Venues
Snowboard & Ski Cross Stadium
Last Updated: Wednesday, January 13, 2010 | 6:13 PM ET
New York Times, for CBC Sports
The ski cross and halfpipe courses at Cypress Mountain are seen here in Whistler, British Columbia. Cypress Mountain is a competition venue that will host freestyle skiing and snowboarding events during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. (Kim Stallknecht/Getty Images)The snowboarding and ski cross events at the Vancouver games will be held in a temporary stadium constructed at Cypress Mountain, one of British Columbia’s most popular ski areas and a 30-minute drive from downtown Vancouver.
It will host all three snowboarding events (halfpipe, parallel giant slalom and snowboardcross) and the ski cross freestyle skiing event. The venue will hold roughly 8,000 spectators for the halfpipe competition and 12,000 spectators for the others.
The snowboardcross and ski cross will take place on a 1,135-meter (about 3,724 feet) course, using the same finish line as the snowboarding parallel giant slalom. The 22-foot halfpipe, the largest ever for the Olympics, is built next to the finish line.
After each competition, medalists will be taken to downtown Vancouver for the nightly ceremonies.
Cypress Mountain was chosen partly because of its postcard views of Vancouver and English Bay, sure to be a constant backdrop for the televised events. But its coastal location on what is called Vancouver’s North Shore and its relatively low elevation have led to concerns that conditions could be less than optimal.
