Where to Ski And Snowboard - Vancouver closes Olympic venue

Vancouver closes Olympic venue

15th January 2010, by Chris Gill

Unseasonably warm weather forced the closure of one of the Winter Olympic venues this week, through lack of snow.

Cypress Mountain near Vancouver is scheduled to host some of the snowboarding and ski events of the games, including the freestyle, ski cross and mogul competitions. But the region has suffered a long spell of mild weather – the latest rainfalls have thawed up to a metre of snow, say local reports.

The ski area would be closed to the public anyway ahead of the games, but Vancouver’s Olympic committee chose to shut facilities almost three weeks early in an attempt to preserve the remaining snow cover.

According to Canadian newspapers, the Vancouver region has seen temperatures double the normal average figures. Further inland, Whistler has plenty of good snow cover following the huge early season dumps – though it too has received rainfall this week.