres.
The biathlon stadium has a shooting range with 30 positions and 50-metre lanes. An electronic target system allows spectators to follow each hit, or miss, and each competitor’s time. The start and finish areas are on level ground and in sight of most spectators. The penalty loop and broadcast centre are also in the stadium.
The price on the venue rang in at $119.7 million, jointly picked up by the provincial and federal governments. The Paralympic Winter Games will use the facilities from March 12 to 21 for all Nordic events, including a 3.75-km sit-ski competition.
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