The 2010 Winter Olympics will take place in two main hubs of activity. All indoor ice sports are set in the city of Vancouver while most snow sports will be staged in the resort village of Whistler, approximately two hours up into the Canadian Rockies.
The exception is Cypress Mountain. Located just north and west of the Vancouver, this is the site of the snowboard and freestyle skiing competitions.
Down in Vancouver
The Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be held at BC Place in downtown Vancouver. Ice hockey teams will battle for the gold medal right next door at Canada Hockey Place. Preliminary rounds of the hockey tournament will take place at nearby UBC Thunderbird Arena on the waterfront campus of the University of British Columbia.
A few miles across town, figure skaters will attempt to outdo the competition inside the Pacific Coliseum. The Vancouver Olympic Centre will host curling near the centrally located Queen Elizabeth Park.
Out in Richmond
Just south of downtown, the community of Richmond will welcome the world's best speed skaters to a visually-stunning Richmond Olympic Oval. The award-winning new facility on the banks of the Fraser River sits just around the corner from Vancouver's international airport. A system of buses, streetcars, light rail and pedestrian access will link these venues downtown.
Come in town for ice sports at new venues, button up in Whistler for all the Alpine action.
Short trip to Cypress
Fans who prefer the hangtime and g-forces that come with Alpine snow sports will want to aim north. Thirty minutes outside the city, Cypress Mountain will be the first stop for many. Gold medals for freestyle skiing and snowboarding will be decided here.
Up on the mountain
The mountain village of Whistler is another two scenic hours by car or bus (via the Olympic bus network). The newly improved Sea-to-Sky highway, which recently underwent construction to add lanes and reduce congestion, carves along the edge of the Coast Mountains with jaw-dropping views of the Howe Sound. The jagged, snowy peaks aren't far away and neither is the fun.
American skier Julia Mancuso will make the trip to the Alpine skiing venue, officially known as Whistler Creekside, in search of her second gold in the giant slalom. If she gets number two, Mancuso says of Whistler, there are a lot worse places in the world to celebrate.
"They are one of the original ski villages. Down in the village, there are great restaurants and the few times I have been there it is just a crazy party," said Mancuso.
Each night during the Games, thousands of Olympic fans will bundle up and descend into the heart of town to watch the day's medals ceremonies at the Whistler Medals Plaza.
Slide over to Blackcomb
Sliders also share the Whistler scene. In fact, many of the luge, bobsled and skeleton athletes who have already competed on the Olympic course in World Cup events call the Whistler Sliding Centre's course the fastest and fiercest track in the world.
Fans can reach the course on the southeast side of Blackcomb Mountain by riding the Excalibur gondola, hopping a shuttle bus or by heading up on foot.
It's a short shuttle ride to the ultimate Olympic endurance events of cross-country skiing and biathon, which are based at the Whistler Olympic Park. Ski jumping and Nordic combined contenders will also challenge each other for gold at this venue.
With three months to go before the Opening Ceremony, the Olympic flame lights up the Arctic as Vancouver goes through final checks at venues.
Whistler's pristine mountain peaks make a very photogenic argument. This is one of the top outdoor adventure towns in the world.
