Canadian cross-country skier Brian McKeever is a step closer to becoming the first man to compete at a Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The four-time Paralympic gold medallist won an able-bodied 50km race in Alberta on Tuesday — a result he needed to be eligible for the Canadian Olympic team.

Lindsey Vonn confirmed she will be the speed events’ favourite at the Winter Olympics with morale-boosting results at the weekend although she conceded there is still room for improvement before the Vancouver extravaganza.

The International Ski Federation is worried by the high number of serious accidents in recent World Cup races, says its president Gian Franco Kaspar. Downhill world champion John Kucera and World Cup slalom champion Jean-Baptiste Grange are just two who will miss next year’s Winter Olympics through injury.

Canada’s downhill world champion John Kucera will miss next year’s Vancouver Olympics after undergoing surgery to repair a badly broken left leg.

Kucera underwent successful surgery on Sunday after he earlier fractured the tibia and fibula in his left leg in a crash during the season-opening World Cup super-G in Lake Louise.

With 7 days still remaining this month, Whistler has already surpassed the record for November snowfall, as more than 430cm (172 inches) of white gold slammed the mountains by Thursday afternoon. The previous record, set in 2006, was 416cm (164 inches). So why not see the Host City and Host Mountain Resort before the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games?

Both Vancouver and Whistler are offering accommodation packages to entice visitors to experience both host destinations now — prior to the start of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, which begin on February 12, 2010.

Andrew Musgrave, Britain’s top skier on the British Cross Country Ski Team, proved his worth against some tough competition in his first World Cup race of the season in Beitostølen, Norway on Saturday 21 November.

At 19 years of age, Musgrave was the youngest competitor in a field of 100 starters in the 15 km free technique race. Finishing 6.58% behind the winner and earning 52.64 FIS points in the process, made this his best points in his 11 World Cup races to date.

The Winter Olympics looks set to be dropped from free-to-air coverage following a recommendation to the Department of Culture Media and Sport.

While a number of high profile events, most notably the Ashes, have been recommended for addition to the current list of crown jewels’ — the sporting events protected for free-to-air broadcasting — the review panel made a clear distinction between the Summer and Winter Games.

The panel, led by former FA executive director David Davies, included the Summer Olympics on their recommended list, while the previous list did not make the distinction between the two events, and simply protected the Olympic Games’.

Ski Sunday returns on 13 December and as well as showcasing the best World Cup action the team will be gearing up for the 2010 Winter Olympics.

It will be presented by Graham Bell and Ed Leigh and will mix classic races with personal insights from Britain’s medal hopes as Vancouver looms. Skier Chemmy Alcott and snowboard-cross star Zoe Gillings will be featured along with the skeleton and bob teams.

Ski Sunday will be shown on BBC2 on Sunday afternoons and this website. And there will also be live World Cup skiing and race highlights online and on the red button.