By the end of this week, I might be ready for an assault on Everest. In snow boots and a plastic rain poncho.

So far in these 2010 Olympic Games, I have been covering events at Cypress Mountain. And it’s not an easy venue to reach. Busses ferry both spectators and media to Cypress, and we’re told to plan about an hour for the trip, even though it’s only about 18 miles from downtown Vancouver.

The media bus drops us about a half-mile — downhill — from the freestyle and snowboard venues. With a 30-pound pack (OK, maybe only 20), the walk (sometimes run) has become my own Olympic event.

I feel for the spectators. Dropped about another ¼-mile down the road, they have an even longer walk. Granted they aren’t carrying laptops and assorted accessories (digital recorders, heavy cameras, spare batteries, media guides, notebooks, and a tangle of cords), they still have to carry rain gear, snacks and water, and of course cameras.

Many have kids who whine, “Are we there yet?”

“No.”

Despite the effort to reach the venue, it has so far been worth the price of admission. The fans who endured sideways-blowing rain on Saturday night for the women’s moguls competition were treated to both incredible skiing and a moving performance:

·      Vermonter Hannah Kearney earning her highest score ever to win the gold medal that eluded her four years ago in Torino, when a case of Olympic nerves got the better of her.

·      Jen Heil, the defending Olympic gold medalist and current World Cup leader, trying to win Canada’s first gold medal on home snow but collecting silver instead.

·      And American Shannon Bahrke, back from knee injuries, winning an Olympic bronze medal eight years after taking a silver at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games.

Even the stunned (and soaked) Canadians in the stands cheered.

Back at Cypress for men’s moguls last night, the crowd seemed unaffected from another long walk — and what I heard was a long wait at the concession stand and for the bathrooms.

When Canadian Alex Bilodeau won the gold medal, the crowd of 8,269 roared so loudly that I could not hear what another journalist was shouting directly into my ear. It was the gold medal won at a Canadian-hosted Olympics that the entire nation had craved since 1976 when Montreal hosted the Summer Games.

Even us jingoist Americans couldn’t help but be happy for Bilodeau and Canada. U.S. head moguls coach Scott Rawles credited Bilodeau, saying what a great skier he is and how much he deserved to win.

Then looking up at the raucous stadium behind the finish corral, Rawles added: “I’m super psyched for these guys. You look around here. They obviously have some really avid fans for the sport.”

Boardercross today might be a different story, with standing-room tickets canceled due to treacherous walking conditions in front of the stadium. But for the fans — and media — who do make it to Cypress, it will no doubt be worth the walk.