Whistler

125 km north of Vancouver lies Whistler, where many of the Olympic skiing events will take place. Whistler is a small, picturesque resort town known for some of the best ski slopes in North America.


Until a few years ago, the road from Vancouver to Whistler was a scenic (but terrifying) stretch of highway known as the "Sea to Sky Highway", but nicknamed the "Highway of Death." Drivers enjoyed beautiful views of British Columbia and the Pacific Ocean, but the narrow road ran along a steep cliff with no guardrail, and there were many fatalities. Fortunately, the road has been upgraded for the Olympics and it is now much safer!

Many young people (particularly from Europe and Australia) live and work in Whistler temporarily. If you love to ski or snowboard and would like to live in Canada for a few months or years, you could be one of them! All those young people and the 2 million tourists who visit Whistler every year give the town a fun, relaxed atmosphere, and there's always a party somewhere!

Vancouver

Let's talk about the city where it's all going to happen!


Vancouver is a beautiful coastal city with a population of about 600,000 (2 million in the metropolitan area). Other Canadians like to joke about how much it rains in Vancouver (it rains a lot in Vancouver), but the truth is we're just jealous that Vancouver has a more temperate climate than the rest of Canada :p.

Q: What do you call two straight days of rain in Vancouver?
A: A weekend.

Q: What does Daylight Saving Time mean in Vancouver?
A: An extra hour of rain.

Vancouver is a liberal city with a thriving arts scene. It's also a very multicultural city - 51% of Vancouverites belong to a visible minority group, and 52% of Vancouverites speak a first language other than English!

But Vancouver is not perfect, and the city has significant problems with homelessness, gangs, and drug use. In the years leading up to the Olympics, Vancouver officials worried about how these social problems would affect visitors' perceptions of the city.

Olympic Mascots

The three official mascots of the Vancouver Olympics are based on characters from Native American mythology.


Sumi is an animal-guardian spirit, Quatchi is a sasquatch, and Miga is a sea bear - part killer whale, part spirit bear.

Which mascot are you like? Post your quiz result in the comments section!

The Olympics Return to Canada!

For the first time since the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary (my hometown!), the Olympic Games are returning to Canada! On Friday, February 12, the 21st Winter Olympics will begin in Vancouver, and I, for one, can't wait!