Weird Winter Weather

Since mid-October when I found out I was going to the Olympics, I have been preparing for frigid temperatures. I have waterproof pants from my trip to Alaska in May '08 and a warm Columbia snow jacket from my trip to the Canadian Rockies in fall of '08; I received waterproof winterized hiking boots from EMS for my birthday in November; I acquired long underwear at Christmas; and I just purchased wool socks and the perfect gloves to protect my extremities. (Side note - I really love EMS. They hooked me up). Our uniform from Cleanevent also includes a long-sleeve shirt and fleece, outerwear jacket and pants, and a beanie.

That being said, the weather forecasted for the upcoming week in Whistler is mid- to low-40's during the day, occasionally dipping below freezing overnight. That's right - it's expected to rain, not snow . In fact, weather.com's 10 day forecast shows the weather getting warmer (by a degree or two) as the week goes on.

A recent article tells of trucks importing snow to Cypress Mountain, host of the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events. One of Cleanevent's original duties as the cleaning company was snow removal, but it is beginning to look like they are more likely to re-move the snow --- that is, move it from the trucks it has been shipped in and onto the slopes.

This is not the first Winter Olympics to experience considerably warm weather. I attended the 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games (I saw a women's hockey game in which USA def. Switzerland 6-0, first round) and spent the day walking around the city without my coat.

In front of the Olympic Torch four years ago

I was told by friends who witnessed a day of skiing competitions at the '06 Games that it was plenty cold in the mountains and there was no shortage of snow.

While I have no intention of wishing hardship on anyone, it will be an interesting learning experience to see how organizers handle this dilemma in the days leading up to the commencement of the Games.