For the first time ever, the Olympic Games will feature the sport of ski cross.
And the final qualifying event before the Vancouver Games is happening at Blue Mountain resort this week.
The Rockstar Ski Cross Grand Prix is holding qualifying today and tomorrow and the actual races will take place on Wednesday.
It is a World Cup ski cross competition.
120 international athletes will be on hand and a number of the countries will be still be naming the positions on their skicross teams.
Co-ordinator Chris Robinson says Canada is said to be one of those countries that is vying for spots on the team.
Robinson says ski cross is like motor cross but on the slopes with a number of twists and turns and jumps.
There are qualifying heats with four skiers running head to head until the final four are left to race.
He adds it involves extreme skill and agility on the hill.
Reps from 20 countries will be there with their athletes and their trainers — so there will be over 200 people plus national and regional media.
Robinson says he has worked with his partner Mark Kristophic and have formed the World Snowsports events group which is the organizing entity for this event.
Robinson also says in the 18 months to organize this event they have worked with the ski cross course designer for the Vancouver Olympics who has helped design the Blue Mountains course.
There are over 100 volunteers working at the event
So the athletes will be competing on a course that is very similar to the run they will be competing on in Whistler.
Robinson hopes this turns into an annual event as ski cross is one of the only international skiing events in which Blue Mountains would have a run that is to size of the international runs.
Robinson says that although the course will be dismantled anyone who runs the “Smart Aleck” hill after the event can say they ran a world cup hill.