'Operation snow lift' won't break Games bank

By Mary Milliken

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - The herculean effort to airlift snow onto bare freestyle skiing and snowboard courses days before the 2010 Winter Games open will not break Vancouver organizers' bank, officials said on Tuesday.

While refusing to disclose how much the 11th-hour snow lift to the Cypress Mountain venue has cost, Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) officials said the scale of the operation is daunting.

"The amount of work that has been done against the conditions is hard to believe," said VANOC chief executive John Furlong.

After the warmest January in Vancouver history, Organizers moved more than 5,000 cubic meters of snow onto Cypress by helicopter and truck from nearby mountains. Some 750 workers are bringing in snow and building courses before competition starts on Saturday.

Of the C$1.7 billion ($1.6 billion) operating budget, VANOC set aside $100 million for contingencies. Furlong said that because they only have one major emergency right now, they plan to finish the February 12-28 Games with a balanced budget.

"I suppose you could say we are a bit lucky, (although) it does not feel like it," said Furlong.

Cypress Mountain, visible from downtown Vancouver, has been the flashpoint for pre-Games controversy.

The Vancouver media has dubbed the venue as "Furlong's folly," because the freestyle skiing and snowboarding events could have been held at Whistler resort, where snow conditions are good for the Alpine skiing events.