CANMORE – After eight long years, the world’s best cross country skiers are returning to Canmore.
Organizers of the 2024 COOP FIS Cross Country World Cup Feb. 9-13 at the Canmore Nordic Centre have a lot to be enthusiastic about.
The local World Cup is expected to be the most well-attended by nations and athletes yet, and following a test run last weekend, the courses received FIS approval.
“You can just feel the excitement in the air,” said Norbert Meier, events chair for the Alberta World Cup Society (AWCS). “It is really exciting times and everything is going really well.”
Approximately 200 athletes representing 19 nations will be in Canmore for the seventh World Cup since 2005, including the big ski nations such as Norway, USA and Sweden and even the smaller ones like Ireland.
Team Canada’s roster will be announced soon, though, homegrown Xavier McKeever is expected to be on the startline.
The public is encouraged to come and watch at the Canmore Nordic Centre over four race days, starting Friday (Feb. 9) with the 10 km skate. The next long distance race is the 20 km classic on Sunday (Feb. 11.)
Two sprint days (Feb. 10 and 13) – classic and skate – are set on the 1.3 km course that involve heats until the fastest skiers race in the final.
The courses were designed with the highest level of racing in mind, said Meier.
“So first and foremost, we’re racing at altitude,” said Meier. “Secondly, these courses, the way they’re designed is that there’s no opportunity to rest.”
The courses are technical and challenging – the type of races that skiers have to bring their A game, or, because it’s in Canada, their Eh game. The downhills are steep and over in a hurry and the uphills punish arms and legs and burn lungs.
“It really pushes the athletes to their maximum,” said Meier.
Canmore’s Jesse Cockney, a retired Olympian who grew up racing at the Canmore Nordic Centre, offered some helpful tips to the World Cup racers.
“I always treated the Canmore sprint course like it had two finish lines. Race to the top of the course as fast as you can. There’s such a long break after that, you can get a good rest on the downhill, and have a good effort for the actual finish line. Keep the speed through the final downhill, and have the crowd carry you home,” Cockney said, in a media release.
Organizers were also able to get in a test run for the event. In 2020, the World Cup was set to take place in Canmore, but was cancelled only seven days out due to the uncertainty involving the rapidly evolving state of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2016, eight years ago, was the last time the Cross Country World Cup was in Canmore, so the test run at Alberta Cup last weekend was a good opportunity for volunteers and staff to get a feel for the real thing, including for testing skis for flouro wax, which was recently outlawed by FIS because its hazardous to the environment from chemicals found in fluorocarbon products used in ski preparation.
“It was great to have the event last weekend because we had a chance to set the stadium up and the race course up the way we imagine doing it for the World Cup,” said Meier.
As a new feature, recreational skiers can test their speed on the local World Cup courses leading up to the event in the Trail Sports World Cup Challenge. Skiers can do the 5 km loop challenge, which can be found on the app Strava for a chance to win prizes.
