After winning the first Canadian gold medal on home turf freestyle moguls skier Alex Bilodeau had a press conference this morning which I sat in on at the BC International Media Centre.

Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr / 2010.JohnBiehler.com

The very humble Bilodeau replied in both French and English, offering much praise to the Own the Podium program, his family (in particular his brother), and his fellow athletes. “This extraordinary effort does not come in isolation,” said Peter Judge, CEO of the Canadian Freestyle Ski Association. “First and foremost we are thanking Canada.”

Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr / 2010.JohnBiehler.com

Running on 3 hours of sleep after many media meetings, appearances and television spots in the last 18 hours, Bilodeau did a great job of even addresses tough questions from press about judging at sporting events like his. “The only thing I can control is my performance,” he noted.

When asked what his coach’s last words of wisdom were before he went down his medal-winning run he simply replied, “I said to him, ‘thank you’.”

Photo credit: John Biehler on Flickr / 2010.JohnBiehler.com

With many more press conferences, interviews, and photo ops on his horizon Bilodeau is ultimately looking forward to seeing his family tonight. He added, “for me it’s just the beginning of a great party & all of Canada is invited.”

Submitted by Rebecca Bollwitt

This is the 2nd of several Vancouver 2010 Olympics photoessays created by Kris Krüg.

Vancouver is filled with energy now that 2010 Winter Olympic Games has officially started.

The last week has been filled with the excited fervor of the last month and anticipation of the upcoming weeks.

Here is a photographic look into the last week of adventure and celebrations, before the officially opening of the Games in Vancouver.

The Olympic torch was carried downhill on the Blackcomb mountain by world champion and olympiad Steve Podborski. Steve won a bronze medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. Currently he is part of the VANOC and works within International Relations.

Premier Gordon Campbell seemingly is Canada's number one fan. Campbell has travelled around Canada for the entire length of the torch relay. Here he is handing out coveted British Columbia Olympic pins to fans at the Whistler Torch Celebration.

Vancouver is part of the Coast Salish territories and has a Four Host First Nation welcoming committee as part of the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Games. Willie Lewis, dressed in a traditional Aborginal outfit, was part of the Whistler Torch Relay Celebration.

Static Photography had the chance to hang out in Whistler for the weekend with Chris Wheeler who had been following the torch relay through all of Canada. We had the chance to do some zip trekking with him! Our longest run was 2200 m.

The Olympic Torch had an extended route through all of Vancouver with the relay going through all of the neighborhoods in Vancouver. The Vancouver city council accompanied by Mayor Gregor Robertson welcomed the torch when it came to City Hall. 

Vancouver Olympiad Lori Fung, with her gold medal, was present when the Olympic Torch came to the Vancouver City Hall. Fung was the first gold medalist awarded in the sport of Rhythmic Gymnastics during the 1984 Summer Olympics which were held in Los Angeles, CA.

Iain Black welcomed the public to the opening of the VX Forum in Vancouver, BC. Black is Minister of Small Business, Technology and Economic Development in Canada and is pictured here with Nadia Nascimento and Dave Olson of Invoke Media which is the parent company to twitter-based application Hootsuite.

This is the first Olympic Games where people are full-on involved with technology and the internet. Many fans often have out their own cameras to capture their memories themselves. With this sort of documentation present for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, some of the best Olympic news coverage will be coming from the internet!

There are many different pavilions popping up all over Vancouver with all sorts of awesome installations and displays. This is a touch screen graffitti media installation in the DigiBC part of the BC Pavilion. Here one of the creators is having fun creating some interactive art.

Mayor Gregor Robertson has been a very busy man during the preparations for the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Here he is outside of the W2 Media and Culture House in the DTES. He was the speaker at the ribbon-cutting of this independent media house which opened to the public.

The beautiful Olympic Athlete Village sits on the waters' edge of the False Creek. There was a bit of controversy when the athletes from Australia hung up their official Aussie flag, which is a copyrighted image. Despite some grievances with the IOC, Vancouver fought to keep the flag up!

Bombardier, the company who designed the Olympic Torch for the Vancouver Winter Olympics, also designed the Olympic Line, a train that runs from the Main Street Skytrain Station to Granville Island. Bombardier has given Vancouver two of their streetcars, on loan from Brussels, Belgium. The Olympic Line is a 60 day demonstration project so get a ride while you can! 

Visitors have been packing into Vancouver from all over the world for the 2010 Winter Olympics. This group of women associated with Ukrainian team were photographed on their way into the Opening Ceremony on February 12th. 

Another type of visitor that has been sighted in Vancouver is the increase in public security, with the influx of police from other provinces. These police officers are in fact from four different Canadian provinces! 

It was very exciting to watch the crowd gather for the Opening Ceremony at the German Saxony House. The place was packed with locals and visitors for the three hour televised event. Of course, everyone went nuts when the Canadian team was ushered into BC Place. 

The biggest secret of the 2010 Winter Olympics was the identity of the person who was to light the final torch in Vancouver during the official welcoming of the Games. Wayne Gretzky ended up carrying the torch from BC Place to the final outdoor giant torch at Waterfront station in a great fanfare. The night ended with a fireworks-filled sky. 

The 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games have only just begun. The city of Vancouver has ahead of it three weeks of events and celebrations!

This is only the beginning so make sure to check back for more photographic recaps from Static Photography! 

In case you missed it, here is our first photo essay about 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Thanks to Vancouver Access, Culture at the Olympics and the LA Times for republishing our first 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics photo essay!

{note: Originally appeared in Vancouver Observer as Creating the People’s History of 2010: Accredit Yourself and Start Reporting, Partying, and Schmoozing with the World}

“You know it’s gonna get stranger, so let’s get on with the show” Shakedown Street, Grateful Dead

Ours to Document

How are you spending your Olympics? No matter how you roll, whether you plan to celebrate, protest, or observe, my admonition is to document the people’s history about how the Olympics interacts with our communities like historian Howard Zinn would advise. Perhaps you’re skipping out of school to see some events or explore Vancouver’s hidden gems? Good. Recluse J.D. Salinger woulda wanted you to, but wouldn’t let you know it.

Indeed, the frustrations many feel about the Games is because the VANOC doesn’t represent “us” the way we see ourselves and we want the world to see our communities the way the really are. Not the fabricated, sanitized version TV will spew to the world. Alas, most any sense of excitement is overshadowed by the broken promises, funding overruns, security boondoggles and twisted public priorities. However, the Games are coming soon.

And if we don’t tell the stories from the street, who will?

Accredit Yourself

My personal objectives are:a) story making; b) internationalizing; c) good times.

In other words, I’ll be seeking stories about lesser known athletes, civic conundrums, and festive adventures and inviting other social story tellers along for my forays and finding the best hospitality along the way.

Wanna do the same?

Declare your intentions with a self-accreditation badge and share something you enjoy. Lead a walking tour of Chinatown, the old Expo grounds or your own neighbourhood. Maybe host a pub meet-up for Latvian hockey fans, or show up for a blogger tour of the Police Museum. Rally a field trip to Surrey or Richmond for celebrations and cultural exchange with the rest of the outsiders. I’m envisioning a moveable feast of ad hoc events led by anyone, attended by anyone, no signup. Go with the flow, share your skills and content using web tools.

I plan to meet international arts and media-minded visitors and show them Vancouver beyond Stanley Park and Granville Island (though those are great too).

Personal Documentation

“The first thing you’ll probably want to hear is about my trip to Nagano, Japan where I rented a crumby flophouse to turn into a coffee and craft shop and all that kinda David Copperfield kinda crap, but all I remember from Nagano is that snowboarder whassis name getting all hassled – why can’t anyone just leave people alone – makes ya wanto head to the mountains and live in a bunker.”

- (not a) lost chapter from Catcher in the Rye

SLC 2002

After seeing the torch in Olympia, WA, I loaded up a car with my brother, a stack of tickets, two ounces of herbal supplements and a trunk full of NW micro-brews and smoked meats and cheeses. After 13 days and 28 events, I’d documented with 700+ photos, dozens of video clips, a couple TV appearances, partied with gold medalists and lent Don Cherry my hat.

I also learned the power of grassroots reporting by sharing a video clip of the first-ever Nepali Winter Olympian (vid) and observed the passion of Latvian hockey fans. I also learned what you see on TV is very different from on the ground – ain’t it all bad. Heck, the Olympics brought public transit and liberalized beer laws to Utah!

Torino 2006

I remained in Vancouver, living on Torino time with 4:00 AM cappuccinos and frustrating hockey games while my colleagues Mssrs. Krug and Scales were the new media pioneers encamped in Turin at the Piedmonte Non-accredited Media Centre, testing streaming video cams, visiting hospitality houses, and rallying photo walks in between events and business outreach.

I assembled a collection of Olympic Outsider podcasts and frequent Olympic Notebooks to document the sports, media, and business issues of the games. But the gem of the Torino 2006 social media experiment was the “Social Media and Sports Symposium” – a panel discussion delivered from Vancouver and Turin over the web featuring Ross Rebagliati discussing the changing role of blogging since Nagano with Roland Tanglao and Will Pate ~ the old media begin to notice the magma bubbling up from renegade tech-journ-artists.

Beijing 2008

Everyone wondered how the bureaucracy and policies of social control would affect every aspect of the Games and the torch relay was famously interrupted several times and the Olympics became a politically-charged event akin to days of Moscow and LA boycotts compared to relatively non-political Games in Athens and Sydney.

This time around, I again contextualized content from colleagues Kris and Rob who stormed Beijing like savvy pirates covering street food, conferences and fencing. From the Occident, I assembled massive storypacks from their artifacts through Raincity Studios and crafted educational toolkits and closely observed the nuances of IOC’s priority of protecting rights-holders.

Vancouver 2010

Leading up to Vancouver turn to spend, there were a bevy of events to podcast including the Governor-General presenting the Olympic flag from Oslo, the flag tour with Crispin Lipscomb and Duff Gibson, plus reconnaissance of venues in Whistler, Cypress, Richmond and Vancouver.

But the big effort started with rejection from the worldwide press briefing and an open letter to VANOC – which sparked commentary, meetings and ideas. The letter also attracted media of all flavors to the conversation about the roles and regulations in the grey space between “accredited journalists” and “fans with cameras and recorders.”

Now the fruits of this conversation are evident with publications and organizations building coverage communities and logistical resources for all sorts of journos – more on these below.

Handing the Laptop

London 2012

A few months ago at the IOC Congress in Copenhagen, ad man Martin Sorrell spoke about the “Digital Revolution” (video) Slide Deck (.pdf) to the assembled dignitaries and extolled the virtues of easing IP restrictions, embracing fan media makers and using social media channels.

While VANOC was late to the revolution (they have made efforts @2010Tweets – Youtube), London has a head of New Media evangelizing Change, Social Media and London 2012 plus concerned citizens are using social media in a non-confrontational manner to express concerns directly to Jacques Rogge. Dr. Andy Miah of Univ. of Western Scotland will be documenting what he sees here and sharing in the UK after participating in the Social Media and the Olympics Panel at Northern Voice here in Vancouver.

Sochi 2016

Residents of Sochi will enjoy the benefits of social media for community discourse from early days of their Games as they received a Knight News Challenge of $600,000 to use for:

“… the latest online tools to both discuss and influence the impact of the games. A web site and database will allow the community to track and debate how the plans are changing life there over a five-year period. The idea is to help residents better prepare for the Olympics, to inform the media about the city’s issues and to use discussions about the games as a way to improve life in Sochi.” A notable achievement to celebrate by – props to young Fulbright scholar, Alexander Zolotarev – and I hope i can help out!

Strong, Free, Social

While some are quick to polarize attitudes about the Games into pro or con,  I am convinced that embracing a variety of opinions about the Olympix events is of significant value. While IOC and VANOC policies may be sources of personal frustration, by documenting the people’s history of the arts, sports and civic issues around Vancouver, we can effectuate positive change in our community and pass on knowledge for future events.

With this spirit in mind, the True North Media House campaign encourages social media education, aggregation and collaboration. My cohorts and I assembled a toolkit of practical resources to help find, tell, and share stories:

Stellar Work! The lads behind With Glowing Hearts – the Movie demonstrate the importance using creative art to document the social transitons and civic landscape which otherwise go under-noticed. Their ongoing film project includes a segment about the True North Media House evolution which Scales also discusses at Vancouver Access.

Good Idea! Like predictive back-to-school essays, some of my cohorts have published posts about how they will spend their Olympics – consider doing the same. Meet: John Biehler, John Bollwitt, Rebecca Bollwitt, Duane Storey plus the crew at Vancouver Access 2010 who are providing epic info resources for fans and props to event mapmaker 2010VanFan AKA Andrea.

Hang your @

Need a place to plug-in? You can meet like-minded doppelgangers at several physical facilites – each with a distinct point of view and requirements including:

• IBC at Canada Place 2 – no use mentioning it cause you ain’t getting anywhere near it unless you’re already sorted out
• BOB co-working centre – Building Opportunities through Business program has a drop-in co-working space and is hosting some CODE activities
• Network Hub – a entreptrenuraial co-working space renting desks by hour or month
• W2’s Media Arts Centre (also hosting the Legal Observers program) – call for pricing details
• BC International Media Centre – run by the provincial secretariat and hosting some accredited trad. and social media outlets
• Squamish tourism and rumours of more centres at UBC, Whistler/Blackcomb, Carnegie Library and others …?
• A city full of coffee shops and libraries with wi-fi and tables (tip your baristas)

Need a place to publish your work? Find an online community which suits your tastes like: Vancouver Observer, Now Public, Orato, Rabble.ca, Media Co-Op /Dominion or roll your own blog, set up Twitter, Flickr and Vimeo accounts to season, and you’re rolling.

Best Social Practices

There is a huge difference between sticking your content on Facebook and sharing it for the public enjoyment and archiving. Without giving your the full “Web2.0″ manifesto, here are three critical steps to maximizing the reach and longevity of your creations.

• Publish your work Creative Commons – this alternative copyright framework allows you to give permission for non-commercial use with conditions of attribution and share-alike-ness (CC on Flickr)
• Tag it specific, tag it general – tags are meant to increase findability – i’ll use #van2010 for all Olympics related content and tags for community-specific awareness e.g.: #vo2010 #tnmh + track in HootSuite so I see everything</plug>
• Share it to last – don’t hide your content and expect your work to live on, instead, publish content across multiple sites including Wikimedia commons & Archive.org

It will get Weird

No matter what you think now, expect mind to expand and evolve as you find some inspiration or motivation which you never previously considered.

Perhaps, you’ll discover the notion to express yourself or find new co-conspirators to create a new reality or play a role in helping others explore the places you pass each day.

If not, methinks you’ve missed out on the biggest chance for international fellowship since Expo 86 – and whether you plan to celebrate, protest or observe, you now have the ability and opportunity to contribute to the public record.

So, what do you plan to contribute to the future?

Photo Credits:

Canadian fans – Dave Olson

Roland, Ross and Dave – Rachel Ashe

Ski Jump – Dave Olson

Media Badge – John Biehler

Claudia Pechstein on drums – Dave Olson

Roland, Ross and Dave 2 – Brad Rees via Dave Olson

Seahorse Snacks – Kris Krug

Duff Gibson & medal – Dave Olson

Scales, Maih and Krug – Via Andy Miah

Governor General and Mayor – Dave Olson

Dave and Nadia at Fresh Media – John Bollwitt

Protest Sign – Dave Olson

Don and Ron – Dave Olson

Today is the last day of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Torch Relay.

I had the pleasure seeing the torch up close and being passed on right in front of me, along side so many Vancouverites and Olympic fans..

“The Olympic Flame has a sacred history and symbolizes the principles of peace, brotherhood and friendship,” notes VANOC (the Vancouver Olympics Committee), and is “a 45,000 kilometre journey across Canada that will unify the country and build excitement for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.”

According to VANOC, the Vancouver 2010 Olympics torch relay is “the longest in history to be contained within the Host Country.”

Vancouver 2010 Olympics Torch Relay Statistics

Some interesting statistics, provided by VANOC in a media kit released in October, 2010.

• 106 days long (October 30, 2009 – February 12, 2010)
• 187 community celebrations
• 1020 communities and places of interest, including
  • 115 Aboriginal communities
  • 20 places of interest
  • 14 Canadian Forces Bases and Canadian Forces Stations
• 90% of Canada’s 32 million population (about 29 million) will be within one hour’s drive of the relay route
• 12,000 – number of torchbearers
• 45,000 – total kilometres traveled across the country
  • 18,000 – total kilometres by air
  • 1,000 – total kilometres by water
  • 26,000 – total kilometres by land
  • 100 – approximate number of different modes of transportation used along the way

The sheer length of the relay within the host country (with no international legs included) is what has distinguished it from previous Olympic torch relays.

Close

For seven years Vancouverites have been anticipating the 2010 Winter Olympics (in either a positive or negative way). On February 12th, 2007 the official countdown clock for the Olympic and Paralympic Games was installed outside the Vancouver Art Gallery. Over the last two years it’s been counting down to this single day, and a single moment in time that will happen tonight at BC Place.

Photo by Raincity Studios on Flickr

Photo by Espera on Flickr

Photo by pkdon50 on Flickr

Photo by Kanpeki Yume on Flickr

Photo by GusF on Flickr

Photo by Sea Turtle on Flickr

Photo by Jeff Tabaco on Flickr

Photo by scazon on Flickr

Photo by world of jan on Flickr

Photo by nnil on Flickr

Photo by Miss604 on Flickr

Photo by cheukiecfu on Flickr

Photo by John Bollwitt on Flickr

Photo by Miss604 on Flickr

I know a series of clock photos isn’t the most exciting (and as you can see it doesn’t snow that much) but it’s what this timepiece symbolizes that matters. The Vancouver 2010 Winter Games are here, and this is one excited city.

The Olympics is in itself a family friendly event. However, if you’re wondering about what activities would be fun to do with your kids, here are a few suggestions:

The Robson Square Zipline:

Whistler’s Ziptrek Ecotours has installed a 170 meter zipline across Robson Square from the top of the law courts to the south-east corner of the Vancouver Art Gallery. It will be up throughout the Games from February 12 to 28th, from 10am to 9pm, and it’s FREE to the public! If you and your kids are up for an adventure, THIS is the place to go! I highly recommend arriving early, as the lineups for this unique activity will be long! (It isn’t everyday that you can zipline through the city!) They plan on shooting 70 people down the line each hour, so chances sound pretty good that the lineup will move quite quickly! So come early and have FUN!!

Robson Square Skating Rink

The General Electric sponsored open-air skating rink at Robson Square is a super fun activity for the whole family! It is open from 9am to 9pm throughout the Games. Bring your own skates or rent a pair for only $3. Admission to the rink itself is free! The rink is out doors, but in a covered area so a fun activity, rain or shine

Coca-Cola Pavilion

The Coca-Cola is an amazing and fun place for people of all ages. I was privileged to get a sneak peak at the pavilion before it opened and was amazed by what I found inside. You will learn about the history of Coca-Cola’s involvement in the Olympics from the 1990′s to present. Included in this is a display of the Olympic torches of each Games Coca-Cola has been involved in. Very Cool!! Next you will be invited to watch a video of the torch relay, and then they will let you loos in the main room of the pavilion to enjoy an ice cold Coca-Cola and participate in several cool activities, including having your photo taken with an official torch of the 2010 Games. The Coca-Cola Pavilion is a MUST SEE as far as I’m concerned! The Pavilion is located at LiveCity Yaletown at David Lam Park.

To see the photos of my “sneak peak,” and to get a better idea of what to expect, please visit Flickr.

Canada’s Northern House

A very cool Canadian cultural activity would be to check out Canada’s Northern House. Located at the corner of Seymour and West Hastings, the Northern House give the public a taste of the culture in the Yukon and Northwest Territories, as well as Nunavut. For more information about the Northern House, please visit the website at http://www.canadasnorth.com.

The OZone

The OZone is located in Richmond, near the Olympic Oval at Minoru Park. From February 12 to 28, the O Zone will be an awesome destination to celebrate the Olympic Games, watch Olympic events on the huge screens, watch live entertainment, and participate in many family activities. Included at the OZone are activities from outdoor skating, to participating in the BCLC virtual reality sporting events, to learning about the different regions of British Columbia, to the World Ice Art Championships! There will be fireworks and theme nights at this venue as well! For more information, visit the website at http://www.richmondozone.com.

These are only a few of the many many family fun activities you will find around the city during the 2010 Games! The list is endless! There are things for all ages to join in the Olympic spirit. So bring your kids out and HAVE FUN!!!

This photo essay originally posted over at Kris Krüg‘s Vancouver photography blog Static.

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are upon us and things are heating up around Vancouver. You can feel the energy in the city as all the last minute details are pulled together for this huge event. The team at Static Photography has been out and about making photos of all the action and we have pulled together some of our favorites. You can find more Vancouver 2010 photos than you know what to do with here, but for now check out this first week of February in Vancouver with the Winter Olympic Games just around the corner.

We got a tour of Prince George, starting first with speed skating lessons from the speed skating youth team. These kids are fast!

These cute dogs were part of DogPower which gave us a dog-sledding tour through Prince George.

Rebecca Bollwitt, otherwise known as Miss604, was up in Prince George for the winter adventures. Rebecca is a Vancouver blogger who will be covering the Olympic Games.

Dog-sledding was a great way to travel the back country of Prince George.

Prince George has a huge ancient forest with trees that are hundreds of years old. Static Photography’s Kris Krüg had a chance to prove his strength by holding up this fallen tree.

The ancient forest in Prince George provided a great canopy for the long winter hike.

The Prince George Coldsnap Music Festival showcases some of the best in Canadian musical talent. The Great Lake Swimmers were at the festival this year, headlining the main night.

The BC Cups #2 Cross-country Skiing event happened took place in Prince George. This event was all ages and the competition was strong even in the snowfall.

The Torch was traveling through Prince George in its journey through Canada. This is the passing of the Olympic flame from one torch bearer to another torch bearer, which is called a ‘kiss’.

There was a festive torch celebration when the Olympic flame was brought Prince George. The entire town was a captive audience when the Prince George cauldron was light by the Olympic flame.

Premier Gordon Campbell is obviously the Olympics biggest fan and has travelled around the country following the torch along its journey.

The Richmond Oval is a venue that was built specifically for the Olympic Games. This venue will hold the speed-skating events.

GM Place will be renamed Canada Hockey Place during the Olympic Games. All of the hockey events will be held at this venue during February.

Many changes have taken place in Vancouver during the preparation for the Olympic Games. A long standing Beatty Street mural was covered in the prep but is being repainted by local Vancouver artists.

For the first time ever in Olympic history, the Cultural Olympiad has a digital edition called CODE. Rae Hull is the Creative Director of CODE, which is has four parts, Canada CODE, CODE Screen 2010, CODE Motion Pictures and CODE Live.

This is the CODE Live 1 at Great Northern Way Campus in Vancouver. Wang Yuyang is showcasing his media installation Artifical Moon, which illuminates the entryway of CODE Live 1.

The 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad has some public art installations around the city. One of these art installations is Fire with Fire by Isabelle Hayeur and is located in the W2 Woodward’s building.

The 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad has curated over 60 days of arts, theatre and dance performances. The opening weekend showcased Elizabeth Streb’s show Streb: RAW with its amazing acrobatic feats of human flight.

We spent the weekend in Whistler with Tourism BC. Chris has been making videos while following the Torch through its journey of Canada.

The Peak to Peak Gondola takes you from the top of the Whistler Mountain to the top of the Blackcomb Mountain. This was part of our snowboard adventure with Tourism BC.

The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games will officially be here in the city in less than a week. We can’t wait to see what Vancouver has in store when the Games are finally here!

Definitely make sure to check back for more photo essays during the month of February!

Here is a slideshow of the images from this photo essay. Feel free to share this on your blogs and your networks under a Creative Commons license. Please make sure to link back to Static Photography!

Thanks!

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are upon us and things are heating up around Vancouver. You can feel the energy in the city as all the last minute details are pulled together for this huge event. The team at Static Photography has been out and about making photos of all the action and we have pulled together some of our favorites. You can find more Vancouver 2010 photos than you know what to do with here, but for now check out this first week of February in Vancouver with the Winter Olympic Games just around the corner.

We got a tour of Prince George, starting first with speed skating lessons from the speed skating youth team. These kids are fast!

These cute dogs were part of DogPower which gave us a dog-sledding tour through Prince George.

Rebecca Bollwitt, otherwise known as Miss604, was up in Prince George for the winter adventures. Rebecca is a Vancouver blogger who will be covering the Olympic Games.

Dog-sledding was a great way to travel the back country of Prince George.

Prince George has a huge ancient forest with trees that are hundreds of years old. Static Photography’s Kris Krüg had a chance to prove his strength by holding up this fallen tree.

The ancient forest in Prince George provided a great canopy for the long winter hike.

The Prince George Coldsnap Music Festival showcases some of the best in Canadian musical talent. The Great Lake Swimmers were at the festival this year, headlining the main night.

The BC Cups #2 Cross-country Skiing event happened took place in Prince George. This event was all ages and the competition was strong even in the snowfall.

The Torch was traveling through Prince George in its journey through Canada. This is the passing of the Olympic flame from one torch bearer to another torch bearer, which is called a ‘kiss’.

There was a festive torch celebration when the Olympic flame was brought Prince George. The entire town was a captive audience when the Prince George cauldron was light by the Olympic flame.

Premier Gordon Campbell is obviously the Olympics biggest fan and has travelled around the country following the torch along its journey.

The Richmond Oval is a venue that was built specifically for the Olympic Games. This venue will hold the speed-skating events.

GM Place will be renamed Canada Hockey Place during the Olympic Games. All of the hockey events will be held at this venue during February.

Many changes have taken place in Vancouver during the preparation for the Olympic Games. A long standing Beatty Street mural was covered in the prep but is being repainted by local Vancouver artists.

For the first time ever in Olympic history, the Cultural Olympiad has a digital edition called CODE. Rae Hull is the Creative Director of CODE, which is has four parts, Canada CODE, CODE Screen 2010, CODE Motion Pictures and CODE Live.

This is the CODE Live 1 at Great Northern Way Campus in Vancouver. Wang Yuyang is showcasing his media installation Artifical Moon, which illuminates the entryway of CODE Live 1.

The 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad has some public art installations around the city. One of these art installations is Fire with Fire by Isabelle Hayeur and is located in the W2 Woodward’s building.

The 2010 Vancouver Cultural Olympiad has curated over 60 days of arts, theatre and dance performances. The opening weekend showcased Elizabeth Streb’s show Streb: RAW with its amazing acrobatic feats of human flight.

We spent the weekend in Whistler with Tourism BC. Chris has been making videos while following the Torch through its journey of Canada.

The Peak to Peak Gondola takes you from the top of the Whistler Mountain to the top of the Blackcomb Mountain. This was part of our snowboard adventure with Tourism BC.

The Vancouver Winter Olympic Games will officially be here in the city in less than a week. We can’t wait to see what Vancouver has in store when the Games are finally here!

Definitely make sure to check back for more photo essays during the month of February!

Here is a slideshow of the images from this photo essay. Feel free to share this on your blogs and your networks under a Creative Commons license. Please make sure to link back to Static Photography!

Thanks!

This morning we went to the BCMC (British Columbia Media Centre) where Premier Campbell and Minister of State for the Olympics Mary McNeil greeted the media and gave us a brief intro of the BC International Media Centre’s features.

(Why is Gordon wearing his HBC Olympic Red Mittens indoors and trying to use the touch screen with them on? Je ne sais pas!)

After, Premier Campbell and five-time Olympian Charmaine Crooks will demonstrate one of the exciting activities open to the public during the 2010 Winter Games and ride the new 170-metre-long zipline across Robson Square…

For a complete list of things to-do during the 2010 Winter Games, check out our “free event guide“…

We managed to take several pictures, and I got to play with my new Canon 7D.. Which now allows me do do video.. So I recorded the Premier Campbell conference after he zipline over Robson Square.

Where is this?

Close