It's not just your regular small-town, low-budget ski hill anymore.

It may never be Whistler or Lake Louise either, but with the 2007 Canada Winter Games scheduled to hit Whitehorse in less than two years, Mount Sima has already received numerous upgrades ñ� and it's only going to get better.

On Monday afternoon, the media were invited to tour the most recent changes to happen to the ski hill this past summer, completion of the long-awaited half-pipe for both freestyle skiing and snowboarding competition, and the mogul run. A new snowmaking line has also been added on the hill, to service the freestyle area.

Next summer, officials at Mount Sima hope to install a newly purchased T-bar lift, to better service the athletes competing on the half-pipe and mogul run.

And construction of the new ski chalet is scheduled to commence next spring, with the appropriate funding now in place and the design underway.

The chalet is not funded under the Canada Games budget. Instead, the funding for it has been arranged by the Great Northern Ski Society, which operates Sima. Kevin Rumsey, president of the society, said it looks like the chalet will be a three-floor building.

'We felt we had to make the commitments to ensure (the changes for Canada Games) happens and happens in a way that can make this community proud,' said Piers McDonald, president of the Games host society, during the gathering at the hill. 'The chalet will be the crowning glory for all the hard work put into this venue.

'We're thankful to have reached another benchmark with the Canada Games.'

With basic construction of the pipe and mogul run now complete, two technical advisors were in town this week to check things out. Steve Petrie is the technical consultant for snowboarding and has been at the Whistler park for 11 years.

'I took a look at the pipe and I can tell you they're making a real commitment to building a world class facility here,' said Petrie. 'It meets all the standards and with a little more fine-tuning, it will be finished.'

When inspecting a half-pipe, Petrie said the most important things to look for are the right length, width and pitch. He follows a set of guidelines from World Cup races, set out by the Federation Internationale de Ski (FIS).

The length of the actual pipe on Sima is perfect (150 feet), he said, but he has recommended that they build a finish area with the extra dirt at the bottom, rather than making the end of the pipe so long.

Other than that, it's basically just blending the dirt better before it's time to add the snow.

'It looks really good. Mount Sima's done an excellent job.'

Vince Gauthier, the technical representative for Canadian freestyle skiing, was also impressed with the recent work at Sima.

'I inspected the mogul site and I'd say it's 95 per cent complete, with just minor work left to do. They've also made improvements to the aerial site, cleaned up some of the spectator viewing. It's fantastic. I'm quite happy with the progress.'

This was one of many trips Gauthier has been making to Whitehorse, in anticipation of 2007, though it is probably his last dirt inspection, he said. Now, he'll just come to take a look once the snow is on.

With the approval of the half-pipe and mogul course, Whitehorse can now go ahead in planning for the 2006 Freestyle Skiing Canadian Junior Championships, which will be held next March.

It will be the first time the event has been held up North and only the second time it's been awarded to a ski hill outside of the 'big four' provinces Ontario, B.C., Alberta and Quebec. It was also held in Newfoundland once.

'It's an opportunity for the Yukon and Whitehorse to get national coverage a year prior to the Games,' explained Gauthier.

The half-pipe was approved as a portion of competition for freestyle skiers just last month and will be showcased in the junior championships in March, as well as at the Canada Winter Games. With aerials and moguls already in the mix, Sima will be an exciting place for spectators.

'(The 2006 juniors) will feature the top U-19 athletes in Canada, the best of the best,' said Gauthier. 'It's certainly comparable to what people will see at the Canada Games, if not better, because the bigger provinces can send even more athletes to the juniors.'

Sima already played host to the 2005 Western Canadian Juvenile Alpine Ski Championships last March, which were considered a huge success.

Many participants remarked it was the best course they had been on all season.

Westerns drew about 80 athletes. The junior freestyle championships normally draw anywhere between 100 and 150 athletes, which Gauthier expects will also be the case in 2006, even though the travel costs to Whitehorse may be more expensive for some.

'People will go, because the winner automatically gets a trip to senior nationals, so it's a big deal. Every Canadian World Cup athlete went to Canadian juniors, some of them more than once.'

Richard Roy, the new general manager of Sima, said the junior championships are 'a real feather in (Sima's) cap.'

The legacy that the 2007 Canada Games is creating is amazing, he said, pointing out that the capital improvements showcased on Monday are things the average skier would never be able to pay for.

'We couldn't pay for these things with lift tickets alone,' he said. 'It's because of the Games that we are getting all these things.

'I think people will realize the benefits of this facility being here, beyond the 2007 Canada Games.'