The Cypress Mountain freestyle aerials course, built for the 2010 Winter Olympics. (ATR/B.Mackin)(ATR) The first world cup test event at a Vancouver 2010 venue was disrupted by drizzle, slush, fog -- and even a snowstorm.
The Feb. 9-10 Freestyle International Ski Federation World Cup at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver included only an aerials competition. Men’s and women’s moguls were canceled. Aerials medals were awarded based on qualifying results.
“If we would’ve had the event last week it would’ve been epic,” said men’s winner Steve Omischl of Canada.
“What are you going to do? This place experiences weather more than any place else that we compete on,” he says.
Cypress Mountain is the closest 2010 snow venue to the Pacific Ocean, which can be a blessing for the priceless view on a crystal clear day and a curse when it is cloudy, as it was over the weekend. Volunteers shovel slush away from the public spectators' area during day one of the freestyle event. (ATR/B.Mackin)
Each year, Cypress Mountain experiences 10 days of rain during the February Games period, according to the Vancouver bid book. In 2010, Olympic moguls are planned for Feb. 13-14 and aerials on Feb. 20, 22, and 24-25. Ski cross is Feb. 21 and 23. Cypress also hosts snowboarding Feb. 15-18 and 26-27.
Insufficient floodlights limited the world cup events to daylight hours. Freestyle events in 2010 are planned for the evening, when lighting will be in place.
VANOC spent $16.6 million on the bumps and jumps courses.
Cypress Mountain is 31 kilometers from the Vancouver Olympic Village, the greatest distance in the city cluster. During the world cup weekend, a motorcoach trip to the venue was 26 minutes from the Park Royal Shopping Centre in West Vancouver, which is expected to be a park-and-ride hub. The village would be at least 10 more minutes via the Lions Gate Bridge and Stanley Park Causeway, both of which are expected to be part of the Olympic lane transport system.
Omischl, the defending world cup champion, wants to find accommodation closer to the mountain during the competition. Australian silver medalist Lydia Lassila celebrates the end of the women's aerials Sunday with winner Jacqui Cooper of Australia and bronze winner Dai Shuangfei of China. (ATR/B.Mackin)
“If we can at all stay on that side of the city it would be a benefit to us,” Omischl said.
“It depends on how well they can control the traffic during the Olympics, but it definitely does play a factor into where we’d like to stay.”
Reigning women's moguls world champion Kristi Richards of Canada said the one-stop access to doctors and physiotherapists in the village could be more valuable than reducing travel time.
The start list for the freestyle weekend included 130 athletes from 17 countries.
Australian Jacqui Cooper, the reigning women’s world cup winner, beat countryman Lydia Lassila. China’s Dai Shuangfei was third. Omischl beat runner-up Dmitri Dashinski of Belarus and Canadian Warren Shouldice.
The next test event is the Feb. 19-24 FIS Alpine World Cup in Whistler.
Written by Bob Mackin in Vancouver
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