Inside Cortina's Olympic Village: A snowy haven for hundreds of athletes

Athletes at the Cortina Olympic and Paralympic Village on Tuesday chatted at an outdoor coffee stand, traded their unique national team pins and took in the atmosphere of the Dolomites as snow steadily fell.

The village is the temporary home for about 1,400 athletes, coaches and team members during Milano Cortina 2026.

They are living in 377 trailers in the Alpine valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown Cortina. The other main Olympic Village is in Milan.

"It's just such a fun environment to be here, amongst so many other athletes," said Cory Thiesse, an American curler.

"We're living all together, training together, eating together. We're literally at the base of the mountains here. It's just kind of a dream to wake up in the morning and see the mountains like that."

Cortina is hosting curling, women's Alpine skiing, bobsled, luge and skeleton. Athletes have decorated the outside of their mobile homes with flags and banners to show their team spirit, plus other reminders of home.

Team Canada placed a red moose statue in front of its lodgings so others know that's their territory, and the woman who coordinates team security brushed freshly fallen snow from its back.

Each trailer is divided into two rooms, with up to two people per room. The rooms are simple, with beds a shower and toilet. Half the trailers are wheelchair-accessible for the Paralympics that will be held in March.

Nick Timmings, who is competing in skeleton for Australia, settled into the room he's splitting with his coach. They're used to sharing space; his coach is also his twin brother.

"A lot of people were worried beforehand about being in trailers — is there going to be adequate heating and plumbing, and all those kind of things. But we've come