Wild Time in Whistler

From the day it was announced that the 2010 Olympic Winter Games were coming to Vancouver/Whistler, I knew I had to do whatever I could to be there. I opened a bank account and saved $20 a month. That, in the end, paid for one meal in Whistler Village last week. My husband and I arrived in Whistler on day 2 of the Olympics and stayed for a week- We hadn't purchased any event tickets before arriving, deciding to take our chances. We lucked out, and got tickets for mens luge (surprisingly fun to watch!), womens downhill and womens downhill combined. We also skied Whistler on the day of the mens downhill, which gave us an amazing view of the race. Each day was a new thrill, seeing world class athletes, people from all over the world draped in their national flags, shouting, cheering, medals ceremonies and concerts- it was a trip of a lifetime. Despite the fact that our Canadian athletes had not amassed the medal haul that was predicted before the start of the games, the mood in Whistler Village was nothing but upbeat. And huge kudos to the volunteers, who always had the biggest smiles, no job was too small for the people in the blue jackets who represented Canada so beautifully to the rest of the world. I am now back to watching the 'second half' of the Olympics from my couch. Not quite the same, but its not as hard on my vocal cords (or my wallet!) Go Canada Go!!


TSN's Michael Landesberg with Canadian alpine skier Britt Jenyk. Looks like rain?


Mens Luge, Whistler Sliding Centre. Above: Canadian luger Jeff Christie. Notice how the crowd is still looking to the left, while Jeff has slid past. Thats what happens when you travel 80 miles an hour!


Bedouin Soundclash performs in Whistler Village Square. The free concerts were amazing!


American skier Bode Miller races to his first bronze medal of the 2010 Olympics. Mens downhill tickets were impossible to find, so Rob and I bought 2 lift tickets, rented ski gear, and found a spot on the mountain where we could see a huge portion of the race. Thanks to the waiter at 'The Keg' Whistler for the awesome tip!


AkselLund Svindal shows his silver medal form for Norway


And all the way for gold- downhill's fastest racer picks up the top spot, this is Switzerland's Didier Defago


No medal for Canada's Manny Osborne Paradis - but it was fantastic to see him in the Olympics. One of our Canadian Cowboys!


View from the 'Peak to Peak' gondola, from Whistler to Blackcomb


Mounted Police were like rock stars in Whistler Village, with people clamoring for photos. Two gorgeous RCMP horses were also happy to pose


Olympi-Dog! Never mind OWNING the podium, he CHEWED the podium!


2010 Olympics: 10,000 media. 6,400 athletes. Left: Muchmusic's Sarah Taylor live from the base of Whistler Mountain


These guys took the chants of 'more cowbell' very seriously! World's largest cowbells, courtesy of Swiss fans! I can just imagine how easy it was to get those through airport security


Alpine downhill course, Whistler Creekside


Womens downhill in action


Sweden's Anja Paerson, one of several women who crashed on course (thankfully no one hurt)


Even Access Hollywood is here! Host Billy Bush with USA's Julie Mancuso, double silver medalist in womens downhill


I asked 'Ryan Seacrest' for a photo. Oooops. He pointed out that his name was Billy Bush. Luckily he was ok with it. Here's yours truly with Ryan Seacr- I mean, Billy Bush. Seriously, really nice guy. I turned purple from embarrassment


Womens slalom race


Former World Cup Ski champion Rob Boyd. Snapped this photo of him in the crowd at Whistler Creekside. He is now the coach of the Canadian Womens National Ski Team


Alt-country rocker Corb Lund performs in Whistler Village


This dog was waiting for his master to come out of the Irish pub. In order to take the picture, I had to go INSIDE the Irish pub. We stayed 2 hours