Winter Olympics 2010 start tomorrow after varying weather conditions

The Winter Olympic Games start tomorrow but there have been mixed conditions in the resorts hosting the Games which has led to a number of problems.

Vancouver has had record high temperature with the average temperature in January reaching 7.2 degrees. This has meant that in the resort of Cypress Mountain there is a distinct lack of snow. The resort, which is the highest if the North Shore Mountains, is due to hold the freestyle events and the snowboarding but so far has had almost no natural snowfall.

The organisers have resorted to using snow cannons when possible and bringing in snow from other areas, sometimes as far a s 150km away, using helicopters and trucks. This new snow is being laid down on top of over 1000 bales of straw that are replacing the base that should have built up since the beginning of the season.

Training began this week on Cypress Mountain. World Cup freestyle skiing champion Hannah Kearney described it as "absolutely fine... it's as if there was no problem."

The opposite is the problem in Whistler, where the majority of the Games will be held. The resort had a record amount of snowfall at the beginning of the season with almost five metres falling in December and the forecast for Friday night is for five to ten centimetres of snow. This fresh top up could spoil the Men's Downhill course which is usually closer to a sheet of ice than the soft runs most tourists will enjoy.

But with helicopters and more than a thousand volunteers grooming the piste in preparation for one of the opening event of the Games, Vancouver 2010 workforce vice-president Dick Vollet insisted they would work as long as it takes to produce a consistent slope.

"Right now, the course is in perfect condition to race," he said.

"The forecast is for some snow but we have 1200 volunteers ready to do what we have to do and they will work through the night to remove any new snow if they have to.

"We are all very hopeful of a fantastic event on Saturday."

So we'll have to wait and see if the snow gods have been appeased when the Games start tomorrow, but it has certainly been a long, hard road for the organisers.