VANCOUVER (AFP) – Winter Olympics chiefs will not sanction a desperate last-minute venue switch despite unseasonably warm temperatures continuing to curse Cypress Mountain, the host of the freestyle events at the Games which begin on Friday.

The host city enjoyed highs of 11 degrees again on Saturday while meteorological officials said that the warm weather, which has led to 300 dumper trucks and even helicopters being used to transport snow from higher elevations, will continue right up to the opening ceremony on February 12.

The imported snow has been piled high on wood and hay which have been laid to form the bumps which test the freestyle skiers at Cypress Mountain.

"We are not relocating any events," said Tim Gayda, the vice-president of organizing committee VANOC, responding to the problems caused by the warmest January on record, a legacy of El Niño, a periodic warming feature over the Pacific Ocean.

"We had a bunch of contingency plans about too much snow or too little snow and we are largely knee-deep in the contingency plan for the too-little snow.

"But the events will take place at Cypress Mountain – 100 percent."

Despite the organizers' optimism, training for the freestyle and snowboarding events has had to be rescheduled to the alpine venue of Whistler where there has been plenty of snow, but sits two hours to the north.

As a result, the training switch has caused some problems for the Australian and British competitors taking part.

"We are staying in the Athletes Village in Whistler, but some couldn't get rooms because they are already filled by other athletes," said British snowboarder Zoe Gillings.