Olympic Winter Expedition
January 31, 2009 – 9:52 am
IPS students embarked on the first of two exciting daylong winter expeditions on January 27th. Snowshoeing and tubing were the activities of the day at Cypress Mountain—home of the snowboarding events for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Andromeda and Cassiopeia we’re paired up and took to the snowshoe trails first! Peter, a professional mountaineering guide with extensive experience in wilderness survival, guided the group. Along the trail he talked to our students about the “ten essentials” a person needs to survive in the wilderness. Carrying matches, candles, extra clothing, a flashlight & extra batteries, and orange garbage bags into the wilderness were some of the items he identified as being essential items. The highlight for students snowshoeing was playing camouflage—a game not unlike TAG—that allowed players to hide in the winter landscape.
While Andromeda and Cassiopeia were blazing the snowshoe trails Orion and Pleiades were speeding down Cyprus Mountain’s tubing slides! There were individuals, pairs, and groups of six racing down the runs. Everybody had a blast and in the afternoon, the groups switched activities.
In keeping with the Olympic theme we headed out to the Richmond Olympic Oval on day two. We toured the enormous facility that is big enough to hold four passenger jet airplanes. Students learned that the Oval’s massive roof is one of its most spectacular features because it promotes sustainability and supports BC’s leading export—lumber products. One million feet of pine beetle wood is incorporated into the ceiling and the world is beginning to recognize that pine beetle wood is a viable construction product.
We also learned that when the oval was being constructed crewmembers put hundreds of loonies under the ice to serve as lucky charms for Canadian Olympic athletes! After the tour, students skated around the oval—some of them approximating the speed of Cindy Lassen—Canada’s most famous speed skater.
It was truly an amazing experience to be skating in one of Vancouver’s official Olympic venues in the knowledge the entire world would be focused on it as well in just thirteen months time. That IPS students could enjoy this remarkable facility before the Olympic athletes arrive was incredible. Who knows? Perhaps some of our students will be one of the 8,000 cheering spectators that get a chance to experience the thrill of a Canadian athlete breaking an Olympic record.
Thank you to Grade 7 parent, Dominique Perroni, for joining our group.
Karla Everitt