| 2010 is a year that has always been surrounded by | | | | than any other country. Alpine speedster Lindsey |
| hype and yes, hope - even before 2009 turned out | | | | Vonn, as well as young boarding legends like Shaun |
| to be the harshest year we've seen in three | | | | White will be part of the cast of American stars |
| generations. When we were kids, the science fiction | | | | hoping to neutralize the Canadian team's home-field |
| authors had us thinking we'd be skiing on the moon | | | | advantage. |
| by now, and while those weird indoor ski hills in Japan | | | | However the final results shake out, the Vancouver |
| are pretty close, we're not quite there yet. But that | | | | games stand to pick up where the Salt Lake City |
| doesn't mean there hasn't been plenty of hype | | | | games left off - showcasing some of our favorite |
| surrounding this milestone year and the first ski | | | | terrain to the world. |
| season of this most futuristic decade. We decided to | | | | Most Hyped Destination - British Columbia (Honorable |
| check in on some of the most hyped events, places | | | | Mention: Alta) |
| and gear of 2010... | | | | The Olympic games have seen interest in B.C.'s ski |
| Most Hyped Event - The Vancouver Olympics | | | | areas reach what must certainly be an all-time high. |
| The winter Olympiad returns to the slopes of North | | | | Google may as well rename itself 'Whistler' for the |
| America this year, with events set for two weeks in | | | | next month or so. Of course, the terrain and facilities |
| February both around Vancouver itself and at | | | | that many argue are among the best in the world |
| Whistler/Blackcomb. British Columbia will be showing | | | | even on a bad day are a pretty good reason to |
| off its best and newest terrain and facilities, with | | | | check out the province, even when the rest of the |
| Whistler hosting the alpine skiing events, and bobsled, | | | | world isn't in town. It also doesn't hurt that Whistler |
| luge and skeleton running on the resort's new sliding | | | | has one of the longest ski seasons around, with an |
| center at Blackcomb Mountain. Back on the west | | | | average of over 30 feet of snow, and more than |
| edge of the province, tiny Cypress Bowl will host the | | | | 3,000 skiable acres...more than Vail and Sun Valley |
| freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions. | | | | combined. No, really. |
| Unseasonably warm temperatures at Cypress | | | | But to be fair to the rest of the continent, we should |
| recently forced the area to close down and horde | | | | acknowledge that there is skiing happening in plenty |
| snow for the games, but Olympics organizers | | | | of other places besides British Columbia this year, so |
| promise everything will be ready to go before the | | | | we picked a second destination that's been receiving |
| opening ceremonies on February 12. | | | | lots of attention of late. Utah's Alta is one of the |
| As for the competition itself, there's a North | | | | oldest ski resorts in the country, and it's managed to |
| American grudge match taking shape, with both the | | | | maintain a kind of rustic, gritty mystique in an era of |
| Canadian and American ski teams set to own the | | | | mega-resorts. It also offers some of the best value |
| podium and the medal count in Vancouver. Bill Marolt, | | | | for serious champagne powder skiers around, |
| president of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association, | | | | especially with its recent partnership with Snowbird to |
| told reporters the goal for the group of skier and | | | | offer a pass good on both mountains. In these times |
| boarders from south of the border is nothing less | | | | when bargains are on everyone's radar, these |
| than "best in the world" status, meaning more medals | | | | Wasatch wonders live up to their hype. |