Nordic And Alpine
Skiing

Nordic Skiing in Canmore

Canmore, Alberta is one of the world's best locations for Nordic skiing, and is centrally located close to Banff National Park, Lake Louise, and Kananaskis Country. There are hundreds of kilometers of groomed trails for skiers of all levels. Canmore itself is home to the Canmore Nordic Centre, the site of the Nordic events during the 1988 Winter Olympics. The Canmore Nordic Centre offers something for everyone from novice to elite skiers. With over 75km of trails and snowmaking facilities, the Nordic Center is always a sure bet for excellent skiing. Trail Sports ski shop offers on-site ski lessons (for both Novice and Elite skiers), ski rentals, and sales.

Philip Widmer and Renato Pasini at the 2005 Cross Country World Cup in Canmore

Carmelo with the Italian X-Country ski team (Silvio Fauner, Giorgio Di Centa, Pietro Piller-Cottrer, Valerio Checchi, Arianna Follis among others)

Large untouched areas of wilderness are paradise for backcountry and telemark skiers. You will love the untouched powder and varied terrain of the Canadian Rockies, and never tire of the endless winter wonderland! Spotting wildlife and their tracks such as moose, deer, and wolves is common even on the groomed trails.

Anneke and Carmelo are avid outdoors people who have lived and explored the area for over 20 years. They have been actively involved in the Nordic ski community for many years and their daughter is a world class biathlete. With their wealth of experience and knowledge of trails in the area, your hosts can help you plan and personalize your daily excursions depending on your level of ability and trail conditions. To keep your skis tuned and ready you can take advantage of the professional wax room.

    The youth/junior Italian Biathlon team for the world championships 2009

                                        (3 gold medals, 1 bronze)

                                                          Endless Trails in Kananaskis Country                     Maryke 1st at European Junior Biathlon Championships 2001, Haute-Maurienne
 

Alpine Skiing In
The Canmore Area

Canmore is situated  between two major Alpine Downhill Ski areas, Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park.

                   Nakiska
Nakiska, located in Kananaskis Provincial Park, is the site of the Alpine events during 1988 Winter Olympic Games.  To fully ensure a successful Olympic games and reliable snow conditions for years to come, Nakiska was equipped with one of the most expensive and sophisticated snow making systems in the world. The end result is that skiers can depend on quality snow coverage from mountain top to valley bottom from December until mid-April. The mountain offers 28 different runs, a vertical drop of over 2,400 feet, and lift lineups are virtually non-existent, as the mountain features 5 lifts including 2 quad chairs, 1 triple chair, 1 double chair and a surface lift.  Nakiska is only a 45 minute drive from Canmore

               Norquay
Mt. Norquay is located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, just minutes from downtown Banff. Mt. Norquay features varied terrain from gentle beginner runs to heart pounding double black diamond runs, to a complete snowboard park. A long-standing reputation for challenge is based on the first visible runs upon approaching the area: a quintet of super-steep, mogul-studded freefalls served by the original Norquay double chair. For hardcore skiing, no runs anywhere can match Upper Lone Pine and Gun Run, a dynamite black-diamond duo as demanding as any trails in the Rockies. Three more chairs climb up stepped-back parallel ridges and serve the area's beginner & intermediate runs. Norquay offers 162 acres of skiable terrain with 25 runs, the longest being 3828 feet. Ski season is from early December to mid April.

Sunshine Village
Sunshine Village located in Banff National Park, is a thirty minute drive from Canmore to the Sunshine parking lot. The high speed 6 passenger Gondola will whisk you up to Sunshine Village and the spectacular Sunshine ski area. With several high speed quad chairs and many other lifts, Sunshine encompasses 3168 skiable square acres of deep natural snow. Sunshine Village receives 33 feet of soft, 100% natural snow annually, almost 3 times the amount as their major competitor. Ski from early November to late April.

Lake Louise

A scenic 1 hour drive from Canmore takes you to the Lake Louise ski area in Banff National Park..

Lake Louise is one of the biggest and most scenic ski mountains on our continent, its terrain is spread over four distinct mountain faces with 1700 skiable hectares (4200 acres) of ski terrain, 105 named runs and a vertical rise of 1,026 meters (3,365 feet). Every chair has a beginner, intermediate and expert way down which allows all levels to explore virtually the whole resort. Ski season is from early November to Late April.