Skip to content
Join our Newsletter

Long-term use of Nordic centre a concern

Plans for Olympic facility vetted by public at open house

In a room covered with maps, statistics and helpful people with name tags the Whistler community was presented with the plans for the Olympic Nordic Centre last week and the reaction was a mixture of excitement and concern for a post-Olympic Callaghan Valley.

More than 60 people spent several hours mulling over satellite images and lines on maps that indicated where the new road would be built and when the facilities are scheduled to be available prior to opening of the Games on Feb. 12, 2010.

The plans for the Whistler Nordic Centre are now in the public consultation stage of the environmental assessment process.

Once the public consultation is completed and the feedback is collated, changes may be made. The application is also sent to all the relevant provincial and federal ministries for input before the environmental assessment office rules on the project.

Cheryl Morningstar, who has coached and skied with Whistler Nordics for 20 years, said the project was "good" but she was adamant a lot has to be done to ensure there is an adequate legacy.

"The Callaghan Valley, the whole area is useful and has lots of potential but I think it’s about providing an effective legacy so the general public can use the facilities after the Olympics go away," said Morningstar.

The Nordic Centre will host all the ski jumping, biathlon and cross-country events during the 2010 Games.

"To understand what I’m talking about you just have to look at Canmore, (site of the 1988 Olympic cross country events) Salt Lake and the Soldier Hollow venue," said Morningstar. "Neither of those venues have been used much and Soldier Hollow is pretty soon not going to be in existence, from what I’ve been told."

Morningstar said the Callaghan would need to be marketed as a destination in its own right if governments wanted to attract people after the Olympics.

"They have to have a comprehensive plan that taps into a lodging component – but not a backcountry lodge scenario," she said.

"They could look at something like Silver Star, which is very successful and has a great cross country venue; they have a lodging component so you can stay up there.

"You’re going to have to create a destination market to make that cross country facility run as it should.

"Plus you’re going to have to somehow tap into the Vancouver market who already has the environment, which is out their back door and I think it’s a stretch to think that those people might drive up to the Callaghan on a week night. They’re going to go to a closer mountain, just as Whistler residents are unlikely to get in their cars and drive down on a weekday or a weekend," she said. "They’re more likely to go to the Lost Lake trails, which are wonderful.

"So there must be something really good there, something where you can go there and stay there, with the facilities required of a first class Nordic Centre.

"To spend all the money, and we’re talking millions, then hopefully it’ll be able to be used for more than three weeks."

Wayne Dannhauer, who is retired in Whistler, said the project was "wonderful and mindboggling" but he agreed the community needed to focus on post-Olympic use.

"I’ve been coming here for 35 years… and I think this would be a wonderful project that’s going to add to the valley," said Dannhauer.

"But I’m also wondering what plan they have for other projects to have ongoing activities up here afterwards.

"I’m not saying you need to keep 150,000-seat stadiums, but you need parking if you want some other events to come back. You’re going to have to have some sustainability in this project to ensure that this will be available for events in the future."

While there may be some concern about the future of the site, VANOC has made several provisions for a post-Olympic Callaghan.

The most significant contribution is the $110 million VANOC has already committed to an endowment fund for the upkeep of Olympic venues after the Games. This fund is expected to help cover ongoing costs at the Nordic Centre, such as trail maintenance.

"Most Olympic committees never had the foresight to put aside $110 million in an endowment fund," said VANOC’s Director of Community Relations Maureen Douglas.

Douglas added that the vision for the Nordic Centre was a work in progress.

"Whatever the final legacy plan is… one of the benefits is that we have expertise here, there are people here with operating experience," she said.

"You’re not going to see a bunch of people not knowing what we’re going to do in April 2010 – it won’t be like that – you’re going to see a long term business plan with the right people in place to make it work."

On the planning side of the Nordic project, there are a number of organizations, including specific legacy groups, working now to ensure that the site attracts future generations of skiers.

Jeff Matheson from EBA Engineering, an environmental biologist and one of nine project representatives at the public presentation last week, said a big difference in this development was the enthusiasm of all the proponents.

"The Nordic Centre itself will be distributed over about 35 hectares, so we still have an incremental amount of disturbance relative to everything else that’s going on," he said.

"There are a lot of things I’ve done I can compare this too but I suppose the difference is that there’s a lot more enthusiasm; people really want to know about it and be a part of it."