WOP opens tomorrow !

Athletes arrive tomorrow at Whistler Olympic Park...the first access to the race trails since last year. Only groomers have been making the rounds of both the red classic, and blue skate loops since October '09 - packing all the early snow, and tilling the wet additions since. Good news is that temperatures are dropping to -3 tonight. Dirk is already in bed (5pm) as his alarm is set for a mid-night awakening. The to-do list is long for the shift of four groomers tomorrow morning: recreational trails up to the Callaghan Backcountry, the race loops and the stadium need special attention... the Torch is coming through at 13:00. How and by whom is still a mystery...but, not to worry, we'll be there with our camera's.

I was able to get an early ski in this morning in downtown Whistler - the Lost Lake trails are part of the non-vehicle commuter system during the Olympics. This was a treat, as I was the first skier out this morning and enjoyed virgin tracks. At one time I was pleased to see another skier had joined me, when I realized I may be lost as I was only skiing backwards over my own tracks - yikes....loads of options out there !

I then headed up to Callaghan to help get the Course Marshal trailer set up for tomorrow's first marshal briefing and course controls. We're a small crew at the onset: 6 of us during these early days before the competitions begin. We're all very excited to be wearing our new uniforms - love the turquoise colour - that must be worn at all times during our shifts.