Fun Facts About the WSC

Sorry folks, no creative title for this one. It's pretty slow in the office today, despite the inch or two of wet snow that fell from early this morning until about 9:45AM. While Scott was using the computer I poked around the office a bit (after my coffee break, during which I watched some curling. The Norwegians have awesome diamond-checkered pants!) and pulled out the binder of the Opertations Manual for the Sliding Center. To go along with my unoriginal title, I will now quote the Overview information about the WSC; I don't have the motivation to paraphrase it, especially since it's mostly quick bullets anyway. Anything I add will be in [brackets].

Introduction:

• The Whistler Sliding Center is one of only 16 international competition sliding tracks in the world
• It has the highest vertical drop from top to low point of any track in the world - 152 meters
• Track G-force is expected to reach 5.02Gs (men's luge) [This will actually be lower since Men's Start was moved down to Women's Start, and the women will start from Novice/Junior Start]
• A thin, two to five centimeter ice surface is produced and maintained by hand
• Construction began in June 2005, with the track being operationally complete in winter 2007-2008. The formal public opening took place in fall 2008

Bobsleigh:

• Part of the official competition program since the first Olympic Winter games in Chamonix in 1924
• Women's bobsleigh was introduced at the Salt Lake City 2002 Olypmic Winter Games
• The five-man bobsleigh was contested for the first and last time at the St. Moritz 1928 Olympic Winter Games
• Following a sprint start, the bobsled travels down the track on four higly polished steel runners. Sleds are equipped with breaks

Luge

• Luge made its Olympic debut in 1964 in Innsbruck
• Luge athletes start in a seated position, gripping start handles to propel themselves down a steep start ramp. They use gloves with small spikes on the fingertips to push themselves along the ice before laying feet first, on their backs
• Luge athletes steer with their legs and shoulders by applying pressure to the sled runners

Skeleton

• Skeleton first appeared at the 1928 Olympic Winter Games and then again in 1948, both times in St. Moritz. The sport returned to the Olympic Winter Game program in 2002 in Salt Lake City.
• Skeleton athletes [lay on their stomaches, going head first, and] steer with their shoulders and knees by applying pressure to the sled.
• There are no brakes on a skeleton sled

Post-Games Use

The Whistler Sliding Center will be operated under the direction of the Whistler Legacies Society, supported by an endowment trust that was established by the federal and provincial governments as part of their 2010 Winter Games venues investment. The Whistler Sliding Center will showcase sliding sports by hosting international competitions and developing sliding sports opportunities in the local communities. Its location, near several of the resort's world-class hotels, will attract many tourists, providing a sustainable revenue stream towards the center's long-term opperations.

VANOC Investment

The Whistler Sliding Center was built at a cost of $104.6 million, funded jointly by the governments of Canada and British Columbia

Sustainable Attributes

• Smart site selection - adjacent to previously developed areas within a major ski area (such as ski trails, parking lots)
• Site designed to minimize required vegetation clearing and to reduce the facility footprint (such as soft edging and tree islands)
• Long-term operations and revenue generation opportunities through athlete training facility and visitor use
• First construction contract (2005) awarded to local Whistler business
• Energy efficiency initiatives to minimize refridgeration plant energy include
• Ammonia refridgeration system. Ammonia is one of the most energy-efficient refridgerants producing no chloroflourocarbons (which contribute to ozone-layer depletion and global climate change)
• Track shading and weather protection system
• Tree retention to cast shade
• Track painted white to minimize heat absorbtion
• Capture and reuse of waste heat from refidgeration plant

Scope of Work for 2010

The venue features a new 1,450-meter competition-length concrete sliding track, refridgeration facilities, support buildings and access road. The Whistler Sliding Center will host Sport Events for bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton. Over the 13 days of sliding competition, athletes will compete for a total of 8 Olympic medals [Men's/Women's Single Luge, Men's Double Luge, Men's/Women's Skeleton, Men's 2-Man Bobsleigh, Men's/Women's 4-Person Bobsleigh].


I think really think the Sliding Center is pretty cool, and I when I visit other venues I'll look for their manual and try to pull out some fun facts for those venues too!