Vancouver's Olympic Organizing Committee and Environment Canada have been preparing for the Olympics for the past four years.
But with a climate as volatile as Vancouver's, we could see a range of weather - from fog to wind to snow and rain - at Cypress Mountain during the Games next year.
"It faces all kinds of weather challenges because we are so close to the ocean we get every storm that comes off the ocean on to Cypress," says Eric Fremont, VANOC's Sports Manager.
In fact, Vancouver is only the third city to hold a winter Olympics right next to an ocean. It's also the warmest.
Our daily average high in February is eight degrees with a low of just 1.8 -- not even freezing. Oslo, Norway held the games next to an ocean but the average high there is -1 , and a low of -7.
The other ocean side games were in Sapporo, Japan with an average high of zero, and an average low of -8.
But games officials say despite our balmy Februarys, Cypress Mountain should have enough snow. And if the snow Gods don't cooperate. there's a backup plan.
"We plan to make snow as early as October up here," says Fremont.
To make snow, temperatures need to be at least minus three, so if the area is in a warm spell it will take more work to get the mountain ready.
"Trucking snow, flying snow from the other side," says Fremont. "Making snow up higher on Cypress if it is too warm and then pushing that snow downhill."
Rain on Cypress won't cancel an Olympic event, but it can affect the snow quality -- making it a little too soft and difficult for the athletes to compete.
The biggest weather enemy is poor visibility, especially for events like freestyle aerials and moguls,
"Having good visibility so the judges can see top to bottom for moguls, for the aerials so the judges can see," says Fremont. "It's also for the athletes so they'll be able to see the run on their way down."
In a perfect world -- it'll be clear and cold on Cypress one year from now -- but the people planning for the competition say they'll be ready for whatever mother nature throws at them.
