With the closing ceremonies behind us it’s time to say bye-bye to Beijing. Though these games were a spectacular in many ways your memories are already starting to fade. Of course there are things we will never forget…The US swimming champ Michael Phelps winning a phenomenal 8 gold medals; the brilliance of the Chinese in sweeping the sports most other countries ignore boosting China to a fantastic high of 51 gold medals; and Usain Bolt breaking the world record for the 200. But there are many things that are better left behind: the possibility of some of Chinese athletes competing under age; the fact that the Chinese conducted the games like the Great Oz manipulating everything from a “cuter” singer to digitized effects; or the that the bold-faced lie promising a totally open and free media. Ah well, it’s time to look to the future. And so I turn your attention to the Winter Olympics s'il vous plait. It is now Canada’s turn.

Don’t for a second think they aren’t aware of the tremendous pressure that comes with the privilege of hosting. I travelled to Whistler while the Beijing Games were in full-swing and got a close look at the prep.

Fortunately, Vancouver and Whistler boast beautiful, clear air on a regular basis so such fundamentals like breathing conditions are not an issue. However, for the Winter Olympic venues it’s often more an issue of how to deal with getting people from place to place. You have events like hockey and ice skating which need large stadiums contrasted with the outdoor expanse required by the skiing events. Vancouver will host the games and many of the events are taking place in or around the city but all of the skiing and sliding events are happening in Whistler.

Once the venues were decided on the next thing to be sorted was the transportation for getting from Vancouver to Whistler (usually about a two-hour ride by car) on a two-lane highway. Of course with the kind of traffic that Olympics get this highway would be bumper-to-bumper for days at that size. Work is going round the clock to expand the highway to four lanes in time for the games. While it has caused some unpredictable delays for tourists and townies alike – the project seems to be going well. Locals boast that it may even be completed ahead of schedule.

Once you get up to Whistler and view the Olympic Park, Creekside, and the Sliding Center you can see various events in the making. It’s not often that you can see how an Olympic Luge is constructed after all. When finished, Whistler’s sliding track will be one of only 15 like it in the world. You realize just how mighty it is – and despite a lack of snow and ice I could absolutely picture the Bobsled, Skeleton and Luge events to come. (By the way, after the events are over, you can come here to try it out for yourself!)

But perhaps even more imposing in summer is going down the road to see the building of the ski jumps. The jumps themselves loom massive – even the “smaller” one made me turn away in fear. (And when you do a 180 you realize the natural beauty of the place. I could imagine this incredible valley and mountains off in the distance covered in snow and anticipate how Olympic skiers will stare this down as they psych themselves up.) It’s awesome.

Yet beyond all of the game preparation perhaps one of the most impressive and contrasting notes to Beijing is all the talk of sustainability. Not only is it critical to manage the environment responsibly to the Canadians here but also to care for the creatures in the natural environment. I pondered this in greater detail as a young Black Bear (called a yearling by the locals well versed in Bear) crossed our path near the ski area. In Whistler great care has been given to smart site selection with the absolute minimal vegetation clearing for events, thought has been given to the long-term operations of each facility, and efficiency is high on the list of important items to the engineers and operators here.

I don’t know about you, but after a visit to our neighbors to the North I started getting a whole lot more excited for the Winter Olympics. I hope that the Canadians can inspire us all to a more responsible Olympics, in every way.

Let the games begin….