Vancouver Hopes for White Olympics, Naturally or Not

Continued warm weather in Vancouver, which will host the Winter Olympics in less than a month, has led to a massive snowmaking effort and a bit of anxiety. Cypress Mountain, one of four outdoor venues used in the Games, has been closed early to “protect the integrity of the snowboarding and freestyle skiing courses,” and 21 million gallons of water have already been converted into mounds of stockpiled snow.

Though rain abounds, Cypress has also gotten some help from nature, reports the Seattle Times. Up to two feet of snow fell on the mountain before the weekend, and it’s being jealously hoarded by what the Vancouver Organizing Committee touts as the “best ice meisters and snow makers in the business.” As for a forecast for next month? “It's a coin toss,” the chief meteorologist says. Could you be more specific? “A lot of things can happen.”
(More 2010 Vancouver Olympics stories.)