Location, location, location! Ever taken a vacation or rented an accommodation that you later found was not the ideal location and not exactly as it had seem in the travel brochure? We have, and now you can find and view your Whistler and 2010 Olympic accommodation before you book.

Whistler-Accommodations.org offers an cool Web 2.0 for the Whistler rental accommodation market for owners who rent their homes, condos and trophy cottages to the public or corporations. Through this website, you can view the actual location of the accommodation through Google Maps. This cool little feature allows you to not just view the location, but also zoom in/out to see whats around the area, but also pan around the city of Whistler and view a real satellite view of the city and the accommodation.
Once you’ve played around a little, click on an accommodation and you’ll get a snap shot view and details of the accommodation, including rental costs, photos and more.

Tools like this will help save the headaches travelers the trouble of guestimating their rental location to the area they’re staying. And with the Whistler 2010 winter Olympics approaching, this way of searching for an accommodations by location will help you find the perfect place close to your favourite Olympic events…who knows, maybe even close enough to watch the event from your rental’s patio while lounging in the hot tub.

It’s coming. The first international competition on trails designed for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Whistler. TELUS presents the 2008 Whistler World Cup Alpine Ski Races from February 18 - February 24. Scheduled events include feature Men’s Super G, Women’s Downhill, Men’s Slalom, and Women’s Super Combined events. Whistler Mountain’s Wild Card, Jimmy’s Joker, and Lower Franz’s will provide the terrain for the women’s events. Men’s events will showcase on the mountain’s Upper and Lower Dave Murray runs. Hosting such an important international competition brings Whistler Blackcomb in Whistler Canada one step closer to the ultimate goal of being a leader in alpine ski-racing prior to the 2010 Olympics. Whistler Canada is already ranked the best ski resort for vacations. Now it’s proving to be at the top of the list for serious international athletic competitions. (more…)

‘Tis the season for Whistler ski vacations, and with the amount of snow that Mother Nature has so graciously dropped over Whistler BC Canada, travelers to the area can expect mid-season snow conditions without waiting. Plus, with the recent completion of all three venues for the 2010 Olympics in Whistler, Canadian winter sport athletes can train on the sites two seasons before the 2010 Winter Games. The three venues, Whistler Sliding Centre, the Whistler Olympic Park, and Whistler Creekside, were all finished early and on budget. (more…)

That’s right. If you plan on visiting Whistler or Vancouver in 2010 and staying in a Whistler accommodation or Vancouver accommodation, why not take in the whole Olympic experience and volunteer for the 2010 Olympics?

John Aalberg, Director of Nordic Sports for Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Organizing Committee (VANOC), has asked local clubs to provide a list of individuals who are interested in volunteering in 2010 and lead-up events. So if you’re visiting anytime soon, or visiting in 2010, it’s time to get involved.

“There has been an interest from VANOC to see how many volunteers are out there and who has qualifications within the clubs,” said Tom Barratt, Whistler Nordics president. “We’ve listed information on the website in terms of sought-after qualifications.” VANOC is particularly interested in providing this opportunity to local clubs both to encourage local participation and use people who have accommodation locally. Those interested will have every opportunity to participate in the Olympic movement. “This is not just for the Olympics but a whole series of events that are going to take place before the Games. They will need volunteers from all over the province but want to see what is available on a local level,” Barratt said.

You can submit your application by Aug. 1. If you are interested in volunteering, you are asked to submit your certification level and event experience. People without any level of certification are encouraged to acquire the necessary skills after signing up.

For more information or to apply, email info@whistlernordics.com or visit www.whistlernordics.com.

Staying in Vancouver this week, or maybe your a local Vancouverite. Well if you are, be sure to visit the Olympic 2010 discussions as the 2010 committee arrives in town.
A team from the IOC arrives in Vancouver Monday for two days of meetings with leaders of the 2010 Olympics, the chairman of the group telling Around the Rings he expects “good news” this week.
Now me personally I wouldn’t rent a place in Vancouver to catch a glimpse of these proceedings, but if you are staying in a Vancouver accommodation - hotel, apartment, condo, etc., it’s something to do to help support the 2010 Olympics coming to Vancouver and Whistler.

Rene Fasel says he is hoping for a quick resolution of the lease and compensation agreement with the owners of main Olympic hockey venue for 2010, General Motors Place. The arena is also the home the NHL Vancouver Canucks, who will need a temporary home during part of January and all of February 2010.

“When we awarded the games, nobody could expect the costs be so high as they are today,” Fasel said. “That’s the challenge for everybody, to find ways to find good balance.”

Fasel acknowledged the environmental protest which delayed expansion of the Sea-to-Sky highway for more than a month, but “(protesters) went to court, they lost.”

Protesters of the Olympic highway wanted a forest-destroying overland route to be stopped and a tunnel built instead. This route would be providing access to Squamish and Whistler, and Pemberton if you’re going to take the long treck.

“It’s not easy to make decisions,” said Fasel. “You can never satisfy everybody.”

Fasel will stop in New York en route to Vancouver to meet with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. They’ll discuss ongoing talks for a player transfer agreement with the Russian Hockey Federation. Fasel is hopeful new RHF president Vladislav Tretyak’s influence will hasten an agreement. IIHF’s 2007 World Championship is in Russia. Without a deal, Russian NHLers could be disqualified.