While parts of the USA and Europe are knee deep in snow, it comes as a supprise that the Canadians are a bit low on the white stuff, especially for some of the areas that are to be used for this weekends Winter Olympic 2010 Games! Temperatures have been particually mild by Vancover standards and they are trucking in snow from other parts of Canada




Quote from the article:

For a big event like the Winter Olympics every last detail is planned. But even then there are some things the organisers can't control - like the unpredictable weather. Temperatures in January in Vancouver hit a record average high of 7.2C, and there's been a distinct lack of snowfall in some places. So, the Vancouver Olympic Committee has enacted its "contingency plan" to ensure there is snow there. Cypress Mountain has 600 acres (240 hectares) of skiable terrain, and a vertical rise of 610m. It is the highest of the North Shore Mountains. To artificially create a complete Alpine feel involves a combination of different approaches. One is to ship in snow from areas where it has been plentiful. Another is to use machine-made artificial snow. And to conceal the lack of depth, hay bales - which are then covered in a surface of snow - are being brought in to bulk out the course.

Source: Got SNOW?