10 Ways to Relive British Columbia's Olympics
Has it been eight years already? It seems like only yesterday when the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games swooped into British Columbia with a swirl of enthusiasm, excitement, and pride that swept across the country.
To celebrate the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games in February 2018, here are 10 fun ways to relive the 2010 Winter Games experience in Vancouver, Whistler, and Richmond:
- Spend a day skiing or snowboarding with an Olympian perhaps even a medallist, following in their tracks down Whistler Blackcomb runs, learning expert techniques, and hearing their stories of success. Priced from £578 per person. Visit: www.whistlerblackcomb.com for more information and to book.
- Brace for a dose of adrenaline at the Whistler Sliding Centre as you hop into a passenger bobsleigh or give skeleton a go. Guests can ride down part of the 1,450 metre-long (4,757 foot-long) ice track, the world’s fastest. Activities are each priced from £105 per person with a 25% discount available for individuals who book both bobsleigh and skeleton. Visit: www.whistlersportlegacies.com for more information and to book.
- Ski fast and shoot straight to test your biathlon multi-tasking skills of cross-country skiing and marksmanship—there are even biathlon classes priced from £49 per person for beginners at Whistler Olympic Park. Or simply enjoy cross-country skiing on nearly 90 kilometres (56 miles) of trails from £15 per person. Visit: www.whistlersportslegacies.com for more information and to book.
- Whistler Olympic Park is renowned for its range of youth programs that introduce kids to Nordic winter sports like cross-country skiing, biathlon, and even ski jumping. Visit: www.whistlersportslegacies.com for more information and to book.
- The Four Seasons Whistler’s SIDECUT Modern Steak + Bar is bringing back its popular 2010 "Torch Cocktail" to celebrate the 2018 Winter Games, but with a twist. It will be included in a trio of torch drinks including the absinthe cocktail launched for the Sochi 2014 Winter Games in Russia and a new creation to celebrate the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Winter Games. Visit: www.sidecutwhistler.com for more information.
- Stay at the Whistler Athletes’ Centre, constructed for the Olympic and Paralympic athletes and officials. These days it offers affordable, hostel-style accommodation for groups and features a high-performance training centre and fitness classes. Double rooms are priced from £68 per night, room only. Visit: www.whistlersportslegacies.com for more information.
- Head to Cypress Mountain, Vancouver’s largest downhill resort. Cypress hosted all the freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions—moguls, aerials, ski cross, half-pipe, snowboard cross, slopestyle, and giant parallel slalom—and is open for day, night, and cross-country skiing. Visit: www.cypressmountain.com for more information.
- Explore Richmond’s Olympic Oval which hosted medal events in long track speed skating. Their Richmond Olympic Experience includes state-of-the-art Olympic sport simulators priced from £12 per person, so you can feel the rush of flying off a ski jump, paddling a white-water kayak course, carving a line in a sit-ski, or zipping along a bobsleigh track. Visit: www.richmondoval.ca for more information.
- Located in waterfront False Creek near downtown Vancouver, the Olympic Village initially housed athletes and Olympic officials. It’s now one of the world’s greenest communities and an increasingly trendy neighbourhood where a foodie walking tour was recently launched with Off The Eaten Track, priced from £46 per person including all food & beverage tastings and tour guide service. Visit: www.offtheeatentracktours.ca to book.
- The BC Sports Hall of Fame’s in BC Place Stadium—site of the Olympic opening and closing ceremonies—features the Vancouver 2010 Gallery with artefacts representing the nations who competed. Relive the excitement by standing on a real medal ceremonies podium and striking a medal-winning pose! Visit: www.bcsportsfalloffame.com and www.bcplace.com for more information.