The Strait of Georgia
On the Road to Whistler
The Mountains of B.C.
As we approached Whistler, we seemed to get closer to what we imagined winter would be like here in the Pacific Northwest. Arriving at this ski resort town, we finally see our first bit of snow on the ground!
Whistler Mountain Photo-Op
To reach the Whistler Sliding Centre, we then had to board the Excalibur Gondola. The gondola was the fourth different type of transportation we had taken to get to the venue.
Waiting for the Gondola
Excalibur Gondola Station
Josh Enjoying the Gondola Ride
Halfway up the mountain, we jumped off the gondola and trudged through the snow to the Whistler Sliding Centre.
Whistler Sliding Centre
As soon as we got through the security line, the rain began to come down. The rain then turned to freezing rain and sleet, and eventually a little bit of snow. But it didn't last long and by the start of the event at 1:00 p.m., the sun began to shine. A helpful volunteer told us that one of the best locations to view the luge was at curve 11, so we walked up the steep hill to get to this location.
Allison at Curve Eleven
Today's event is the 3rd and 4th runs (out of four runs) of the men's single luge. The Whistler Sliding Centre was built at a cost of more than $100 million. It is considered by many to be the fastest track in the world. In fact, a few days earlier, a Georgian luger was killed on this sliding track during a practice run. This was a somber reminder that the sport of luge can be quite dangerous as they come down the track at more than 90 mph.
The Start of the 3rd Run
At speeds in excess of 90 mph, you can imagine that it is quite difficult to photograph this event. Allison managed to get this shot of a luger on the track.
Luger on the Track
The crowd here at the Whistler Sliding Centre creates quite a bit of noise by ringing cow bells. They also dress in festive, nationalistic garb.
Not a Crazy Canadian
Show Your Canadian Spirit
Marie's First Tweet
There are 38 men vying for Gold, Silver and Bronze. The favorites are the Germans Felix Loche and David Mueller, and the two-time reigning defending gold medalist Armin Zoeggeler from Italy. For the third run, those in the lead come down the course first. At the end of the third run, there was a 30 minute break before the fourth run, which has the slowest sliders leading up to the final slider who has the best combined time for the previous three runs. We decide to walk up to the top of the course before the start of the fourth run, to see if we can get a better picture of the lugers.
Further Up the Mountain
Blue Luger
Red Luger
Don't Blink of You'll Miss the Luger Going By
For the final twenty sliders, we decided to walk back to the bottom of the course to be near the finish line. Here we can watch the lugers on the big screen television monitors and see them zip around the final curve. As we walked down the course, we had some fantastic views of the mountains.
The Mountains Overlooking Whistler
The Crowd Watching the Sliders
Show Your Belarus Spirit!
Video of the Gold Medal Run
The Final Standings
The Germans prevail! After four enjoyable hours at Luge, we head back down into Whistler Village to grab a quick bite at the Old Spaghetti Garden. We figured that since the last bus didn't depart back to Lonsdale Quay until two hours after the end of the event, we would have a chance to eat before the two hour bus ride. Our timing was impeccable, we got back to the bus depot with more than 15 minutes to spare, only to find out that the last bus only had two seats left on it. Instead, we had to take a bus back to a different location, the suburb of Burnaby, which was about 20 minutes east of where we were staying. Despite this unscheduled change of plans, we had a phenomenal day at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
Whistler Sliding Centre
As soon as we got through the security line, the rain began to come down. The rain then turned to freezing rain and sleet, and eventually a little bit of snow. But it didn't last long and by the start of the event at 1:00 p.m., the sun began to shine. A helpful volunteer told us that one of the best locations to view the luge was at curve 11, so we walked up the steep hill to get to this location.
Allison at Curve Eleven
Today's event is the 3rd and 4th runs (out of four runs) of the men's single luge. The Whistler Sliding Centre was built at a cost of more than $100 million. It is considered by many to be the fastest track in the world. In fact, a few days earlier, a Georgian luger was killed on this sliding track during a practice run. This was a somber reminder that the sport of luge can be quite dangerous as they come down the track at more than 90 mph.
The Start of the 3rd Run
At speeds in excess of 90 mph, you can imagine that it is quite difficult to photograph this event. Allison managed to get this shot of a luger on the track.
Luger on the Track
The crowd here at the Whistler Sliding Centre creates quite a bit of noise by ringing cow bells. They also dress in festive, nationalistic garb.
Not a Crazy Canadian
Show Your Canadian Spirit
Marie's First Tweet
There are 38 men vying for Gold, Silver and Bronze. The favorites are the Germans Felix Loche and David Mueller, and the two-time reigning defending gold medalist Armin Zoeggeler from Italy. For the third run, those in the lead come down the course first. At the end of the third run, there was a 30 minute break before the fourth run, which has the slowest sliders leading up to the final slider who has the best combined time for the previous three runs. We decide to walk up to the top of the course before the start of the fourth run, to see if we can get a better picture of the lugers.
Further Up the Mountain
Blue Luger
Red Luger
Don't Blink of You'll Miss the Luger Going By
For the final twenty sliders, we decided to walk back to the bottom of the course to be near the finish line. Here we can watch the lugers on the big screen television monitors and see them zip around the final curve. As we walked down the course, we had some fantastic views of the mountains.
The Mountains Overlooking Whistler
The Crowd Watching the Sliders
Show Your Belarus Spirit!
Video of the Gold Medal Run
The Final Standings
The Germans prevail! After four enjoyable hours at Luge, we head back down into Whistler Village to grab a quick bite at the Old Spaghetti Garden. We figured that since the last bus didn't depart back to Lonsdale Quay until two hours after the end of the event, we would have a chance to eat before the two hour bus ride. Our timing was impeccable, we got back to the bus depot with more than 15 minutes to spare, only to find out that the last bus only had two seats left on it. Instead, we had to take a bus back to a different location, the suburb of Burnaby, which was about 20 minutes east of where we were staying. Despite this unscheduled change of plans, we had a phenomenal day at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
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