In 1960 a group of Vancouver businessmen were inspired by their experience as spectators of the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley, California, and sought to bring the 1968 Winter Games to British Columbia. They found the perfect mountain, just north of Vancouver - at the time it was called London Mountain, but now it's called Whistler (after the whistling sound made by the local hoary marmots). Whistler didn't host the Games in 1968 but it did not give up on its vision - trying no less than four more times to host the Winter Games in 1972, 1976, 1980 and 1988. Now, nearly 50 years later, Whistler's dream has come true as the Host Mountain Resort for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. READ MORE

It's an open secret that sports are just part of the Olympic/ Paralympic Games experience. Another big part of it is the party! The places to be during the 2010 Winter Games - when not actually cheering at the finish line - were at one of the celebration sites hosted by the City of Vancouver, the City of Richmond and the Resort Municipality of Whistler. The sites were each offering a roster of family-friendly events, including big-screen broadcasts of the competitions and medal ceremonies, live music, and special guest appearances.

In Whistler, six celebration sites each have a theme: from family fun at Town Plaza and live music at Village Square, to fringe theatre at Village Common and circus arts, dance, and Aboriginal performances at Mountain Square. The main site, Whistler Medals Plaza, hosted Medal Ceremonies, live competition broadcasts and the Paralympic Closing Ceremonies.

The 2010 Winter Games were held on the traditional territories of the Lil'wat, Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations - known as the Four Host First Nations.

In 2004, the Four Host First Nations entered into a historic Protocol Agreement with the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee for the 2010 Winter Games - agreeing to coordinate their collective efforts to host and support the 2010 Winter Games. This marked the first time an Organizing Committee has entered into such a partnership with indigenous peoples. In 2006, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized the Four Host First Nations as official partners - a first for indigenous peoples in Olympic and Paralympic history.

Whistler sits on what used to be a hunting and travel corridor for the Lil'wat and Squamish Nations. First Nations' dance, art and culture are now permanently celebrated in Whistler as part of the beautiful and evocative new Squamish Lil'wat Cultural Centre, which opened in June 2008. The integrated role of the Four Host First Nations in the preparations and planning for the 2010 Winter Games helped to facilitate the building of the centre.

Did you know that Whistler was actually born for the 2010 Winter Games? Franz Wilhelmson, the man who opened Whistler for skiing in the 1960s, did so in hopes of hosting the Olympics. It's just one of many interesting facts in Whistler's history. Whistler has a unique story and the Whistler Museum & Archives Society is sharing this story with the world through a new Olympic exhibit, Whistler Olympic Journey.

The rich and varied history of Whistler comes alive in this new and dynamic interactive exhibit - specially designed to celebrate Whistler's journey to the 2010 Winter Games. Whistler's Olympic Journey chronicles the story and artifacts of Whistler's passionate visionaries that dreamed big - and worked together as a community to make it all happen. The museum also provides an insight into what makes Whistler the place it is today, chronicling its journey from its grassroots beginnings to one of the world's leading year-round destinations. www.whistlermuseum.org

Ever wondered what it was like to ski beside an Olympian? A Whistler-based company was providing visitors with the chance to do just that during and is continuing to do so after the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Best of Both Golf & Ski are giving exclusive access to a selection of world-class celebrity skiers. Your celebrity ski-pro will take you on an unforgettable experience down wide open groomers, through secret powder stashes as well as giving you an ‘inside-the-fence' tour of the 2010 Winter Games alpine race courses, based on availability. During the Games, Best of Both was also offering the opportunity to join an Olympian in a VIP lounge for each Olympic race of the day. The celebrity skiers included both past and present Olympic athletes such as Britt and Michael Janyk, Robbie Dixon, Manuel Osborne Paradis, Anne Marie Lefrancois, Steve Podborski, plus many more. www.bestofboth.ca

The Fairmont Chateau Whistler welcomed eight culinary apprentice students from Thompson University in Kamloops, BC for extra hands during the Olympic Games. The apprentice's rotated through the hotels five kitchens prepping and creating delectable meals for a full house during the Games. While learning from the expert himself, Executive Chef Vincent Stufano, the students earned hours towards their Red Seal certification during this once in a lifetime experience showing their skills on the world's stage. Chef Stufano and his culinary team cooked up about 40,000 slices of bacon, 20,000 eggs and diced approximately 800,000 fruit cubes for breakfast alone during the Olympic Games. www.fairmont.com/whistler

Two Whistler-based members of Canada's alpine team have joined forces to offer budding young skiers the opportunity to train for free with some of the countries leading skiers. Mike and Manny's Cowboy Camp was created by Whistler-based Manuel Osborne Paradis and Whistler-born and bred Michael Janyk. The idea of the camp is to give ten young racers from less fortunate financial circumstances the chance to move forward at a pivotal point in their careers.

The camp takes place in Whistler, home of the Alpine ski events during the 2010 Winter Games. At the most recent camp, in spring 2009, the lucky ten participants received personalized training from a number of professionals including from Mike and Manny themselves and from another Whistler-based member of Canada's alpine team, Robbie Dixon.

Canadian athletes at the 2010 Winter Games had Canada House. Russians had Russia House. The Dutch, Holland House. And then, gay and lesbian athletes had Pride House.

Pride House was a special meeting place tailored to gays and lesbians. For the first time in Olympic history, gay and lesbian athletes had a place to go to relax and watch events, and meet friends. Located at the Pan Pacific Whistler Village hotel, the free facility was opened to homosexual athletes, their families, friends and fans. It offered a lounge, television screens and meeting areas.

Pride House was a partnership between GayWhistler and the Pan Pacific Whistler Village hotel. GayWhistler is the body behind Whistler's annual gay ski week, WinterPride. www.gaywhistler.com

Olympians mayoral duties at the Olympic and Paralympic Village Whistler in February 2010 were shared by two Whistlerites - Alan Kristmanson and Anna Fraser Sproule. Alan Kristmanson played for the Canadian national men's basketball team from 1987 to 1992 and he competed at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games where Canada placed sixth. He is now golf director at the Whistler Golf Club. Anna Fraser Sproule competed at the Calgary 1988 Olympic Winter Games in freestyle aerial skiing and was the 1986 World Cup title winner. She was also a board member of the Vancouver 2010 bid corporation.

Paralympic mayoral duties at the athletes' village in March 2010 were shared by Marni Abbott-Peter and Patrick Anderson. Abbott-Peter is a four-time Paralympian who won three gold and one silver, as well as three world championships in wheelchair basketball. She also acted as Team Canada's flag-bearer at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games. Anderson is a three-time Paralympian, also in wheelchair basketball, who won silver in Beijing in 2008, as well as gold at the 2004 Games in Athens, 2000 Games in Sydney and the 2006 world championships. The jazz musician is also a national team athlete representative for the National Wheelchair Basketball Association.

Despite being a relatively small community, the Whistler area is home to over 20 former and current Olympic and Paralympic athletes from a wide range of disciplines. That could be because former Olympians need to live among the kind of adventures that Whistler offers. Steve Podborski, one of the ‘Crazy Canucks', and who won a downhill bronze at the Lake Placid Olympics in 1980 and the first North American to win the overall World Cup alpine title in 1981-82, lives here. So does Shannon Smith, a bronze medal winner in the pool at the 1976 Summer Olympics. Dr. Hugh Fisher lives and practices medicine in nearby Pemberton; he won gold and bronze medals in pairs canoeing at the 1984 Olympics (and set a world record in the process). Phil Chew, a three-time Paralympic skier, lives here. There are lots more Olympians around; the Whistler lifestyle has prompted these top-level athletes to move from the podium to the peaks. Ross Rebagliati, who won the first-ever Olympic gold medal for snowboarding at the Nagano Olympics in 1998, lived and trained here, and a local park bears his name.

Julia Murray is the daughter of two world-class skiers and her lineage is clearly reflected in her choice of sport - ski cross, which will make its debut at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. Her father, Dave Murray, was one of original Crazy Canucks who dominated downhill skiing in the 1970s and early 1980s. Her mother, Stephanie Sloan, is a three-time World Champion Freestyle skier and ski instructor who created the Stephanie Sloan Women Only Ski Program in Whistler when she noticed that few women would sign up for her bump clinics because they were intimidated by the men. In 1990, when Julia was only 22 months old, her father lost his five-year battle with skin cancer. While she was too young to have memories of his amazing career as an all-or-nothing downhill racer, the people of Whistler sure do remember; the 2010 Winter Games men's downhill event took place on the Whistler Creekside course that was named in his honour. Julia began competitive downhill racing at the age of eight and was poised to achieve international status among the elite in her field - but in 2008 she made the decision to seek a position on Canada's Olympic team in the new discipline of ski-cross.  As a member of the Canadian ski-cross team, Julia has excelled in a sport that perfectly combines the downhill, speed-hungry attitude of her father and the freestyle passion of her mother. The relatively new sport features ski racing on a technically demanding course full of bumps, jumps, turns and rollers, similar to a motocross track. Julia won her first World Cup medal in March of 2009 and was aiming for the podium at the 2010 Winter Games - the ultimate tribute to her father and a celebration of her mother's lifelong commitment to enhancing the role of women in sport of skiing.

The Janyk family- Bill, Andree, Britt and Michael - are Whistler's true skiing family, with their story spanning three generations and rooted in the Olympic dream.

Andree Janyk's father, Peter Vajda, was part of the original effort to bring the Games to Whistler in the 1960s. When Whistler and Vancouver host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the Janyk family's long-standing dream came alive with both Britt and Michael competing for gold on their home mountain and a course that their mother, as a volunteer Weasel Worker, had a hand in preparing.

Britt and Michael are both members of the Canadian National Ski Teams. Andree helped design the course they competed on in 2010 and is as familiar with the course as are her ski racing children. Father Bill joined Andree and the rest of Whistler in 2010 as they cheered on Britt and Michael - two hometown Olympic hopefuls.

Downhill skier Matt Hallat has been preparing for the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games from the moment he heard they were coming to Canada. Relocating from his home town of Coquitlam, BC to Whistler, Hallat has put his university studies on hold in order to pursue his Olympic dream. Hallat lost his right leg to cancer when he was only six years old, but it wasn't long after that he decided to compete in the Olympics. That dream came true when he made his Paralympic debut in Torino competing in the slalom, giant slalom and super-G. Although he didn't win in Torino, he has been training hard ever since, hoping to bag medals in front of a home crowd at Whistler during the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games. 

Long-time Whistler resident Steve Podborski understands Olympic fever better than most. In 1980, Podborski became the first Canadian (and North American) male to win an Olympic medal in downhill skiing - a bronze in Lake Placid. This was just one highlight of a celebrated skiing career which spans four decades. In the 70s and 80s, Podborski led the legendary Canadian downhill ski team - dubbed the ‘Crazy Canucks' for their throw-caution-to-the-wind performances on the world's most difficult downhill courses.

Podborski had eight career World Cup victories and in 1981-82 he won the overall World Cup title, the first (and still only) non-European ever do so. Podborski retired in 1984 at the age of 26 after 11 years on the Canadian Alpine Ski Team as the most successful and decorated male downhill ski racer in North America. He remains that to this day.

Podborski was named as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1982. He was inducted into the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame in 1985 and Canada's Sports Hall of Fame in 1987. He has been Canada's Athlete of the Year twice and he is an athlete ambassador for the charitable organization Right to Play. Podborski also works as a sports newscaster and commentator and he has covered the past three winter Olympics.

Podborski played an active role in the successful bid for the 2010 Winter Games and was involved in the Olympic movement as the Assistant Chef de Mission for the Canadian Olympic Team. In this role, he supported Canada's athletes and coaches in their quest to win in February 2010 - a perfect role for someone who knows what it feels like to stand on the podium.

The Olympic sports of bobsleigh, luge and skeleton took place at the Whistler Sliding Centre, perched on Blackcomb Mountain just above Whistler Village and one of only 15 competition tracks in the world. A total of eight medal events took place here in February 2010. This track, completed in 2007 and built specifically for these Olympics, is officially the fastest of them all. World Cup competitions in February 2009 reached top speeds of 153.937 km/h (95 miles per hour). The Sliding Centre is open for public tours. Post-Games the Sliding Centre operates as a development facility for high-performance athletes, as well as provides recreational programming for clubs and youth. It also offers passenger rides and tours: you can go down the course in a bobsleigh - with a driver!

As the Host Mountain Resort for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in March 2010 - nearly all the events were held here - access meant everything in Whistler. In the short-term, the municipality has launched the Accessibility Project which focused on upgrades to signage, wayfinding information and physical change, including the construction of a new ramp system at the Breezeway between Village Square and the taxi loop.

Whistler For the Disabled
Long-time local Hugh Tollett created Whistler For the Disabled, Whistler's official travel and information website for people with disabilities. The website's goal is to enhance the lives and experiences of the disabled who are visiting or living in Whistler. The site provides travel information, assistance and support for disabled travelers, seniors or anyone with a temporary disability and their families.

Whistler Adaptive Sports Program (WASP)
Recreational accessibility for all is the mantra of the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program (WASP). This non-profit organization provides the opportunity for hundreds of people with a range of disabilities to take part in sports and recreation programs in Whistler. In winter, WASP and sponsors provide skiing and snowboarding lessons. Rick Hansen, the Man in Motion who wheeled himself around the world, learned to sit-ski on Whistler Blackcomb. In summer, WASP offers kayaking, canoeing, handcycling and hiking. Led by a core group of paid staff, WASP programs are delivered by volunteers from the community. www.whistleradaptive.com

Downhill skier Matt Hallat has been preparing for the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games from the moment he heard they were coming to Canada. Relocating from his home town of Coquitlam, BC to Whistler, Hallat has put his university studies on hold in order to pursue his Olympic dream. Hallat lost his right leg to cancer when he was only six years old, but it wasn't long after that he decided to compete in an Olympics. That dream came true when he made his Paralympic debut in Torino competing in the slalom, giant slalom and super-G. Although he didn't win in Torino, he has been training hard ever since, hoping to bag medals in front of a home crowd at Whistler during the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. 

As the host of approximately 90 per cent of the Paralympic events in 2010, Whistler is proud of the opportunities this brings to build substantially on our international reputation as an accessible destination – and grow visitation from the disabled community. The Winter Games provides Whistler with an unprecedented opportunity to build upon its accessibility initiatives, showcase its exceptional adaptive sports programming and establish itself as the world's premier destination for athletes with disabilities to compete and train. As a host of the Paralympic competitions, Whistler also recognizes the heightened responsibility it has to continue providing people from around the world – from all ranges of ability – with an opportunity to have a seamless resort experience that’s based not only on accessibility but inclusivity.

Consistently ranked as North America's premier ski and snowboard resort, Whistler Blackcomb has a big reputation.  And an even bigger incentive to keep raising the bar - for every skier and rider.  The Whistler Adaptive Sports Program's Ski and Snowboard Lessons do just that with a series of onslope adventures aimed to bring out the burgeoning skiers and boarders in people of all abilities.  A non-profit organization aimed to make sports accessible, the program caters to a broad spectrum of skiers and boarders, from beginner to advanced, and a line-up of highly-trained, certified instructors, guides and assistants ensures access to every glide and turn is more than just a winter night's dream.  Instruction is tailored to each participant, and options are as bountiful as the powder: programs include Sit-skiing with bi-skis and mono-skis, ideal for adventurers with limited lower body strength and disabilities; offerings for visually and hearing impaired skiers; standing skiers using two, three and four track techniques; and individuals with developmental or cognitive disabilities.  Should boarding be boss, the program also offers up an array of powder-packed outings perfect for breaking out the snowboards.  Beyond the tutored turns, Whistler Blackcomb's snowy setting also proves an ideal environment for individuals to develop social skills, improve communication and build self-esteem.  Whistler was where most of the events in the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games were held, including the opening and closing ceremonies. www.whistleradaptive.com

Tyler Mosher is a long-time Whistler resident and member of the Canadian 2010 National Para-Nordic Team. Following a snowboarding accident in 2000, doctors told him he would never walk again. However, with hard work and determination, Tyler regained 60 per cent of his mobility. After realizing that snowboarding was not a sport offered to the disabled, in 2004 he began a crusade to have disabled snowboarding recognized both nationally and internationally as a competitive sport. In March 2008, the first-ever Adaptive Snowboarding World Cup was held in Whistler. Tyler won that event, and went on to win the first ever World Snowboard Federation Adaptive Snowboard World Championship in New Zealand in July 2009. He continues to represent Canada internationally as an advocate for the development of this sport, campaigning to bring adaptive snowboarding to the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games.

Tyler took up cross-country skiing after his injury as a means of rehabilitation. When Vancouver and Whistler were awarded the 2010 Paralympic Games, he made it a goal to represent Canada as a cross-country skier. Tyler quickly established himself as a strong and competitive member of the Canadian 2010 National Para-Nordic Team, achieving strong results in World Cup events throughout the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons. Currently ranked 26th in the world, Tyler represented Canada at home in Whistler in 2010.

Outside his feats on the slopes, Mosher is an environmental planner in Whistler and owner of both TMD Landscapes Ltd. and The Gardener's Inc. He was recently a director with the Whistler Fisheries Stewardship Group.

Whistler's Phil Chew is one of those people who excels at everything he does. Chew is the Head Coach for the BC Disabled Alpine Ski Team. For the past 18 years, Chew has been dedicated to grassroots disabled skiing and helped raise the profile of disabled skiing in British Columbia. During his tenure, Chew helped 20 British Columbia skiers onto the national team.

He's a three-time Paralympian in alpine skiing, as well as the toughest mountain biker you'll ever meet. Chew's an icon for able bodied and disabled athletes alike. During the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games, you found Chew hitting warp speed on the downhill course on Whistler Mountain as the forerunner for the Downhill race.

While the world came together in celebration of the amazing and proud athletes at the Paralympic Games, Whistler Bungee wanted everyone to know that they celebrated this everyday. At Whistler Bungee they know that when standing out on the edge of that platform, everyone is an equal when dealing with that same fear and that same survival reflex when preparing to take the plunge.

Over the past eight years that Whistler Bungee has been operating, they have welcomed individuals of all abilities, including those with a physical or cognitive disability.  All of them have shown great excitement, sense of adventures, and hunger for adrenaline. The experienced staff always finds a way to accommodate each persons' unique needs and facilitate the jump in a perfectly safe way, whether it be lifting wheelchairs above the railing, providing access through ramps or the right encouragement, jumping in tandem and helping out in every way possible.

Provincial, national and international personalities that have experienced the thrill of bungee jumping have included "Man in Motion" Rick Hansen, Canadian Para-Alpine Team Athlete Sam Daniels and Pete Crutchfield, a former BC Para-Alpine Ski Team member.
www.whistlerbungee.com

The Whistler community grew to include a piece of Europe during summer of 2009 with the construction of Austria House. Known as a Passive House because of its unique design which essentially allows it to heat, cool and ventilate itself, Austria House served as headquarters for the Austrian Olympic Committee as well as the daily broadcast studio for the Austrian Public Broadcaster ORF during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. It also was a gathering place for social events during the Games period. Post Games, the Passive House remains in Whistler as a permanent building, providing a day lodge, office and meeting space to be used by the Whistler Off Road Cycling Association (WORCA) and the Whistler Nordics.

A passive house is a building in which a comfortable interior climate can be maintained without active heating and cooling systems. The house heats and cools itself and is therefore ‘passive'. It uses about ten per cent of the energy a traditional Canadian house uses. The technology is based on highly sophisticated concepts for air exchange and circulation, thermal insulation, high efficiency windows and wood structure construction.

Austria House is a partnership between the Austria Passive House Group, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation and Sea to Sky Consulting. Construction of Austria House began in early September and was completed in November, 2009. www.oesterreichhaus.at  

All three of Whistler's competition venues were completed two years before the 2010 Winter Games - marking the earliest completion of venues in the history of the Winter Games. The Whistler Sliding Centre on Blackcomb Mountain is providing training access for athletes and provided competition access for athletes from around the world, many that competed for the 2010 podium.

The same is true at Whistler Olympic Park, which held World Cup events in Olympic sports during winter 2008/09, but what's different there is that thousands of skiers are already using the trails. Located 18 kilometres (11 miles) south of Whistler in the stunning Callaghan Valley, Whistler Olympic Park is the first Olympic Nordic venue to include all three traditional Nordic sport stadiums in one site: cross-country, ski jumping and biathlon. The park hosted 28 medal events in those sports in February 2010, as well as the 2010 Paralympic Games cross-country skiing and biathlon events a month later.

In 2010, Whistler Creekside is the venue for downhill, slalom, giant slalom, Super G, and Super Combined. Ten medal events took place here. Whistler-based Olympic hopefuls who had the opportunity to train and compete on the venue included Britt Janyk, Michael Janyk, Robbie Dixon and Manuel Osborne-Paradis.

The Olympic and Paralympic Athlete's Village in Whistler otherwise known as Cheakamus Crossing is one of the most tangible legacies of the 2010 Winter Games. Not only was it home to more than 3,500 athletes and officials during the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the neighbourhood provides much needed affordable housing to 800 Whistler residents post-Olympics. Along with the 220 resident-restricted townhomes and units, the mixed-use neighbourhood also contains a 55-bed youth hostel run by Hostelling International, 55 rental units managed by Whistler Housing Authority, and a high-performance training centre with athlete accommodations. Without the 2010 Winter Games, this new neighbourhood wouldn't be a reality for the families who live, work and play in Whistler. www.cheakamuscrossing.ca

Built as part of the Athletes' Village, post Games the Whistler High Performance Centre caters to the development of sport groups looking to train in any season at any venue in the Whistler region, and offers state-of-the-art strength and conditioning resources, along with affordable accommodation options. As well, the Whistler Adaptive Sports Program, which provides recreational programs for people of all ages with disabilities, has its first permanent home in this new facility.

When all that's left of the 2010 Winter Olympics are a few forgotten red mittens, it is up to Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies to keep the Games venues going. Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies is a not-for-profit business that owns and operates three 2010 Winter Games facilities post-Games - the Whistler Sliding Centre, Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park and the Whistler Athlete's Centre.
www.whistler2010sportlegacies.com

The 2010 Winter Games came and they went, but the people of Whistler want to remember them forever. In spring 2010, now that the medal winners' national anthems have played and the cheers have quieted, Whistler Medals Plaza is being transformed into a public space for picnics, outdoor concerts and performances. The landscaped area will include a children's playground, terraced seating and public art, along with sculptures, information plaques and the Olympic Legacy Cauldron that will serve as ongoing reminder for locals and visitors of the Games. Whistler Medals Plaza will become a key social gathering place for Whistler and a way to remember that we welcomed the world in February and March 2010.

Most people who come to Whistler arrive by the Sea to Sky Highway, which links communities from West Vancouver to Whistler. Views of Howe Sound, the Coast Mountains, the Squamish Chief, and the Cheakamus River make the two-hour journey an unforgettable panorama of West Coast beauty. Prior to the winning Games bid, British Columbia's provincial government identified that the scenic Sea to Sky Highway needed major upgrades, and that was partly Whistler's doing. The incredible success, popularity and growth of the resort meant that the road's safety, reliability and capacity needed to be improved. The $600 million improvement project included widening and straightening the highway, improving safety and travel times. The project was completed in November 2009. People who have been driving to Whistler since the 1960s, when much of the road was gravel, love the sleek new highway. The provincial government estimates that 6,000 new jobs will be created throughout the province as a result of economic activity generated along the corridor, and that the highway will increase provincial GDP increased by $300 million from 2010 to 2025.

When ski-related head injuries and mountain-biking head injuries occur in Whistler, the new 64-slice Computer Tomography (CT) scanner is literally a lifesaver. Located in the Whistler Health Care Centre, Computed Tomography (CT) is a medical imaging method capable of generating three-dimensional images, inside the body, non-invasively. For residents and athletes this 2010 legacy means that treating and diagnosing a head injury won't require a flight to Vancouver. www.vch.ca

The Olympic and Paralympic Athlete's Village in Whistler isn't your average place to bunk, it's actually a model of sustainable living. The village was built to green building standards and showcases sustainable design and development practices. Folks behind the project needed to get creative and they did. From bamboo floors to the groundbreaking District Energy System to the LEED standards in the High Performance Centre, everywhere you look at the Olympic and Paralympic Village in Whistler, you will find something "green".

Whistler is home to the world's largest fleet of hydrogen fuel cell buses, which literally only leave water in their wake. The 20 emission free buses - each with 37 seats, a 60-person standing capacity, and a top speed of 90 km per hour - are twice as efficient as internal combustion engines and produce no smog-creating emissions. The buses have been transporting residents and visitors around Whistler since mid-November. After being showcased in Whistler during the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the buses will remain as part of the regular Whistler Transit fleet until approximately 2017. www.whistler2010.com/media-room/whistler-stories/

Whistler isn't just for sport junkies and ski bunnies, it also has an art and culture scene, which is experiencing phenomenal growth thanks to the 2010 Winter Games. Culture is one of the three pillars of the Olympic movement and the Whistler Arts Council's mandate is to build and integrate arts into the fabric of the Whistler community. So prepare for a 27-day celebration during the Games that took place on stages, mountain canvasses, large screens and on the streets. www.whistlerartscouncil.com

Since February of 2003, the Whistler Arts Council (WAC) has been producing an annual festival in celebration of Whistler's involvement in the 2010 Winter Games. This festival has brought together local and regional artists to create and play alongside national performers. What was once called Celebration 2010^TM is now called the Whistler Winter Arts Festival, a festival that will continue as an annual celebration post-Games.

During the 2010 Winter Games:

• local artists' work was displayed in local businesses to provide a gallery setting and opportunity for the public to view their wares as part of Whistler Live! ArtWalk
• visual artists' pieces created a vibrant light show during The Fire & Ice Remix as light was filtered through their etched glass replicas onto the mountain base snow
• musicians played original and cover tunes alongside artists painting live in Town Plaza
• animated cut outs has been created by local painters to provide the perfect photo opportunity for people strolling the Village. 

To learn more about WAC's involvement in the 2010 Winter Games and the initiatives WAC has taken to ensure local artists' inclusion, visit www.whistlerartscouncil.com.