Winter Olympics Update

Winter Olympics Update

It is just over 16 months to the opening of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah. Many new ski facilities are already in place for the event, so winter sports enthusiasts can sample some of them this comingseason. Travel Weekly reports on developments for the Olympics, and looks at what you can do and where you can ski in the area for 2000/2001. More details will be available from the Utah stand at World Travel Market.

dates: February 8-24, 2002. The VIII Paralympic Games run from March 7-16, 2002.

location: Salt Lake City is on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains, 4,300ft above sea level and is bordered by Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada and Idaho.

main venues and sports: these include Park City Mountain Resort for alpine skiing (giant slalom) and snowboarding; Deer Valley resort for other slalom events; downhill skiing at the Snowbasin Ski Area; bobsleigh, luge and ski jumping at Utah Winter Sports Park; and cross-country events at Soldier Hollow.

Competitions: more than 2,300 participants from 80 countries will be involved in the biggest winter sports competition ever held. They will compete in seven sports and 15disciplines which will involve 78 medal events.

climate andsnowfall: theaverage temperature in Salt Lake in February is 2.9C and the average annual snowfall in the Wasatch Mountains ranges between 300 and 500 inches. The season ranges from mid-November to mid-May, depending on resort location.

ski facilities: Salt Lake City offers nine resorts within a one-hour journey of downtown. Top resorts include Park City Mountain Resort, Snowbird, Deer Valley and The Canyons.

new facilities: all the main Olympic venues and slopes are ready for visitors this winter. Recreational alpine, cross country and Telemark skiing can besampled at Utah Winter Sport Park, as well Nordic ski jumping in a Ski Play Area built for training jumps. Visitors this winter can also ride an ‘ice rocket’ – a one-person sled that travels at top speeds of 45-50mph.

resort expansion: the Canyons, which now features eight mountain peaks for intermediate and advanced skiing, have 125 trails, with the longest at three miles. Other facilities include: 14 ski lifts; facilities for children and ski and snowboard clinics for all levels.

sample product: United Vacations features the Grand Summit Resort Hotel at The Canyons from £73 per person per night twin share. Seven-night ski packages in the Salt Lake area cost from £732 per person including flights and car hire.

olympic tickets: more than 1.5 million tickets for the events are being made available through the Internet and other sales channels. Sportsworld is the official UK operator for sales of tickets and packages. Go to: www.sportsworld.co.uk for more information.

A class of its own: visitors can use Utah’s Olympic facilities