Today officially marks the beginning of the end of this escapade through Vancouver and Whistler’s Olympics, but in true Wick style, I need to end it with a bang (insert innuendo here). By that I mean a day jam packed with Olympic events. I caught three different disciplines, but none are legitimate events, really. The ladies super-combined is just a combination of two different ski runs, while the skeleton is nothing more than a balls-to-the-wall human missile contest.

The new prize for the worst $200 I’ve spent goes to the ticket I bought for the Ladies Super-Combined. I was stuck in a pit, miles from the racers, behind two ski paths, a row of press cubicles with Volkswagen sized cameras, and four fence barricades for the gal catching the occasional edge and bailing into a few spectators. Let’s just say it wasn’t the best spectator sport I’ve caught at the games.

I did, however, get to see some of the most technically sound and fastest skiers on earth. The downhill event is the fastest speed event for Alpine skiing, and where the gates are the farthest apart. To help you imagine this, it’s what you imitate on that run after you’ve put back a few of those lunchtime beers in the lodge. The Super-combined event pairs that up with the most technically challenging event, the slalom, where the gates are really close together.  First one down the mountain wins — my kind of skiing.

Both are completely different styles of skiing, to the point of being very different sports. The morning was very cold and the snow on top of the hard course a bit sugary. When the competitors flew down the hill (and if you watched the finish of the skiing events, that’s literally true for a large portion of it — they call it the “hot air” jump), they kicked up snow behind them that looked like a trail of smoke. I was quite far away, though, and I like to believe it was smoke. Actually, I would have believed anything to justify the overly priced, awful tickets I bought. (more…)

• Cheap Lodging For The Olympics: The Olympics are just around the corner. If you’re on TheExpeditioner.com staff you’ll be attending (like Jon will be doing), and you can expect meager accommodations from your employer: a luxurious stay in the back of a rented van and clipped coupons for the local Tim Horton’s (sorry Jon — the budget’s a little tight this time of year).

For everyone else, why not save a little money and rent one of the many apartments being offered from local Vancouverites. Check out Rent2010.net for rooms at a fraction of the cost you’d find for a hotel. Jon, we’ll try to do better come 2014 in Russia.

• Dublin For $374: What else says “a rollicking good time in Dublin” then an Aer Lingus flight for you and three of your buds. Or, Aer Lingus introduces “The Hangover” special. The airline is running a promotion right now (apparently for the bachelor party set) where a group of four can buy four round-trip tickets for $1,498 total.

To Lima For Cheap: Flights to Peru have been really cheap, and they’re staying that way. LAN is offering flights from D.C. to Lima for only $339 + tax (around $416 total), and $359 from Miami.

It’s almost ethereal to think that my home-and-native-land gets to host the 2010 Winter Olympics in just over a month. I am proud that British Columbia gets to flaunt its grandiose beauty to the world. Back home in Toronto, a friend from Vancouver told me an apt description of the province’s landscape: Rural Ontario is picturesque, but B.C. is sublime. After seeing it for myself last May, I can say he was articulately poignant.

I would like to give a big shout out to John Lee, who wrote an article  for the Daily News about how to navigate the 2010 Games. He takes us on a scribed tour of what to see and where to see it. Due to downtown-Van being a pint-sized peninsula, most of the skating and downhill events take place on the outskirts of the core in the suburb of Richmond or via a short drive to Whistler Village. The Olympic Village is situated just outside downtown in False Creek, appropriately named for there is no creek there — more like an large inlet of water. Hockey lovers will be excited to hear that the battle for gold will be at the B.C. Place, Canada’s first domed stadium. Nevertheless, the venues that the province has chosen seem to be within a reasonable distance of one another.

However, as Lee pointed out, there is more to do in Vancouver than just watch people freezing in spandex (no matter how much fun that sounds). This being the Olympics and all, many countries are heading to the games to promote tourism to their own countries, like Germany who will be on hand selling gigantic bratwursts or Holland who will be livening things up with their own beer house. It sounds sublime.

If you happen to be in Van-city while the Games are going, check out this interactive map from The Globe and Mail where you can find reviews of places to eat, sleep, drink. Enjoy the view, it’s one of Canada’s best.

Since Christmas, it appears that flyers bound for the U.S. from Canada are going to have to pack a little lighter. In the wake of an attempted attack on Delta Airline Flight 253, Canada has tightened security in the nation’s airports, brought to my attention by an article in The Globe and Mail. After further reading, my understanding is that the alleged attack occurred on Christmas Day in Canada’s Airspace, 20 minutes before landing in Detroit.

As a response, Transport Canada released a statement after the incident stating that passengers flying from Canada to the U.S. will not be able to bring carry-ons. However, there are a few exceptions:

Passengers may carry with them one or more of the following items: medication or medical devices, small purses, cameras, coats, items for care of infants, laptop computers, crutches, canes, walkers, containers carrying life sustaining items, a special needs item, musical instruments, or diplomatic or consular bags.

They also warn that flyers should expect delays as a result of the increased security.

I am still unsure whether this is the case for passengers on stopovers from other countries, or if it is just passengers leaving Canada for the U.S. However, I will keep my eyes peeled and ears to the ground for any updates.

Until then, travel light.

Don’t ask why, but I randomly searched to see if there were still tickets for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics coming up in February. Surprisingly, there were, and I gave a fist pump when I saw “available”  next to men’s freestyle skiing. That got me thinking, “bet I’m not the only one.” A tornado of mouse clicks and google searches ensued; here’s what I got.

Getting There: Cheapticketlinks.org has a list of budget airlines that fly into Canada: WestJet, CanJet, Flyglobespan, Horizon Air, and US Airway. Don’t forget about alternate airports to fly into: Seattle SeaTac International (SEA), Bellingham International (BLI), or even Abbotsford International (YXX).

Staying There: There’s a great article over at BootsnAll listing and describing numerous hostels in the area. They start at about $18 usd and up. Another great resource is hostelblog.org with a ton more possibilities.

Tickets: You’re going to see the games, right? So you’ll need these. Good news, you can still get your mitts on them. Many of the hockey games still have tickets, and if you aren’t picky about who you watch, you can score $25 dollar tickets. If you want to, and a little bit of me does, grab one of the opening ceremony tickets from $175 to $1,100.

Conclusion: Remember, it’s a huge event, it may cost you some dinero. Act fast, be flexible, and enjoy.

As a Canadian, I am always so proud and inspired when I hear or read about people actually enjoying the tortuous winter conditions the country has to offer. I think it´s great that they can look at Canada´s climate with optimism, even if I can´t.

So, if three feet of snow, -30ºC and nature towering over you are what you need this Christmas, then Skoki Lodge, located just outside of Banff, Alberta, might just be the place for you. Built in the 1930´s as a ski-retreat, the lodge has not lost its rustic charm: no electricity, no running water, no internet.

Ranked as Canada´s highest lodging in any of its national parks, trying to use one´s cell phone is futile. It is no easy feat to access the Skoki, either. One has to hike or cross-country ski the 11kms of ungroomed trails starting from the Lake Louise ski-hill. Nonetheless, at the end of the trip, you would undoubtedly experience such a sense of accomplishment.

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I feel obligated to put a few posts on the back burner in lieu of our impromptu “TheExpeditioner.com Ski Week 2009” (tag- you’re it, Matt). Next topic: Heli-skiing.

To those not familiar, this Jaunted headline will fill you in pretty quick: “Take A Helicopter To Ski Where (Mostly) No One Has Skied Before.” I’d like to highlight two specific areas that stand out as the center of the heli-skiing universe; Revelstoke, British Columbia and Valdez, Alaska.

At Canadian Mountain Holidays, you can use their isolated backcountry lodges to access “endless powder runs, epic tree skiing and unrivaled fun,” in and around Revelstoke. Similarly, Valdez Heli-Ski Guides claims their terrain “is unlike anything you could ever imagine.” I, personally, agree with both statements.

However, this post comes with a few warnings…

1. Heli-skiing is NOT, nor ever will be, for beginning skiers and riders. Seriously.
2. Heli-skiing is NOT, nor ever will be, cheap (a four day trip will run you between $7,000- $10,000).
3. Heli-skiing is NOT, nor ever will be, anything less than epic.

You curious to meet the man behind the myth of TheExpeditioner.com’s Jon Wick? Are you going to be surprised at how good the skiing looks around Calgary? Does everyone affiliated with TheExpeditioner.com have beards?

Yes, yes, and yes.

Check out Jon’s vid of Calgary, where he re-ups his caffeine intake at Canada’s iconic (although, not for long) Tim Horton’s at 1:35, and, in the spirit of “Ski Week” here, heads to Canada’s highest city of Banff at 6:16 for some world-class skiing.

It’s no secret I choose skiing as my winter escape, so naturally I gravitate towards ski destinations this time of year.

Recently, Travel & Leisure put together a collection of 16 of the world’s scariest (ahem, gnarliest) ski slopes, convincing me that Europe may just be where it’s at.

In particular, France appears three different times on the list (check out this video of the Grand Couloir in Courchevel!), along with areas of Austria and Switzerland. That’s 31 percent of the entire article!

Even with Jackson, WY, Snowbird, UT, and Banff, Alberta (more to come on Banff later this week) making it, three of my favorites, I have to give a shout out to the Big Couloir at Big Sky, Montana (imagine a 45-degree, terrifyingly narrow chute) that ranks pretty high on the gnar scale.

So, maybe I’m a bit partial to my own backyard, but the point is, the terrain I’m seeing in Europe might easily convince me that it’s time for a ski pilgrimage. Wouldn’t you say?

Today marks 100 days until the Olympic torch gets to Vancouver. Happy Olympics, everyone! Personally, I’m stoked, and I’m in a state of constant scheming to find a way there. The problem I run into, are thoughts of “Whistler, snow, mountains, mmm . . .” that usually vanish quickly because of, “Olympics . . . prices jacked up . . .people able to pay that . . .”

So, maybe I’ve ruled out competing in the Games (at least this Olympics), and after reading the Frugal Traveler blog from the NY Times, I might rule out going to Whistler entirely. I’m not giving up hope on getting there; I actually have more hope now. I’m going to Squamish, B.C.

An hour north of Whistler is the simpler, cheaper, and more relaxed alternative. All my style. The outdoor playground has Stawamus Chief or “The Chief,” the more accessible Canadian version of Yosemite’s El Capitan, along with stellar hiking, mountain biking, birding. Plus, during the Olympics, free shuttles will give ticket holders a lift along the Sea-to-Sky Highway, an amazing trip itself.

Rooms at nearly half the price of Whistler, catering towards the locals rather than “well-heeled tourists,” and with beer just as cold, Squamish may be where it’s at.