VANCOUVER VOICE: Heavy rain forecast worries Olympic organisers

NOT since Edmund Hilary scaled the summit of Everest has a mountain been the attention of so much international focus.

NO JOKE: A lack of snow at Cypress Mountain has been a big talking point - but now they are worried about rain (Getty Images)

Cypress Mountain - the venue for Olympic snowboarding and freestyle skiing events - has been the site of round the clock efforts ahead of this weekend's opening competition, the women's moguls.

Unseasonably warm temperatures forced organisers to use helicopters and bus more than 300 truckloads of snow to help with the construction of the courses, including the halfpipe, moguls run and snowboard cross track.

Earlier this week they tentatively claimed 'mission accomplished' - but have now been hit by another problem.

Forecasters are now predicting nearly ten centimetres of rain could fall in Cypress Mountain between now and Saturday - threatening to undo much of the good work.

In addition rain and fog have caused problems in Whistler, where yesterday's first men's downhill training run was cancelled with more than 40 competitors still to ski.

Training for the women's super combined has been cancelled and practice runs ahead of next week's women's downhill have now been brought forward.

British snowboarder Zoe Gillings has been training 100 miles away to guarantee the best possible preparation conditions.

And she won't arrive in Cypress until tomorrow - with her snowboard cross even scheduled for next Tuesday, weather permitting.

"I think it will be okay in the end," she said. 

"They've been doing everything they possibly can and it's been really appreciated by all the athletes."