Pre-Olympic events draw nations to B.C.
photo from http://www.flickr.com/photos/sun-peaks
To coin a phrase, the Russians are coming, the Russians are coming.
So, too, though are the Austrians and the Swedes, the Italians, the French, the Germans and the Americans. And they’re armed with skis – for alpine and cross-country racing, aerials and moguls – snowboards, biathlon rifles and sit skis.
With a slew of World Cup or other international pre-Olympic and pre-Paralympic test events scheduled for Cypress and Whistler mountains and the Callaghan Valley this winter, several countries are preparing to set up their national teams for pre-event training at B.C. resorts, which they’ll also use in 2010.
The Russian moguls team is looking at Apex Mountain near Penticton or Whistler-Blackcomb for a two-week training period in mid-January. Norway’s cross-country team has a deal to train at the Sovereign Lake facility at Silver Star in Vernon.
And Sweden, Germany, France and the U.S. will all be sending various winter sport teams to Mount Washington on Vancouver Island, where an upgraded trail system and a new automated biathlon target range was instrumental in luring national teams.
“It’s been an extremely successful initiative, particularly in biathlon,” said Joe Bajan, president of the Vancouver Island Biathlon Association, of the courting of countries by the Comox Valley. “The snow conditions will be similar [to the Olympic venue in the Callaghan Valley], crystal snow for the nordic events. And it’s an almost identical elevation.”
The one-step-ahead-of-the-rest Austrian alpine team is already at its home-away-from-Schladming, settling into Sun Peaks Resort near Kamloops this week for a fourth consecutive year of pre-World Cup training.
While teams from Slovenia, Switzerland and Germany were bumping Heads – and Rossignols and Fischers – with Alpine Canada skiers for space on crowded runs at Nakiska in Alberta, the Austrians are enjoying international exclusivity at Sun Peaks.
With 2010 in mind, the Austrian Ski Federation signed a five-year deal with the resort in 2005 to use a section of the resort’s expansive terrain before the North American start of the World Cup season and then immediately before the Olympic competiton on Whistler.
In return for the exclusivity, the Austrians financed new snow-making equipment to be used on the runs they train on. In 2006, a short chair lift was added.
“The facilities are just fantastic,” Walter Dellekarth, a spokesman for the Austrian team, said Wednesday from Sun Peaks. “We really feel privileged to be able to ski here and work out here. It’s become a tough business alpine skiing. Everybody is looking to do their own stuff and not let others see too much.”
Nancy Greene Raine, Sun Peaks’ director of skiing, said the Austrians have been “wonderful to work with. It’s been a great experience getting to know them. And they’re fantastic ambassadors for their country.”
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