LAKE LOUISE – Time is ticking down for a decision to be made about whether the alpine ski world cup will return to Lake Louise in November or move on for the foreseeable future.
After losing the women’s world cup, the verdict is still out on the fate of the men’s Lake Louise Alpine World Cup; however, Alberta sees the value in the international race event remaining inside Banff National Park, but that will come with a price tag.
"We're fighting to keep the event here,” said Miranda Rosin, Banff-Kananaskis MLA and Alberta's parliamentary secretary of tourism. “We know how important it is to the Bow Valley, Lake Louise Ski Resort and to the province of Alberta, but there are, of course, things that need to be worked out logistically and financially.”
As it’s being worked out, it will need to be “within reasonable and responsible confines,” added Rosin, but Alberta is “committed to do what they can to save it.”
“Right now, the ask from Alpine Canada is financially bigger than it has been in a number of years and so that's what we're working through right now, is to see how that can fit and what we can do with that financial ask, but certainly we want to keep these events in Alberta,” she said.
When it comes down to it, the big factor is money, and event’s organizer Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA), the national governing body, is taking a hard look at if those expenses are worth running in Lake Louise.
“I do know that hosting in the national park is costly,” said Rosin. “But that's really the only inhibitor from the province’s side is that we provide funding and support, but at the end of the day, the decision is made by FIS and Alpine Canada [if the world cup stays in Lake Louise].”
In a previous article with The Canadian Press, ACA CEO Therese Brisson said the cost to run the event in Lake Louise exceeds $1 million, including $400,000 for snow-making at the resort.
ACA, which hasn’t granted the Outlook an interview on the matter since October 2022, emailed a statement that said it is focusing on Lake Louise for the men's speed event.
“Alpine Canada’s objective is to produce events that excite Canadians, that grow the sport and the fanbase, deliver an amazing experience for athletes and fans, are commercially and environmentally sustainable, and support a strong legacy for the ski racing community today and into the future. We continue to work with all stakeholders to find a commercially viable solution for a men’s World Cup speed event in Western Canada, focusing on Lake Louise, but have not yet been able to confirm any solutions at this time.”
However, time is quickly running out for ACA’s decision-makers on the men’s speed event because the upcoming season's calendar is nearing its public release – historically in May.
What is known about the 2023-24 calendar is the women’s speed world cup is gone from Lake Louise for the foreseeable future. A world cup women’s technical event will take place during early December in Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, which will feature the likes of Canmore’s Britt Richardson racing in giant slalom.
Italian slope star Sofia Goggia, the world’s best woman downhill skier, hinted that the world cup could return to the “Lake” in the next few years. When asked by reporters in December 2022 if she is saddened that the women’s Lake Louise world cup is ending, Goggia said, “Yeah, but in three years it's going to be done again, so they told us, so maybe, we'll see."
From an economic point of view, Alberta sees green in the world cup powder.
Rosin said there is correlation between when the Lake Louise world cups occur and a bump in tourism to the province.
“I believe [2022’s] viewership had 20 or 25 million people across Europe,” said Rosin.
“Between viewers and lovers of the sport … these [world cup] events certainly are an excellent way to drive economic growth in our province, they have a tremendous economic return every time that we host them and we certainly want to keep doing all we can to host them in the future.”
However, the legacy of the world cups in the Bow Valley is what Rosin underlined, from business to economic development, and wanting to continue it forward.
Lake Louise hosted its first world cup in March 1980 when Canadians and Crazy Canucks Steve Podborski finished fourth, Ken Read eighth, and Dave Irwin 12th.
From 1994 onward, the race has been a staple on the ski world cup circuit at the Lake Louise Ski Resort.
The local ski resort hopes to continue hosting for future years.
"We support Alpine Canada’s efforts to align all of the various stakeholders required to host a World Cup race,” said the Lake Louise Ski Resort in a statement. “We continue to meet with members of their team and hope to continue the legacy of alpine racing in Lake Louise this fall."
