Legacy of an Olympic Venue – Soldier Hollow

FasterSkier · January 19, 2004

This past weekend was truly a great reminder of what many Olympic volunteers and Cross-Country ski enthusiasts pictured as the true Olympic legacy of Soldier Hollow.

The venue was filled with 260 young junior skiers racing on much of the 2002 Olympic 5-km course (modified somewhat), starting and finishing in the Olympic stadium while their names were listed on the large scoreboards. At the same time, totally separated from the race venue, several hundred more skiers were trotting along the recreational trails enjoying the distant music from the stadium and looking up the hill to see if the local moose population would show themselves again.

With the abundant snow coverage, most of the venue’s Olympic Cross-Country trails are open and groomed, and the rush and enjoyment of skiing along the real 2002 Olympic courses can be had for anyone with dreams or memories of Olympic days. For those of us with training and racing goals in mind, it becomes amazingly clear that a day of skiing on Olympic trails is worth several days of training on any other trails. The demands of the hills, the undulation of the terrain and the multitude of technical challenges will improve any and all skiers.