Soldier Hollow
Biathlon, cross country, nordic combined
Spectators can line up along the cross country course at Soldier Hollow to watch biathletes and cross country skiers. From the stands, they can enjoy a view of the shooting range for biathletes. The leaderboard is big. An announcer will update spectators on what's happening throughout the race, such as who is leading.
A large screen near the shooting range will record athletes' heart rates as they enter the range.
Spectators will board a free Olympic shuttle to the venue entry after passing through the security inspection point at the park-and-ride lot.
A large leaderboard will keep fans updated on times and athlete standings.
A short walk from the entry leads to the Western Experience area where spectators can enjoy a variety of historic re-enactments and exhibits such as cowboy camps, pioneer homesteads and Indian exhibits.
The spectator medical trailer and water station are located on the west side of the spectator path, which leads to the grandstand. Other water stations are placed throughout the venue.
The Heber Valley Railroad is offering Olympic visitors an enjoyable way to get to Soldier Hollow.
For the first time in Olympic history, visitors to the Games can ride a historic train and sleigh ride to the venue.
The round-trip fare for the train and sleigh ride is $30.
Passengers board the train at the depot in Heber City for a 20-minute ride to Soldier Hollow's station platform. There they will board sleighs for the final 10-minute ride to the venue entrance. A continental breakfast will be served on the train during the excursion.
For information on tickets, call Smith'sTix at 1-800-888-8499 or the Heber Valley Railroad at 435-654-5601.
Utah Olympic Park
Bobsled, skeleton, luge, ski jumping
Skeleton and bobsled spectators will have access to the whole track, except that only those with "A" tickets can use the seating bleachers, which hold 3,000. Two other bleachers (holding 1,000 and 500 standees) are open to anyone. Altogether, the capacity is for 15,000 spectators, but for three days the number will be limited to 12,000 to avoid congestion with nearby ski event traffic.
A scoreboard at the lower loop allows visitors to see rankings and times of athletes sliding down the track. Also, a new video board will show the broadcast feed of a race as it happens. From the start, where spectators can't see the scoreboard, a clock shows the time of the competitor.
Flash photos are not allowed. But many areas give good opportunity for pictures. To get photos of racers going past logos painted in the ice, good spots are at curves 5 and 12.
"Dress warmly," said spokeswoman Clair DelNegro, SLOC's senior manager for sliding sports. "You'll be outside all day."
Spectators for the ski jumping and nordic combined jumping competitions at Utah Olympic Park can monitor the day's competition and highlights on the huge scoreboard and video boards located next to the K120 jump.
Flash photography is not permitted in order to protect athletes.
In addition to "A" ticket-reserved bleacher seating, the park's ski-jump stadium offers standing room for "B" ticket holders. Look straight ahead from the landing area or climb a little closer to the action on one of the spectator snow terraces on the west side.
A luge spectator at Utah Olympic Park should be mobile.
The singles competitions consist of four races with two races held each day. While the doubles competition lasts only a day with the best combined time over two races winning.
For the first race of the competitions, the sliding order is determined by random draw, so this will be a good time to walk the course and see the competition from different places along the track. It would be good to visit the start as well as some of the bigger curves at the venue. However, walking around at the park will be tiring since it is very steep in places.
Spectators should be aware that luge moves quickly and they will only be able to catch glimpses of the competitors as they fly down the course.
For the second run of the day, the competitors slide in reverse order, so the competitors with the best time from the prior run(s) go first. This, then, might be a good time to head to the grandstand seating near the finish line in order to see competitors' reactions as they cross the line.
Spectators should also be aware that they will have to walk about a mile from their cars to reach the park. There will be limited shuttle service from the parking lot, but it will be limited to the elderly and those that can't make the mile hike.
The Ice Sheet in Ogden
Curling
Sit high and dress warmly is good advice for a curling spectator. If you sit too low during curling matches, scheduled Feb. 11-22 at The Ice Sheet in Ogden, you will find it difficult to judge a curler's throw. In fact, a good place to sit would be opposite the scoreboards at midlevel. Every other end (inning), the athletes will throw your way and you'll be able to see the score at any time.
Scoreboards will be similar to baseball boards ? with points for each end for each team and total points.
Oh, and turn your cell phones off. You don't want to deal with an irate curler who just missed a take-out because your phone rang during his or her throw.
Salt Lake Ice Center, Delta Center
Figure skating, short-track speedskating
The Salt Lake Ice Center (Delta Center) will be one of the most talked-about venues at the 2002 Winter Games.
Dubbed "the pit" by some skaters, the arena likely will prove disappointing for many spectators. Built to house the Utah Jazz basketball team, the surface is not large enough to fit an Olympic-size ice rink. So, several rows of seats had to be taken out, leaving the first row of spectators high above the ice.
Even those close to the front will have trouble seeing the entire ice surface. There will be "blind corners," which means that the audience will have to rely on the large overhead video boards to see many of the skaters' jumps.
Skaters have also commented on the strangeness of skating in virtual isolation. But, those who have skated at the Delta Center in past years lauded the quality of the ice, which, for the athletes, may be the most important thing.
Short-track speedskaters, who share the ice at the Delta Center with figure skaters, are less enthusiastic about the quality of the surface here. Figure skating ice is generally "softer" and thus slower than ice made specifically for speedskating. It's unlikely Olympic and world records will be broken in this event in Salt Lake City.
As for the best seats in the house, one could take a cue from the father of an American gold-medal hopeful. Yuki Ohno, father of Seattle teenager Apolo, always sits at the ends of the arena. "It's a game of who owns the ice," the elder Ohno said, and a straight-on view of the turns taken at each end allows you to "see technique."
Utah Olympic Oval, Kearns
Long-track speedskating
Silence. That's the main thing to remember at each start for each event at the Utah Olympic Oval in Kearns. After the gun goes off, you can scream till you're blue and leap out of your seat, which will have cost you between $95 and $175.
The $30 million oval holds around 6,000 fans in a setting much more intimate than the gigantic $300 million M-Wave used during the 1998 Nagano Olympics in Japan. Seating is bleacher style around 2/3 of the oval. The air temperature, though indoors, is on the nippy side ? like a cool fall day.
Two hours before an event, you can shop, eat and be entertained by clowns, bands, dancing and puppeteers. Once in your seat, you'll see gold-medal victory laps and special celebrations for world records. On a huge video screen, you'll catch all the action plus Olympic highlights and shots from the spectator cam. During breaks, there'll be a live DJ, trivia questions and ticket giveaways for the Olympic Medals Plaza.
Deer Valley
Aerials, moguls, men's and women's slalom
Fans can stand just about anywhere to see the skiers in the air. The scoreboard is on the east side of the moguls run, which is on the east side of the aerials kickers. Because of the way the bleachers are set up, there really isn't a bad seat in the house. Those standing behind a lot of people may have trouble seeing the athletes finish but will see most of the impressive acrobatics. Announcers tell spectators when athletes are starting and in the past two events have explained the judging. The worst part: hiking about a 1/4 mile up the mountain to the site. The best part: picture perfect setting for one of the most exciting sports to watch.
There is almost NO public parking. Take a shuttle.
Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort
Downhill, super-G, giant slalom, slalom, combined
One thing to always keep in mind when heading for the slopes to watch ski racing is that it will be cold. Dress warmly and pay particular attention to hands, feet and ears. Disposable hand and foot warmers can make watching much more enjoyable.
Spectators will have access to concessions and port-a-potties, but plan on long lines, especially prior to race time. During the race, pay attention to the announced interval times. It's possible to tell where races are won or lost according to times through certain sections of the course. This is especially so in the speed events ? downhill and super-G. Grandstands at the alpine venues ? Deer Valley, Park City Mountain Resort and Snowbasin ? will afford spectators excellent views of the lower sections of the downhill, super-G and giant slalom, and the entire slalom race course, as well as the finish areas for all four events. Bleachers are located near the base area at Park City and Snowbasin, but there will be an uphill hike of about a quarter of a mile to the slalom course at Deer Valley.
Park City Mountain Resort
Snowboarding
Be prepared for an uphill 3/4-mile walk from the shuttle stop to the gate. Dress warmly and wear appropriate shoes for snow, ice and slippery hillsides. There are no sheltered spectator areas.
If you have an "A" ticket, wear warm pants, perhaps even snowboarding or skiing pants, because the bleachers are metal. If you have a "B" ticket, take a small piece of carpet to stand on. It will keep your feet insulated from the snow.
The halfpipe contest is probably best viewed from the bottom looking up. Standing along the pipe would be good on the first couple of rows.
The parallel giant slalom races are best viewed at the bottom, too. But perches along the course provide good vantage points.
E Center
Men's and women's ice hockey
However fan-friendly the Delta, er, Salt Lake Ice Center isn't to winter sports, the E Center is. It is widely regarded as one of the premiere hockey venues for its size in the world ? for players and spectators. As it was made with hockey in mind, sight lines from each individual seat in the arena are unobstructed, providing a clean and clear view of all angles of the ice surface. There really isn't a bad seat in the house, some are just closer to the action. Room temperature in the E Center is cold ? makes sense since they have to keep the ice frozen ? so layers of warm clothing are recommended. The E Center is being equipped with new, large video screens to provide ongoing action broadcast coverage and instant-replay capabilities. TV monitors are also placed throughout the concourse, helping those who leave to use restroom facilities or buy snacks and beverages keep up with the game.
Parking will be at a premium, so shuttling and/or carpooling are suggested. Walking several blocks or farther from parking lots will be likely. Some streets around the E Center will be closed (3100 South), and exits off of I-215 on 3500 South and 2100 South will likely be logjammed, so take the time to find the best route and give yourself lots of advance time.
Things not allowed in the arena ? large bags, backpacks, coolers, outside food and drinks, smoking (only in designated areas outside) and flash photography. Things that are allowed ? small bags (10 inches by 12 inches by 6 inches), noisemakers (i.e., cowbells and horns), flags (6 feet by 3 feet). There are no coat checks or storage facilities. Arrive early. Remember: only cash, checks and Visa-branded credit, debit cards and TravelMoney can be used at merchandise outlets and ATM machines.
The Peaks Ice Arena
Men's and women's ice hockey
Avoid the west side unless you don't mind having your view obstructed by two 24-inch-wide columns, installed along with the temporary seating. Of the arena's 6,006 seats for spectators, 1,230 of them will be located behind the columns. SLOC will refund the cost of those tickets to anyone unwilling to put up with the nuisance, or give those west-side ticket holders a $10 coupon for food and beverages inside the building.
Concession options will be limited to hot dogs, pretzels, soup, chili, nachos, candy and soda. There will be three main concession stands as well as vendor carts.
Bring a sweater or jacket. Temperatures could be in the 50s for most spectators, depending on where their seats are located.
The best seats will be on the north side, Section 300, between the blue lines.
A no-frills scoreboard, listing just the score and period, and a video board will be located at each end of the arena, behind the goals.