| Our 4-hour whirlwind tour provided by our local | | | | which is the world's only indoor refrigerated track |
| expert Jocelyne Morrison from Time Out for | | | | where luge, bobsleigh and skeleton athletes |
| Touring took us into Alberta's second most visited | | | | practice the ever-important push start techniques. |
| attraction outside of the Rockies: Canada Olympic | | | | All the tracks feature multiple cameras and |
| Park, visited every year by more than 1.3 million | | | | interval timing mechanisms that allow the athletes |
| people. This is the flagship site of the XV Olympic | | | | to analyze their push-start technique moving from |
| Winter Games, which were held in Calgary in | | | | frame to frame in intervals of a fraction of a |
| 1988. It is located just 15 minutes from | | | | second. Many foreign teams come to this facility |
| downtown on the west side towards the Rocky | | | | to practice their push-start techniques. The Ice |
| Mountains. What makes Canada Olympic Park | | | | House The Ice House features some interesting |
| unique is that it continues to function as a | | | | statistics: - it is 143 m along (almost the length of |
| multi-purpose competition, training and recreation | | | | one football field) and four stories high - nine |
| area that is available year round to athletes as | | | | kilometers of steel piping is used to cool the three |
| well as the general public. During the winter, | | | | tracks - tracks are kept at a constant |
| almost 300,000 skiers and snowboarders visit the | | | | temperature of -2 to -3 degrees Celsius - a |
| park. It also houses the second largest snow | | | | unique monorail system automatically returns the |
| academy in the country, making lessons and | | | | bobsleigh and skeleton sleds to the push-start |
| programs available to people of all ages and | | | | area while allowing for continuous training - a vide |
| abilities. During the summer, Canada Olympic Park | | | | system incorporates standard video and the |
| turns into mountain biking facilities with more than | | | | latest DVD playback technology. After our visit to |
| 25 kilometers of trails, an obstacle course, trials | | | | the Ice House we drove up the hill past the |
| park and facilities for BMX bikers and freeride | | | | Olympic Bobsleigh Track which includes 14 twists |
| stunts. We started off with the Olympic Hall of | | | | and turns, the place where the Jamaican Bobsleigh |
| Fame and Museum which houses a whole variety | | | | Team made their first Olympic appearance and |
| of Olympic-themed exhibits and paraphernalia. This | | | | won the hearts of spectators all over the world. |
| is the only Canadian museum devoted to the | | | | It is still used as a Word Cup circuit venue for |
| Olympic Games in Canada, and it is the largest in | | | | bobsleigh, luge and skeleton events. Our next stop |
| all of North America. Exhibits on two floors | | | | was the 90 meter ski jump tower - incidentally |
| chronicle Canada's participation at the Olympic | | | | the highest point in Calgary and today, as the |
| Winter Games since their inception in 1924. A | | | | weather was clearing up, we started to get a |
| particularly fascinating exhibit are the 20 of the 31 | | | | great view of the downtown area. Jocelyne |
| Olympic torches, dating back all the way to the | | | | explained that with today's new ski jumping |
| 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin. The Blood, Sweat | | | | techniques, the 90 m ski jump can no longer be |
| and Cheers exhibit pays tribute to Canada's | | | | used since skiers are now able to jump 120 m |
| Olympic Medal winners at the Salt Lake City | | | | and more and there would not be enough space |
| Winter Games in 2002. The flags displayed in the | | | | for them to land safely. Nevertheless, riding the |
| museum and in the Plaza represent all the nations | | | | glass elevator up to the observation level of this |
| that competed in the 1988 Olympic Games in | | | | tower and peering down the ski jump is an |
| Calgary. Key highlights of the Museum are a | | | | awesome experience. Jocelyne explained that |
| reproduction of the bobsleigh used by the | | | | Canada Olympic Park is also an archeological site |
| Jamaican bobsleigh team in the 1988 Olympics | | | | where remains have been found that indicate that |
| (the film "Cool Runnings" was based on this story), | | | | this hill used to be a buffalo jump, a place that |
| an original hockey jacket from 1956 which inspired | | | | native tribes used to hunt buffalo. Many of the |
| the 1988 Olympic attire, and medals for all 12 | | | | Canadian Olympic athletes who did so well at the |
| sports that were held in Calgary in the 1988 | | | | recent 2006 Torino Olympics actually train at |
| Olympics. Snowboarders love the Superpipe, | | | | Canada Olympic Park, and this year's success of |
| opened in 2002 and the only pipe of its kind in | | | | Canadian Olympic athletes bodes well for the 2010 |
| Alberta, with walls that are at least 15 feet high. It | | | | Vancouver Olympic Games. |
| is also used for training Canadian athletes to | | | | Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a web portal |
| compete at international and Olympic competitions. | | | | for unconventional travel & cross-cultural |
| Our guide Jocelyne also took us to the Icehouse | | | | connections. |