British Columbia Canada Blog

Spring Break is in full swing and am sure you are ready to get out with your kids and have some spring family fun. Spring Break Sno Jam is being held at Mt. Washington, British Columbia from March 8th 2010 till March 13th 2010. You can look forward to:

Dairyland Crazy Cards tomorrow (March 11th 2010) - Kids can play poker-style scavenger hunt between the Alpine Lodge and the Hawk Chair.

This is a Poker-style scavenger hunt in the Green Zone!  There will be 4 stations to visit.

1) Guest Services

2) The Ozone

3) Bottom of Platter Lift

4) Top of Green Face

You get a card at “registration” at Guest Services at 12pm.  Complete the task at each of the other stations – receiving a playing card at each – and bring them all back to Guest Services at 3pm, where you will perform one last task to get your last card.  Then play your poker hand to win a prize!

Timeline:

11:30 am – tent and table to back of Guest Service Ticket Kiosk

12pm – Scavenger Hunt starts at Guest Services

3pm – meet back at Guest Services with your 4 cards to complete the last task and get your 5 card “poker hand” which you will play for prizing.
 

Old Dutch Mini Olympics on Saturday, March 13th 2010 - You can participate in your very own Winter 2010 Mini-Olympic games  at Mount Washington Alpine Resort.

Take part in this Olympic-style obstacle course to bring home the “gold,” and some delicious potato chips from Old Dutch! This one is open to all, Kids and Kids at heart! The obstacle course will be on the Elk run, behind Mtn Tek, from 11am - 3pm.  Come join in the fun!

So, pack your bags and head to Mt. Washington!

Apart from the Olympic Games, there will still be plenty going on in Whistler Blackcomb. Here’s a brief rundown of the events you can attend in Whistler this year.

March 1st – 8th 2010 Winter Pride 2010

March 1-8 are the official dates for GayWhistlers WinterPRIDE celebrating its 18th anniversary. This is going to be one anniversary party you will not want to miss come and experience Whistler just after the Olympics and take in the excitement of being on the world stage.

For more information, check out: Gay Whistler

March 13th – 21th 2010 Winter Paralympic Games

From March 12-21, 2010 Whistler plays host to some very talented and extraordinary athletes at the Paralympic Games. Come cheer on your favorite athlete as they go for Gold. The Paralympics are known to be more intimate than the Olympics and just as exciting!

April 9th – 11th 2010 The Whistler Cup

THE WHISTLER CUP is an international ski event organized by the Whistler Ski Club . Having completed its  17^th year, Whistler Cup has grown to become the largest and most important ski race in North America, and internationally, for athletes aged 11 – 14 years. It is held under the auspice of FIS, the international governing body for alpine skiing. With over 390 young athletes from 20 countries, Whistler Cup brings together children from many different cultures, from around the world.

April 16th-25th 2010: Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival 2010

Related Links:

Whistler City Guide

Top Whistler Pubs

Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival

Drive to Whistler, British Columbia

Springtime in British Columbia is beautiful and we welcome it with open arms. To celebrate Spring in Victoria, British Columbia, Spinnakers Gastrobrewpub and Guesthouse (located on 308 Catherine St., Victoria, BC) invites craft beer lovers to share a day of extraordinary cask conditioned beers in its third Cask Festival, to be held on Saturday, March 20, 2010. 

The guests will be able to sample at least 20 different one-of-a-kind cask-conditioned beers made by brewers from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, Washington and Oregon at this event.

Place: Spinnakers Gastrobrewpub

Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010

Time: 11:30am - 5pm

Price: $35/person and  $30 for CAMRA members*
*Get a $5 discount on admission by joining the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) at their website and click on “join”
Ticket price includes souvenir glass and first 3 drink tickets (drink tickets $1 afterwards)

For Ticket info. call: 250- 384-2739

WRA Wildlife Rescue Association of BC is hosting free Earth Fest family nature festival on Sunday, April 25^th 2010 at the Burnaby Lake Pavilion in Burnaby, BC located on 6871 Roberts St, from 11am to 3pm. This is Wildlife Rescue Association of BC’s 2nd annual free, fun-filled nature event where families can come and enjoy without worrying about admission fee. The Earth Festival 2010 will offer unique opportunities to people of all ages to have fun while learning about the local environment.

You can really look forward to: - chickadee and mason bee nest boxes to make and take home - local stewardship booths- snacks and refreshments- invasive plant removal ideas- exciting wildlife-themed games and crafts- community group exhibits - nature tours (with scavenger hunts!) - Mukutano drumming and singing group performers/ live music by local artists- raffle draws and much moreSo, connect with nature during Earth Festival 2010 in Burnaby! For more information, visit: Wild Life Rescue Association Events

LifeSciences, British Columbia supports and represents the biopharmaceutical, medical device, bioproducts & bioenergy, and greater life sciences community of British Columbia through leadership, advocacy and promotion of our world-class science and industry. This year they are hosting their annual Salmon BBQ on: Wednesday, June 09, 2010 from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM (PST) at  Cecil Green Park House located:

6251 Cecil Green Park Road
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, British Columbia

Held each June at the scenic Cecil Green House, LifeSciences British Columbia’s Annual Salmon Barbeque offers members of  life sciences community the chance to come out and enjoy a great meal in the company of peers in a breathtaking setting - and without the formality of a sit-down banquet. The tickets are priced at $65-$130/person.

For more information, visit: 14th Annual Lifesciences British Columbia Salmon BBQ

To know more about what’s happening in British Columbia, subscribe to British Columbia Tours.

Do you know that the German and Swedish teams that trained at Silver Star Ski resort in British Columbia won 12 medals during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics? Many Olympic teams in the hopes of getting the same results are using the Okanagan  again to do their final pre-Games tune-ups on local cross-country ski trails.

Some of the participating athletes are from the nordic event teams of Norway, the Czech Republic, Russia and Switzerland. In all, eight Olympic teams totalling 100 competitors are training locally, injecting money into the economy and Olympic buzz into the region. One of the most popular venues is the Sovereign Lake Nordic Centre in the North Okanagan. The Norwegian biathlon team has been training there and at nearby Silver Star Mountain Resort for the past two weeks.

The region has been a popular training ground for nordic competitors for years. Most teams are staying at Silver Star for 10 to 16 days, resulting in $125,000 in total revenue for the resort. So, next time you ski in BC consider yourself lucky because you might be using the same trails which helped train Olympic athletes.

Other Vancouver 2010 Posts:

Transportation During Olympics 2010

Opening Ceremony Olympics 2010

Meet Vancouver Olympics 2010 Athletes

Some of the best Canadian athletes are competing in Vancouver Olympics 2010 and I am proud to say that many of them are from British Columbia. Watch out for these Okanagan athletes that have bright chances of winning medals in upcoming Vancouver Olympics 2010:

1. Women’s Curling team : Kelly Scott, Jeanna Schraeder and Sasha Carter. This is Kelly’s first experience participating in Olympics. However, she has won World Junior and World Women’s Curling Championship.
2. Para- Alpine: Josh Dueck and Nick Brush
3. Wheelchair Curling: Ina Forrest and Sonja Gaudet
4. Freestyle Skiing Aerials: Steve Omischl Steve Omischl has been ranked no.1 in the world in freestyle skiing aerials since past 4 years.
5. Freestyle Ski-cross: Kelsey SerwaDid you know Kelsey’s grandfather Cliff Serwa founded Big White Ski resort?
6. Bobsleigh: Justin Kripps
7. Luge: Brandon Hauptman
8. Cross-Country skiing: Alysson Cummings
9. Freestyle Skiing Moguls: Kristi Richards These athletes grew up practicing at local ski resorts like Big White, Silver Star Sun Peaks etc. Although Whistler is no different, the challenging part is that their competitors are equally good and win or lose in Olympics is based on fraction of seconds. Nevertheless, our best wishes with these athletes.

Related Vancouver 2010 posts:

Transportation during Vancouver Olympics 2010

Meet Vancouver Olympics 2010 Athletes

Vancouver 2010 Opening ceremony

The 21st Winter Olympics will begin this weekend and Okanagan’s role in these games cannot be ignored. See how Okanagan impacts Vancouver Olympic Games:

1. Kelowna International Airport is one of four 2010 portals along with Calgary, Victoria and Abbotsford.

2. Kelowna RCMP have deployed 18 officers as part of emergency response teams at Whistler and Vancouver. These officers will also take part in red Serge duties at the opening cermonies and medal presentations.

3. Four local firefighters will also take up shifts at Olympic park in Whistler.

4. Do you know who is the official supplier of wine for Olympics 2010? Sumac Ridge Estate winery, one of the leading BC wineries in Summerland is the official supplier of wine to all venues where accredited media will be allowed. Other participating BC wineries include: Jackson Triggs of Oliver, See-Ya-Later Ranch in Okanagan falls, Inniskillin from Oliver and N’Kimp Cellars in Osoyoos.

5. S.W. Audio Visual of Kelowna is providing big screens, stages, lighting and sound equipment to two Olympic fan venues, Canada Hockey Place and the UBC arena.

6. Last but not the least, ASPENWARE of Lumby which is the only manufacturer of wooden cutlery in North America will be featured at media centers and Vancouver Convention center during upcoming Winter Olympics 2010.

Related Vancouver Olympics 2010 posts:

Transportation during Vancouver Olympics 2010

Opening Ceremony Vancouver 2010

The Olympics may be finished come April but the action never stops in Whistler. TELUS World Ski & Snowboard Festival will be held in Whistler from April 16-25th 2010.  The festival will be packed with competitions, concerts and mind-blowing excitement.

It makes sense to visit Whistler during this festival because besides enjoying everything that this wildly popular festival offers, you can also take advantage of  the slopes which will be less crowded, the snow will still be great and you can get amazing low season prices.

View the entire Ski and snowboard festival event schedule here: Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival 2010 

Any successful event requires a lot of planning and if it is something much awaited like Vancouver Olympics 2010 then the planning is followed by a lot of training, special changes and follow up to make sure things are moving along smoothly as planned. Vancouver is also gearing up for some changes to ensure that no one is disappointed in Vancouver as the host city for Winter Olympics 2010. After all, we want Olympics to be held here again and again.

Let’s look at some changes that Vancouver/ Vancouverites and neighboring areas will be going through during Winter Olympics 2010:

1. Early Spring Vacation has been announced for school children in Whistler and Squamish with schools closing from Feb 19th to March 1, 2010.

2. The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) is closing for the entire Games from Feb 12th to 28th 2010 allowing for almost 3,000 parking spaces to be used as part of the Olympic Bus Network’s park-and-ride.

3. Vancouver will literally be converted into a partyzone. There will be live broadcast sites with giant screens in Vancouver’s downtown and Yaletown community. Robson Square will be a hub of activity around the outdoor ice rink. The city’s popular Granville Island market will be taken over with a celebration of Francophone culture.

4. Also, there will be parties in Richmond, near the Olympic oval, and in Surrey where the city is planning a $3 million, 13-day celebration with music and live broadcasts.

5. Another major change is the fact that the jury trials have been delayed between Feb. 6th and March 1 2010. The provincial courts will be processing day-to-day criminal matters, but because many police officers across the province will be deployed for Olympic security, they won’t be available to testify at any criminal trials province-wide.

6. Marine security in Vancouver’s False Creek will be restricting access to boats or escorting boats in and out of their slips near the athlete’s village.

7. If you are flying into Vancouver’s Burrard Inlet via float plane or helicopter, you will be subjected to added passenger and luggage screening, and new restrictions are being placed on carry-on baggage.

8. Think twice before planning to drive during Vancouver Olympics because there will be lot of transportation restrictions. Checkpoints will also be set up north of Squamish on the Sea to Sky Highway stopping unnecessary vehicle traffic from getting through to Whistler.

Despite all these changes most of us are still very excited about Winter Olympics 2010. Let’s hope to have a great time.

Other Related Links:

Transportation during Vancouver Olympics 2010

Meet Canadian Vancouver Olympics 2010 Athletes

Opening Ceremony of Vancouver Olympics 2010