Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park – design, construction, operations

CCSAA Convention April 15 – 17, 2009John Aalberg, Director Whistler Olympic Park

ABOUT John Aalberg:• Born Norwegian, now US

Citizen, residing in Canada

• Skier, runner and 2 x Olympian

• Computer Engineer

• “Sport designer & consultant” – venues, trails & athletes in 3 continents

• Organizer of large sport events, such as 2002 Games in SLC

Whistler Olympic/Paralympic Park

How to get there:

Introduction

History of the Callaghan Valley

Land Use History

Logging

Mining

Forestry

Land Use Today

Fishing

Hunting

Camping

First Nations Traditional Territory

Commercial and Private Outdoor Recreation

Callaghan Valley

Callaghan Valley – Olympic venue

Callaghan Valley was chosen due to the ideal:

Location

Weather Conditions

Elevation

Snow Quality and Quantity

Distance from Whistler Olympic and Paralympic Village: 14 km West of the Whistler Athlete Village

Elevation: 840 m - 930 m (2800 – 3100 ft)

Size: 262 hectares in size, only 42 hectares are utilized for the Games

Snow: Upper Callaghan Valley registers over 12 meters of snow fall on a yearly basis; average snow pack in end of February and March at venue is approximately 2.5 meters

Key Facts about the venue

Vision and Design

Vision the challenge

How to best combine (and prioritize):

• Olympic/Paralympic Games• Recreation and Destination• Sport Development

Vision design objectives

1. Create a brand and a story

2. Create a “Mecca” for Nordic skiers

3. Be and remain multi-sport non-exclusivity

4. Preserve the nature & the wilderness

5. Create “something for everyone”

6. Be the venue with the best trails for events, training and destination skiers “add-ons” to come later

Vision how to implement

1. Listen to many groups Be open to non traditional views

2. Work with neighbours, towns and clubs Create “ownerships”

3. Be flexible in the design “non binding”

4. Build safe, consistent, fun and high quality trails

5. Incorporate key Legacy items

- Nice Day Lodge

- Recreational/beginner trails

- Operational decisions

Vision Operational Objectives

1. Provide optimal conditions for Games Readiness and Preparation– For VANOC and for Canada’s Olympic Teams

2. Organize Test and Training events– Test FOP, train volunteers, manage risks and be prepared

to provide excellent Games’ competitions

3. Build post-Games interest; prepare for legacy– Leverage Games and build expertise, media attention,

market share and reputation.

Design - Main Facility requirements

• Day Lodge – 10,000 sq ft• Maintenance Building – 6,000 sq ft• Biathlon Event Buildings – 5,000 sq ft• Cross-Country Event Buildings – 5,000 sq

ft• Ski Jump Judges’ Tower – 2,500 sq ft

• Ski Jump hills (HS 140, HS 106)• Cross-Country stadium & competition trails (10

km)• Biathlon stadium, range & competition trail ( 4 km)• Recreational trails (35 km)

Design - Other Facilities• Internal roads• Parking lots (many) – for Games’ operations• Waste Water plant • Water treatment and pumps • Water reservoir • BC Hydro/electrical facilities• Bell Cell Tower• IT Communication Systems• Snowmaking for Ski Jumps/Snow play area

The Whistler Olympic Park Stadiums

Biathlon

Ski Jumping

Cross Country

Permanent Structures

Daylodge

Cross Country

Ski JumpsMaintenance

Construction

2005 Compound Construction

2005 Compound Construction

2005 Construction

Main 2010 Olympic Core Sport area

5km Red Course length: 5085mCategory:Competition Level: OWG

Height Difference (HD): 72mMaximum Climb (MC): 60mTotal Climb (TC): 182m

Lowest point: 857mHighest point: 929m

0 250 500 750 1000 1250 1500 1750 2000 2250 2500 2750 3000 3250 3500 3750 4000 4250 4500 4750 5000850

860

870

880

890

900

910

920

930

ABC

u.t.(k)Desc.

2006 Trail clearing

2006 Trails

… Just two summers and $120 million

Whistler Olympic Park / in Construction Phase

Olympic “overlay” – CC & SJ compounds

OlympicArea –1 km2

All trails

Total trails: 50 - 55km

Green: 25%Blue: 50%Black: 25%

Key Contractors (8)

Newhaven ConstructionConstructed the XC Tech Building, Biathlon Building, Maintenance Building and the Daylodge Legacy Building

RBV - Resource Business Ventures Bridges, Warm-up trails, Access Roads, Misc. Utilities, Landscaping, Recreational Trails, Secondary Communications and Lighting, Final Grade and Paving of Trails, Final Grade and Paving of Roads, Misc. Sport Structures

EAC - Emil Anderson South Site Works and the Ski Jump Structures

EPCOR Waste Water Treatment Plant SystemsWater Treatment Plant Systems

Sandwell EngineeringDesign Services

Bell Primary Communications

BC HydroPrimary Power

Doppelmayr CTECChairlift

Commitment to Sustainability

Environmental Stewardship at Whistler Olympic / Paralympic Park

Environmental Assessment Process

• Electing to participate in both federal and provincial environmental assessment processes concurrently (provincial process was not technically required)

• Third party environmental monitors are in place on an ongoing basis to monitor the environmental conditions of the venues before, during and after construction as well as during operations

Key Environmental Attributes of Whistler Olympic Park

Venue Development – A Light Touch• Smart site selection – venue built in already

disturbed area, resulting in lower environmental

impact

– Site is located adjacent to a former mine in a previously

harvested forest

– Use of existing logging/mining/skid roads for ~25 per

cent of the legacy trail network

Smaller Footprint

• The core venue footprint for Whistler Olympic Park is ~35% smaller than the original design– Design changes were made to avoid disturbing old

growth forest and wetlands (E.g. relocation of ski jump)

– Significantly reduced number of stream crossings by roads and ski trails compared to initial designs

– Minimized vegetation clearing on the site, including preservation of tree islands and soft edging

Smaller Footprint

Protecting Streams and Wetlands

• Extended riparian (buffer) areas help protect on-site streams and wetlands

• Development of the core competition venue affected 1.8 hectares of in-stream and riparian habitat

• With a goal of no net loss, VANOC mitigated this impact by protecting extended riparian setbacks totalling 32 hectares

• This represents impact mitigation through habitat protection at a 16:1 ratio – For every 1 hectare impacted, 16 hectares were protected

Protecting Streams and Wetlands

Waste Water Treatment

• An on-site waste water treatment plant will use leading technology including tertiary membrane filtration and ultraviolet disinfection to protect water quality in receiving streams and wetlands.

• The treatment plant is built to accommodate pre-Games and post-Games user numbers (supplemental temporary facilities to be used at Games Time)

Closing the Loop on Wood Waste• Construction resulted in

significant amount of non-merchantable woody debris

• Instead of burning the debris, we found solutions to minimize impacts and re-use the “waste”:

1. Recycling woody debris as fill for temporary compounds

2. Donating wood waste for fish habitat enhancement 3. Composting wood waste on-site for revegetation and

erosion control – ~20,000 cubic yards of composted wood waste mixed with wildflower seeds and applied to disturbed areas on venue to provide stabilized slopes, enriched soil and vibrant habitat for wildlife

Closing the Loop on Wood Waste

Green Buildings• VANOC’s venue design teams were guided by

LEED green building principles. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a globally recognized environmental certification program for buildings

• Whistler Olympic Park: – LEED Silver certification for Day Lodge– Additional site buildings follow LEED design

principles

Green Buildings – Day Lodge

Operations

Venue TimelinesJune 2004 – October 2005: Venue DesignJuly 2005 – November 2007 Venue ConstructionNovember 2007: Start of Operations

December 2007 – April 2008: Daily operations and events

May 2008 – October 2008: Venue construction upgrades

Public ToursAthlete/Team training

November 2008 – April 2009: Daily operations and events

June 2009 – September 2009: Venue construction upgrades

Public ToursAthlete/Team training

September – December 2009: Games setup and preparation

Limited operationsJanuary - April 2010: Games exclusive period

Whistler Olympic Park organization

WOP Director &Venue Manager

John Aalberg

WOP pre-GamesOperations

(35)

VANOC SportPlanning

(9)

Games planning &Venue management

(30 + 2000)

Lindsay DurnoLen Apedaile - CCMax Saenger - BTJohn Heilig - SJ

30 VANOC departments

WOP pre-Games Operations

WOP OperationsManager

(9 FT, 32 PT)

PublicPrograms

(outsourced)(20 – 30 PT)

Snow & Sport Facilities

Grooming

Snow Safety

Ski Jump & lift

Guest Services

Sales

Engineering

Road Maintenance

Clean & WasteFood services

Admin Event Coordination

Maintenance building

Maintenance Facility

•6000 sq ft facility

•Lift Track

•4 ton Overhead Hoist

•Operations Office & Staff Room

Grooming….

2007 2008 2009 Winter Seasons:• 2 PB 600 Winch Cats• 1 PB 100 Track Setting & People

Mover• 2 PB Edges with 4 pan Track Setting

YEAR #1: 2007-2008 Operations

RECREATION• Formed partnership with local Recreational Service

Provider (tickets, rentals, retail) – CCC

• Formed partnership with equipment provider – Rossignol

• Formed partnership with adjacent Operator– Callaghan Country Wilderness …

Total of 100 km for “Destination” Cross-Country skiers

Our next door neighbor….. Callaghan Country Routes of Wilderness Backcountry ski

operator in the valley

Olympic CC Trail System 10km

Olympic Biathlon Trail System 4km

Recreational Trail System&Legacy Trail System 55km

5KM Asphalt &6 km Night Lighting

Lit trails – 5.7 km

2007-2008 Operations

DEVELOPMENT

• Invited school programs (1000 kids for $5)• Regular scheduled club programs (“bunny

rabbits”, “biathlon bears”, “hoppers”, etc.) – Squamish Nordics, West Coast Nordics …

• National Development Teams (CC, SJ, NC & BT)

Working Hard……to achieve perfection

To be…………..

Our Competitors of to-morrow

2007-2008 Operations - Events

• Formed partnership with local community in Sea-To-Sky (CALOC, Whistler Nordics, Hollyburn, Squamish Nordics, Spud Valley)

• Hosted 5 main events– Three national Championships– Largest Cross-Country Nationals in history (650

athletes)– Two international Ski Jump meets– Total of 450 “Games time” sport volunteers

identified (in 3 sports)

2007 - 08 Events

Summary - First Winter (2007 – 2008)December 15th - April 13th

We Outsourced:– Our Point of Sale– Ski School– Ski Rentals– Ski Repair– Retail– Ticketing

• We donated to WAG all season pass dog tags sold

• 14 events

Our Numbers (5 months):• Public ski days

13,598• Season passes 3,400• Volunteer / Coaches 5,654• Athletes: 10,031• Biathlon• Cross Country• Ski Jumping• Snow shoeing• Total Skier Days 32,683

2008-2009 Operations• Tri-area pass (Lost Lake, Whistler Olympic Park,

Callaghan Country) – 130 km• Contracted Food/Day Lodge concessionaire• Public Opening November 22nd

• School programs ($10)• Club Programs (free Day pass on day of program)• Corporate programs (Mercedes, etc.)• Updated Web site (www.whistlerolympicpark.com)

• 100% increase in revenue compared to 2008 season

2008-2009 Operations

• Olympic “test” events – big focus

VANOC pre-Games test eventsJan 2008: National Championship, Ski Jumping

National Championship, Nordic Combined

March 2008: National Championship, Cross-CountryNational Championship, Biathlon

Dec 2008: Continental Cup, Nordic CombinedContinental Cup, Ski Jumping Ladies

Jan 2009: World Cup, Ski JumpingWorld Cup, Cross-CountryWorld Cup, Nordic Combined

March 2009: World Cup, BiathlonWorld Cup, IPC Nordic

2009 NORDIC

FESTIVAL at

WHISTLER OLYMPIC

PARK

Post-Games

• Owned and operated by Whistler 2010 Sport Legacies

• Funded by Games Trust and operating revenue

• Focus on recreation for communities and as “Destination Centre” for Cross-Country skiers

• Ski Jumps will ensure potential for future World Championships and World Cups

• National Training Centre for Cross Country

• National Development Centre for Biathlon

• Snow play• Winter and summer tubing• Rodelbahn• Dog sledding• Horse and wagon rides• Ropes course

Post-Games Activities – options

Rodelbahn

Snow play

Summer tubing

Proposal for tubing area

GREENCOURSE

SAMPLES OF GAMES

Nepalese bridge

Round woodbridge

Platform hightaverage3 meter

Net bridge

CHILDRENCOURSE

SAMPLES OF GAMES

For children course, the games and equipment for participant are nearly the same than those for the adult park; children from 3 to 6 year old are under the supervision of an adult.

Platform0m50

• Retail and food service– 1ST Nations’ Village?

• Mountain Bike rentals• Wedding/Events at Day Lodge• Corporate events• Camping• Concerts

Post-Games Activities - other

2010 Games

Olympic Games Feb 12th – 28th 2010Paralympics March 12th – 21st 2010• About 30% of all

Olympic Gold Medals at WOP (Total of 28)

• About 50% of all Paralympic Gold Medals at WOP

Olympic Games Numbers at WOP• 33 total events

(1 – 3 per day)• 650 Sport Volunteers• 2000 total volunteers

and staff every day• 24,000 venue capacity

every day• 620 Athletes• 600 Coaches and Team

officials

Our goals: - Great Games where sport and culture shines- Ensure the sustainability and continued successful ongoing operation of Whistler Olympic Park