Vancouver 2010 Videos

Located on the Western edge of Canada, Vancouver is a vibrant city, with a metro area population of over 2 million people. Over the years, Vancouver changed from a logging and railroad city to a bustling metropolis. Vancouver consistently ranks among "the most livable cities" in the world.

The event venues will be spread all over Vancouver and over to Whistler B.C. Snowboarding will be held at Cypress Mountain in West Vancouver. Snowboarding was introduced at the 1998 Winter Games in Nagano. The snowboard cross event was added to slalom and halfpipe at the 2006 Torino Games. In halfpipe one snowboarder at a time competes and is judged on his height and tricks. Snowboarding Giant Slalom is like skiing slalom as two racers go side by side down a course through gates. The winner advances to the next round. Four snowboarders at a time race in Cross, down a twisty course with ramps and the top two finishers advance.

Top snowboarders to watch include Giant Simmen of Switzerland, Karine Ruby of France, and of course Shaun White of the United States, who is the most recognizable snowboarder in the world.

Skiing will be a hot ticket at Vancouver. The events will be held over at Whistler at one of the top skiing venues in the world. The world's best will compete in Downhill, Super-G, Slalom, Giant Slalom and Combined. The competition will be first class with the favourites being the Austrians, Americans and the Swedes. Injuries always play a role in skiing, and this Olympics is no exception. Many of the top participants are recovering from injuries, so their status is still up in the air, but most will give it a shot. The host country of Canada is also expected to field a competitive team, so look out for the Canadians. This year skiing actually celebrates its 150th birthday, so look for some world records and upsets on the slopes.

Most of all, enjoy this year’s Games, there will be some tears and lots of celebrating. I can't wait for those magical two weeks in February.