CANMORE – With spring-like temperatures in the dead of winter, puddles of water have grown in some slushy areas around the Canmore Nordic Centre grounds this week.
And with it being just days away from the 2024 FIS COOP Cross Country World Cup in Canmore (Feb. 9-13), organizers have kept a close eye on the unusual weather, with a hope that the forecast stays accurate with cooler conditions coming amid record-breaking warmth in the area.
“It’s been challenging,” said Norbert Meier, events chair for the Alberta World Cup Society. “We’ve been weather forecast watchers for some time now.
“The team that makes snow up here had our event as a priority for the early season snow-making. It’s been holding up really well. It’s man-made snow, so it holds up better … we’re in good shape. I think the trails are holding up really well.”
The snow at the Canmore Nordic Centre is a combination of natural and man-made, with a priority on snow-making this season for the February World Cup and also the biathlon World Cup in March.
Meier said the snow-making team has done a fantastic job since November 2023 and there is no need to bring in the white stuff from elsewhere, despite it melting away in some areas.
“Because of the snow-making capacity at the nordic centre, we’ve never required a backup plan and so we know the team here has done a great job in making the trails and grooming the trails," he said. "We know a lot about the way the snow holds up here because of our long experience, especially with previous World Cups, so we don’t anticipate there being a problem in that regard.”
Earlier this week, the nearby town of Banff hit 10.7 Celsius, breaking the old record of 10.6 C set in 1931. Records for this area have been kept since 1887.
Banff also broke the temperature record Tuesday (Jan. 30), reaching 10.4 C. The record was 10 C in 1962.
Western Canada is in an El Niño weather cycle, which means milder conditions, with snowfall varying from region-to-region.
El Niño winters see an influx of mild Pacific air across most of Canada rather than harsh Arctic air, resulting in a lack of consistent, severe cold weather.
However, the forecast for the next couple weeks will see colder temperatures, with rain forecast at the end of the week turning into snow.
“We’re also really hoping that the forecast is accurate for the coming week because it looks like there’s a cooling trend and on the weekend it’ll drop down to the minus double digits overnight and maybe some snow,” said Meier.
According to a Wednesday (Jan. 31) Canmore Nordic Centre trail report, the “snowpack is generally thin this year and early season conditions such as rocks, roots, shrubs and brush poking through remain on some natural trails.”
The ski trails at the Canmore Nordic Centre are also still open to the public leading up to the World Cup races.
Approximately 200 athletes representing 18 nations will be at the Canmore Nordic Centre from Feb. 9-13, which is free to public.
Nordiq Canada selected a 26-athlete roster to compete at the local event, which includes Canmore-raised athletes Xavier McKeever, Sam Hendry, and Anna Parent.
