Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

2010 Winter Olympics Feel a Chill in One Host Town

Construction hassles, dim future depress Whistler residents

By Harry Kimball, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 31, 2009 3:44 PM CDT

(Newser) – Whistler Village, Canada, celebrated when it learned it would host many events as part of the 2010 Winter Olympics in nearby Vancouver. But the honeymoon is pretty much over, the Seattle Times reports. Clogged roads, endless construction, and soon-to-be-closed schools have residents ruing the decision. And their ire doesn’t even address a terrifying possibility: all the inconvenience may not improve the lot of the struggling resort town.

“Business as usual has become business as unusual,” says Whistler’s mayor, who nevertheless remains an Olympic booster. Others aren’t so certain. “It's not like there's a big step up and you get a whole bunch more people coming in” after the Olympics, an expert says. “There's a pretty quick decay within several years.” Still, the mayor is confident. “This is going to be the defining moment in Whistler's history,” he says, quickly adding, “defining in the best sense of the word.”

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

Zina Kocher of Canada takes aim at the rifle range during a training session at the IBU Women's Biathlon World Cup at the Whistler Olympic Park in Whistler, British Columbia. (AP Photo)

Nadia Styger, of Switzerland, celebrates her first place win at the FIS Women's World Cup Downhill ski race in Whistler, B.C. (AP Photo)

Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee, talks with The Canadian Press in Vancouver, British Columbia. (AP Photo)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

There was a lot of early growth. It's leveled off. The question is, how do we take the resort to the next level? This is that opportunity to jump forward. This puts us on the world stage and gives that opportunity. - Dave Brownlie, Whistler Blackcomb CEO

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

37 US Medals Set Record, Canada Scores Most Gold

Epic hockey game ends with unprecedented haul for each country

(NEWSER) - The US and Canada each set Winter Olympic medal records yesterday, after a men’s hockey final that’s already being talked about as one of the greatest games of all time. Canada came away with 14 gold medals, the most any country has ever won in the winter games, while the US had the most overall medals with 37, also a record. More»

Team USA Gains Gold Medal Game

Americans will play for elusive medal on anniversary of Squaw Valley triumph

(AP) - The torment began almost immediately. The shot by Ryan Malone of the US into a wide-open net left Finland goalie Miikka Kiprusoff staring at the ceiling and shaking his head. What happened next in today's semifinal jolted Canada Hockey Place: The Americans scored four times on Kiprusoff in a six-goal first period, surging into the Olympic gold-medal game with a 6-1 rout of Finland. More»

Winter Games Logo More Obscure Than a Pile of Rocks

Inuit stone marker inukshuk now a popular lawn ornament

(NEWSER) - The answer to the head-scratching surrounding the Vancouver Olympics logo—“It looks like an alien,” says one spectator—is a head-scratching name: inukshuk. It means “something that substitutes for a person” in Inuit, and denotes a traditional marker built to mark camp sites or memorialize tragedy. It’s also the roundabout inspiration for Vancouver’s anthropomorphized version and a craze that’s sweeping Canada. More»

Deadly Luge Track Design Driven by Tourism

High-traffic location meant Whistler run had to be steep and narrow

(NEWSER) - The harrowing speed and difficult turns of the sliding track at the Vancouver Olympics that claimed a luger’s life last week are the result more of the bottom line than any premeditated design decision. Seeking to keep revenues up after the Games, officials located the track at tourist-friendly Whistler in the Canadian Rockies, instead of what could have been a more suitable location nearer the city. That meant designers had to shoehorn it into a steep, narrow valley. More»

Big Day Lies Ahead for USA Stars

Davis, White, Vonn, Ohno all competing tody

(NEWSER) - Today is the biggest day yet for American contenders at Vancouver 2010 and headliners hope to boost the country's already impressive medal haul. Speedskater Shani Davis is aiming for gold in the 1,000 meters and snowboarder Shaun White will compete in the halfpipe. Lindsey Vonn is skiiing in the downhill, and short track skater Apolo Anton Ohno, who claimed a silver medal Saturday, races in preliminary short track heats. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

2010 Winter Olympics Feel a Chill in One Host Town