The 2010 Winter Olympic Games have come and gone, and now’s the time to get prepared, get informed, and get ready for another fantastic 10 days of world-class sporting and amazing festivities. The 2010 Paralympic Winter Games are coming to Whistler March 12 to 21.
To kick off the action, the Paralympic Torch Relay will come through Whistler on Monday (March 8). An exciting, free and family-focused community celebration will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. in Village Square, giving Whistlerites and visitors a glance at the excitement of Canada’s first Paralympic Winter Games.
So what do you need to know for March 12 to 21? The Canadian Paralympic Team will be approximately 55 athletes strong, and are aiming to achieve their best-ever result in a Paralympic Winter Games — a top-three finish. In Whistler, venue fence lines remain the same as for the Olympic Games, with the exception of the Whistler Sliding Centre, which is not a Paralympic venue. The Opening Ceremonies will be staged on Friday, March 12, at 6 p.m. at B.C. Place in Vancouver, and the Closing Ceremonies will be staged March 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Whistler Medals Plaza. Tickets for the Paralympic Winter Games range from $15 to $50 and are available at vancouver2010.com and the Whistler Ticket Centre.
Not to give away all of the exciting story lines, but key local athletes to keep our collective eyes on include Lindsay Debou, Matt Hallat and Morgan Perrin, all para-alpine skiers, as well as Tyler Mosher in para-Nordic (cross country).
More public parking became available according to the following schedule: On Monday (March 1), Day Lots 1, 2 and 3 (1,000 spaces) re-opened; and Creekside P2 now has 100 public spaces available nightly from 5 p.m. to midnight for commercial use (no day skier use). Note that the Driving Range Lot (500 spaces) and Whistler North (900 spaces) opened March 1 and remain as paid parking through March 21 (Driving Range Pricing: $20 for 12 hours; $10 after 4 p.m.; Whistler North Pricing: $10 for 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., including shuttle to lifts) and road crews began removing the Olympic lane markers on Highway 99 shortly after the Olympic Games ended on Sunday (Feb. 28).
Lot 6 (Base 2) re-opened on Wednsesday (March 3). Creekside P2 (partial), P3, P4 re-open March 22, and day skier Lots 4, 5 re-open March 27. After the Paralympic Winter Games are over, Lots 7, 8 (Base 2) re-open on March 30, Creekside (Remainder of P2) re-opens on April 6, and finally the Creekside surface lot and P1 open on April 22.
How about Whistler Live! and all the great entertainment we’ve all become dependent on for our daily fix of live beats? You’ll be able to cheer on the athletes during CTV sport broadcasts on a network of screens along the Village Stroll; be moved by Victory Ceremonies at Whistler Medals Plaza; take in daily après concerts, with three shows scheduled per day; enjoy film, photography and street theatre; and listen to DJs light up the nightly Fire and Ice Remix. Subscribe for updates at whistler2010.com/subscribe and follow us on facebook.com/rmowhistler.
