2010 WINTER OLYMPICS - WHISTLER

We attended another event at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics on Saturday this time the Two Man Bobsleigh Qualifications at the Whistler Sliding Centre and once again it was a big trek.


We left our hotel at Harrison Hot Springs just before eleven am for a 90 minute drive to the bus pick up point. The traffic was heavy but manageable. This was a different pick up point to the one we took on Thursday to watch the half-pipe and the thing that was surprising was that there wasn’t one sign to help with direction…strange for an Olympic event.

Once we arrived there were lots of volunteers on hand to guide us to the bus which was from Los Angeles. I can only imagine how much it has cost to gather all of these busses from across Canada and the USA.


The trip to Whistler took almost two hours and the scenery was simply stunning. High snow-capped mountains, blue lakes and green pines bordered both sides of the road. Traffic is restricted to Whistler for the duration of the games so the road was relatively clear.


Once we arrived at Whistler we were offered several methods of getting to the Sliding Centre and we chose a walk and gondola ride. We walked to the centre of Whistler and the place was humming. It is still operating as a ski centre for the duration of the games and there were skiers everywhere and they mingled with Olympic revelers and visitors from around the world. Music blared, the café’s and restaurants were overflowing and big TV screens screened the latest Olympic events.

We hopped on a gondola and rode to the Sliding Centre where the crowds weren’t as big as our previous Olympic visit a few days before so we didn’t have to spend too much time in line for security. Once through we made our way to the grandstand which gave us a view of the last bend before the finish line.

There were 27 teams for the two man bobsleigh and they would make two runs on the Saturday night and two on Sunday. The track is 1400 meters in length and is the same track where the Georgian luge rider lost his life the day before the Olympics started. On this track the bobsleigh reaches speeds in excess of 140kph.


The problem with the bobsleigh is that you can only see 100 meters or so of track and the bobsleigh moves so fast that it is but a blur. You hear the bobsleigh coming, it flashes into view and then whoosh it’s gone. You then have to watch on the big screen to get the timings and results.


It was becoming a little boring after 21 competitors without incident and then the Italian team tipped over on a bend and the crowd perked up. A couple of runs later the UK team did the same thing and the brakeman fell out of the back and slid more than 100 meters on his back. A huge cheer went up from the crowd when he got up and waved to them.

To top that off the second Australian team crashed early on the run and slid almost the entire course upside down. It was excruciating watching it and many in the crowd turned away as the big screen showed the battering the riders were taking. Once again a huge cheer went up from the crowd when both emerged from the bobsleigh unscathed.
Even with all this new excitement the cold was starting to win and we decided to head for home a third of the way into the second qualifying run to beat the cold and the departing crowd.


I could not say that I particularly enjoyed watching bobsleigh as a sport because you see so little it is over in a flash. It is a little like motor racing where the excitement lay in the crashes.

But it was the Olympics and the atmosphere was great as was the venue so it was an experience well worth it.