Whistler Village

Nobody would ever call Whistler Village, with its chic shops, sophisticated nightlife and world-class dining, a dump. But 50 years ago, that's exactly what this area was-a garbage dump at the bottom of an undeveloped mountain on the British Columbia coast.

Fast-forward a few decades and Whistler Village, along with the city of Vancouver and surrounding venues, is set to welcome the world. After thousands of days of preparations since 2nd July 2003, when the International Olympic Committee announced that the Canadian candidate city had won the bid over PyeongChang and Salzburg, this coast will host the 2010 Olympic Winter Games from 12th to 28th February.

"It's a new day for the Games," says Tim Gayda, vice president of sport for the Vancouver Organising Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC). "The venue teams have come together, we've had some key learnings from test events and there will be a great vibe everywhere."

Here's a look at how "the true north strong and free" will host the 2010 Games.

Whistler Creekside

Alpine Skiing: Downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, super combined

The once undeveloped London Mountain, known only to a handful of locals and some enterprising businessmen, has now become the sprawling ski resort of Whistler, which sees more than 2 million skiers and snowboarders each winter. At Whistler Creekside, improvements of $27.6 million have made the alpine courses well suited and excellently prepared for Olympic competition, says Atle Skaardal, the FIS Race Director for ladies' Alpine.

Test events on the Dave Murray Downhill-site of the men's events-and Franz's Run, site of the ladies' events, allowed VANOC to improve grooming and snowmaking systems along with volunteer structure, says Peter Bosinger, VANOC alpine manager. Racers can look forward to steep pitches of 61 percent and 71 percent on Franz's Run and the Dave Murray Downhill, respectively.

One unique aspect of the Vancouver Alpine venues is the volunteer race crew known as the Whistler Weasel Workers, which has experience in prepping top courses throughout Canada. "The Weasel Workers have been an instrumental part of the planning process," says Bosinger. "The experience and commitment they bring to VANOC will provide leadership to all volunteers and members of the workforce."