Settle into the sofa and enjoy some of the best the Games have to offer. David Leggat reports
1: Sunday: Men's downhill final, 8.45am
Arguably the glamour alpine event on the Olympic programme. The slaloms, giant and Super G all have their technical requirements.
The downhill? Just get to the bottom quicker than anyone else. Watch Franz Klammer's famous Olympic gold run at Innsbruck in 1976 and feel the hairs stand up on your neck.
One to watch: Two actually. Vancouver native Manuel Osborne-Paradis, twice a World Cup-winner this season and 13th in the event four years ago, and Swiss Carlo Janks, the big hope for Switzerland's first alpine gold in 22 years. If the Canadian wins, expect the crowd to go off big time.
2: Tuesday: Women's 10km cross country, 7am
If you think skiing downhill is difficult, try flogging your way across and up snowy terrain. Welcome to the world of cross country.
As you munch on your bacon and eggs watching this, think of the burning thighs. Enough to make you head for the gym. There are a range of Olympic distances, going from 7.5km (known as the sprint!) up to 30km.
One to watch: Besides New Zealand's Katie Calder, look for Swede Charlotte Kalla, who is overall World Cup leader.
3: Thursday: Men's halfpipe final, 4.15am
One of the first snowboarding disciplines introduced when the sport made its Olympic debut 22 years ago.
Athletes go one at a time, sweeping from side to side in a half cylindrical tube, performing tricks, jumps and twists. The judging is done on height achieved, style and perfection.
One to watch: Two New Zealanders, James Hamilton and Mitchell Brown, for starters, but check out the defending Olympic champion, American Shaun White, something of a legend in the sport. He's known as the Flying Tomato, for his red hair.
4: Feb 20: Men's skeleton final, 4.50pm
Sprint about 50m then leap head first on to a rectangular sled, and hold on. It's more technical than that, but that is the essence. Racers steer by shifting their body weight. They have four heats over two days. The lowest combined time wins.
One to watch: New Zealand's Ben Sandford is an outside medal hope. He's a regular top 10 finisher on the world circuit. Not to forget fellow New Zealander, Edinburgh-based Iain Roberts, who is also in the field.
5: Feb 21: Men's ski jumping LH final, 9.30am
"LH" as in large hill, meaning this is the biggie, as distinct from the ho-hum NH (normal hill) which starts the alpine programme tomorrow. Racers zoom down a ramp reaching speeds of up to 95km/h before launching into space. This is heart-in-mouth stuff. If you don't have a head for heights forget it; if you do, tune in and marvel at the athleticism and nerve.
One to watch: Gregor Schlierenzauer, a 20-year-old Austrian who won 28 World Cup races as a teen. Set a single season record of 13 wins last season, and equalled the mark of six successive wins. Top talent, and only 64kg.
6: Feb 23: Free dance skating final, 1.45pm
Remember Torvill and Dean? They turned Olympic dancing into sexy and spectacular. Your chance to bone up on axels, cantilevers, death spirals, butterfly jumps, pancake spins and the fluffy duck. Okay maybe not the last one, but worth a look for the choreography, costumes and the judging. Oh, yes, the judging.
One(s) to watch: Russian world champions Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin, who might don their controversial "Aborigine" outfits. Native Australian leaders weren't impressed by one of their routines, including face makeup. At last word, they planned to repeat it in Vancouver.
7: Feb 27: Women's curling final, noon
Bowls on ice. Very popular down Naseby way in Central Otago. Teams of four shove stones weighing 19.1kg down a rink towards concentric circles. The aim is to get your stone (each team member has two turns) as close to the centre as possible. Games last 10 ends.
One to watch: Hmm. Try Sweden, the defending Olympic champions.
8: March 1: Men's ice hockey final, 9.15am
The finale. Your chance to tune in and see what aficionados get so wound up about. If you see a fight break out, don't worry, it's part of the appeal. The Miracle on Ice, when an amateur American team beat the powerhouse Russians in the 1980s final, still rates among the great Winter Olympic achievements.
One to watch: Oh Canada! Favourites. What a way to bring down the curtain.
