2010 Vancouver Olympic & Paralympic Super-Thread

[Spork]

The general public seems to have a problem understanding investment. How much will we get in increased citizen morale, jobs, and business opportunities as a result of the games? Some may say none, others may say enough to generate a return. Only time will tell, but even then, this sort of thing is terribly difficult to measure.

[MistyMountainHop]

Originally Posted by jlousa

This is a skyscraper forum people, let's keep it on topic. All that money could've been used to clearcut Stanley Park, and we could've used the wood to construct a 1km Burj Vancouver completely out of wood.

Why don't we just genetic engineer a tree that could grow to be a kilometre tall?

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by Spork

The general public seems to have a problem understanding investment. How much will we get in increased citizen morale, jobs, and business opportunities as a result of the games? Some may say none, others may say enough to generate a return. Only time will tell, but even then, this sort of thing is terribly difficult to measure.

It doesn't help that the general public has been woefully (and willingly!) misinformed by the media. They think the taxpayer is on the hook for $6 billion and that there will be no snow anywhere

[SpongeG]

now intrawest wants $90 million from vanoc before the games begins for lost revenue due to the games being in whistler

[johnjimbc]

Here's the article about the Intrawest weirdness . . . http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2010/02/01/nypost-report-fortress-intrwest.html.

It's kind of a fuzzy report at best . . . starting with the fact that VANOC is not the federal government. I'm assuming Intrawest knows that . At any rate, Intrawest just sounds like a shady dealer all around. It might be a good thing for the resort if Whistler is purchased by a more legitimate entity.

[mr.x]

Reports are coming in that VANOC is now trucking in "quality" snow from 2 hours away. They have 150 dump trucks of snow coming in for further precautions.

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by SpongeG

now intrawest wants $90 million from vanoc before the games begins for lost revenue due to the games being in whistler

I really wonder how much of a GOLD MINE Whistler must be if they lose $90 million in a little over a month.

Either way, this was an already agreed upon sum. They just want it *now* instead of after to get the banks to stop calling them about that foreclosure deal.

They're getting sick of having to pretend to not be home when a 1-866 number calls

[touraccuracy]

isn't 90% of whistler still open for paying skiers and boarders?

[jsbertram]

Originally Posted by touraccuracy

isn't 90% of whistler still open for paying skiers and boarders?

True.
However you can't stay overnight because all the hotels are full with Olympic people. Unless you know someone with a condo there, but they've probably rented it out for $10,000 per week - so you're outta luck.
And you can't drive your private vehicle on Sea to Sky without a vehicle pass.
And if you did manage to drive up, there are no public parking lots available since they are taken over by official Olympic vehicles.
With the clog of official Olympic vehicles using the highway, add 2 hours to your trip (each direction)

Otherwise no problems.

Or go to Revelstoke, Banff, Jasper, Kimberly ...

[nova9]

Vancitybuzz has put up their Free Olympic Activities page, it's more like a hub with links based on type of pavilion or activity. I find it more accessible than the long lists put out previously by other sites. Here's the link: Vancitybuzz blog's 2010 Olympic Guide!

Anyway, the globe and mail also has an article talking about the blooming blossoms instead of snow. I think that would be a nice compromise. I've always said how much I think our city rules when the trees are blossoming. Other cities make it a big deal to have cherry blossoms in a park or garden, we have them in our streets.

[johnjimbc]

Originally Posted by mr.x

Reports are coming in that VANOC is now trucking in "quality" snow from 2 hours away. They have 150 dump trucks of snow coming in for further precautions.

Are you talking about Cypress or Whistler (or both)? I know there seems to be plenty of snow at Whistler, but is the quality there a concern as well?

Also, as an aside, Cypress is reporting 18 cm of snow in the past 24 hours, though with temperatures hovering at or just below freezing, it's probably a wet snow. Still, I'm sure they'll take it .

Note: I'm not trying to sound alarming . . . plenty of that to go around already . There may well not be any concerns about Whistler conditions. But I'm curious about the details of the report you saw.

[mr.x]

^ it's for Cypress.

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2010/02/02/spo-cypress-weather-olympics.html

[johnjimbc]

Thanks, Mr X. I had just stumbled upon the story myself and was gonna post it. Thanks.

[mr.x]

^ i just noticed the url is cbc.ca/olympics, which for the past few Olympics was CBC's url for their Olympic coverage. It must quite hurt for them.

[Yume-sama]

Olympic venue lineups to be HOURS long:

Fans attending Olympic events can expect to wait up to four hours to get into venues because of stringent security screening, Games organizers said Monday.

VANOC staged a mock lineup at Vancouver's Pacific Coliseum — the site of figure skating and short track speed-skating events — to demonstrate the security process and remind the public about banned objects and substances.

Security will be at the level of other recent Olympics, according to Jan Damnavits, VANOC's director of venue management.

"This is exactly the same process as in Torino, in Salt Lake, in Beijing," Damnavits said. "We're alerting the public they will have to do this so it's not a surprise when they arrive."
Like boarding a flight

Anyone who has gone through security before boarding a commercial flight will know what to expect.

People will be asked to empty their pockets. Bags will have to be placed on a conveyor belt and X-rayed. Ticket-holders will then walk through a metal-detection gate and possibly be scanned with a hand-held metal detector.

Items that will be seized include:

* Food and beverages, although sealed plastic water bottles will be allowed into Whistler venues.
* Large bags or coolers.
* Sports items such as balls and pucks.
* Signs with religious, political or obscene messages.
* Large umbrellas, although compact umbrellas will be allowed.

Attendees also will not be allowed to leave or re-enter a venue.

People have been advised to arrive at least two hours prior to events in Metro Vancouver, three hours in advance for Whistler venues and at least four hours before the opening and closing ceremonies.

Secret measures

The botched terrorist attack aboard a U.S.-bound passenger jet in December continues to resonate with police who will be working at the Games.

"What happened Christmas Day certainly caught our attention, as it should," said RCMP Sgt. Michael Cote. He hinted that some security measures were not on display Monday.

"[They're] not the only detection systems we have and I'm going to leave it at that," Cote said. "As I speak to you today, [however], there's no threat, no specific threat against the 2010 Olympics."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbi...ic-security-screening.html#ixzz0ePEZp0Yn

The terrorists have won

[djmk]

Originally Posted by mr.x

^ it's for Cypress.

http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/story/2010/02/02/spo-cypress-weather-olympics.html

yes, but what the story misses, is that this snow is actually for snow cones and not for actually skiing.

i usually find that 6C in the city is good enough for snow on cypress at the base. over the next week, i think "they" are expecting day time highs about 8C in the city, meaning night time should be cold enough to snow on cypress (artificially or otherwise). As long as there are no monsoons, it should be fine.

[WBC]

Originally Posted by Yume-sama

Olympic venue lineups to be HOURS long:


http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbi...ic-security-screening.html#ixzz0ePEZp0Yn

The terrorists have won

I thought that they have won a long time ago - when they made us take our shoes off and limit the size of tooth paste we can cary. Damn you jumbo tooth paste haters!!!

[Yume-sama]

Originally Posted by WBC

I thought that they have won a long time ago - when they made us take our shoes off and limit the size of tooth paste we can cary. Damn you jumbo tooth paste haters!!!

I still refuse to believe that's not a Johnson & Johnson conspiracy to make everybody buy travel sized versions of their products, too

[204]

Originally Posted by 204

These new signs are very well done! But am I missing something here or are the arrows not pointing in the right directions? Downtown should be left and the West End is straight ahead, etc... This was taken facing west on Davie Street at Hornby.



This one was in the opposite direction. Facing east and Yaletown:

Originally Posted by CPE

lol, they just had a short segment on global talking about the sign pointing in all the wrong directions.

And I guarantee it will take quite some time to get corrected.

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by 204

And I guarantee it will take quite some time to get corrected.

Corrected on February 28.