Acolytes of winter, take heed. Ski season starts Friday at the Canmore Nordic Centre with the unveiling of Frozen Thunder; the 2.2-kilometre snow track crafted for the globe’s high performance athletes.
After four days and 387 hours of labour, the track will open on Saturday (Oct. 18) for public use. Snow saved from last winter was placed on paved paths on Tuesday (Oct. 14), while crews worked to massage it into the only man-made winter snow track in North America.
Mainly a tool for high performance teams in search of early snow, the track attracted several teams from across North America last season, as well as several skiers from Europe, including Czech biathlete Gabriela Soukalova, who won an Olympic silver medal in the mass start and mixed relay in Sochi.
“It will be very much like last year,” said Michael Roycroft, area manager at the CNC. “We anticipate many international teams. Last year, we had over 20 teams from across North America, including 12 from the United States.”
The track is reserved for high performance athletes between 9 a.m. and noon on weekdays, and open to the public with a $10 ski pass.
The track attracts much attention in ski circles, and this year Whistler Olympic Park is planning to build its own snow track. This is the sixth year for Frozen Thunder, which has expanded from a 500-metre track, to 2.2 km this year.
“Their facility will trial a track this year. They’re doing a look-see to see how we do it here,” Roycroft said. “They will be the second venue in North America with a track and will be launching after us.”
Much of the funding for Frozen Thunder is provided by Winsport Canada.
Canada’s national cross-country ski and biathlon teams have returned from altitude training in Utah to make use of Canmore’s snow track, and many of them will participate in a pair of races to kick off their season.
On Oct. 24, Frozen Thunder will host the first classic sprint race of the year, beginning at 9 a.m. The race tends to attract many of the best sprinters in North America. On Monday, Oct. 27, a 10 km and 15 km distance race will draw many of the country’s top skiers and biathletes.
The rest of the Nordic Centre is slated to open on Nov. 15, weather permitting.
