48 Hours
Trails for winter riding are expanding amongst the peaks and valleys
Canmore’s fat-bike heaven
Iknow ekg. The trail forms a 7-km loop on the shaded side of Alberta’s Bow Valley, traversing the lower slopes of Mount Rundle within the Canmore Nordic Centre. It is the backbone of the annual 24 Hours of Adrenalin race course. The long switchback climbs and flowy descents are fast throughout the summer, but the loop is decidedly more technical in the winter. In February 2016, I felt like I was at a disadvantage as I chased three locals who were not just familiar with the current trail conditions, but who also rode fat bikes outfitted with studded tires that provided a sturdy grip on the slick climbs. My only trick on my “stud-less” fat bike was to maintain a steady cadence and hope my tires, running über-soft 6 p.s.i. of pressure, didn’t lose their tenuous grip. We rolled out of the thick pine forest into the open meadows that mark the halfway point of the trail, just as the sun crept over the edge of the Rocky Mountains. Warm alpenglow lit Mount Rundle and Ha Ling Peak. It was the perfect treat on a cool winter morning. Unlike the summer, when the Canmore Nordic Centre seems overrun with mountain bikers and trail runners, we had the entire park to ourselves. We set out to ride the lower half of the trail and soon discovered it was more comparable to a skating rink than a snowfield. I slipped, slid and crashed my way back to the parking lot, mesmerized with how their studded tires held true through the icy berms.
“Fat biking is growing so quickly in the Bow Valley,” said Les Crawley, an Australian-transplant who came to the Rockies for the 2011 ski season and never left. “We have plenty of challenging trails. Aspect and elevation truly affect trail conditions. When it’s icy in the valley, it usually
means backcountry trails, like the High Rockies route in Kananaskis Country or Lake Minnewanka in Banff, will be in perfect condition.”
Canmore has long been considered the gateway to neighbouring Banff National Park. Even locals mention the two locations synonymously; however, Canmore has truly developed into its own worthy tourist destination. Outdoor recreation in nearby Kananaskis Country has gained traction, too, becoming a viable alternative to the often-crowded national park. Unlike the national park system, Kananaskis Country has favourable landuse practices for mountain bikes within its vast territory that includes 10 provincial parks alongside crown land designated for logging, oil and gas exploration, and cattle grazing. From Canmore, the main access is along the Smith-dorrien Trail that travels through the Bow Valley Wildland, Spray Valley and Peter Lougheed Provincial Parks to the Kananaskis Lakes.
The town lies in the Bow Valley, surrounded by five iconic peaks – the Three Sisters, Ha Ling, Lawrence Grassi, Lady Macdonald and Grotto. The small downtown still feels like a mountain town rather than a tourist resort, even if tourism has long since replaced mining as the principal industry. Two major facilities – Elevation Place and the Canmore Nordic Centre – have turned Canmore into the home for more Olympic athletes than any other community in Canada. Dubbed Canmore’s indoor playground, Elevation Place houses extensive gym facilities, an Olympic pool, and more than 100 indoor climbing routes, along with other activities. The Canmore Nordic Centre, built specifically for the 1988 winter
Olympic cross-country skiing events, has more than 60 km of groomed xc ski trails. It is also the local’s yearround go-to for both trail running and mountain biking. It’s just the beginning of an incredible trail network that lines both sides of the Bow Valley and stretches deep into Kananaskis Country.
“When it is brutally cold,” Crawley said, “I stick to the sunny side of the valley and ride Montane Traverse. In the spring, once freeze/thaw conditions take over, I explore over on the dark side of the valley on both the Canmore Nordic Centre trails and the nearby Highline. If I have time for a longer ride, I’ll usually head to the High Rockies trail.”
All the talk of weather and snow conditions bring up an important lesson. While it can be fun to power a bike through fresh snow, the novelty wears off quickly if the snow is deeper than a few centimetres. Fat biking is most fun on hardpacked trails, where the fat tires hold firm on the surface. Although the Canadian Rockies receive far less annual snow than most ski resorts in British Columbia, the area still sees more than five metres each winter. Trails must be packed regularly to keep bikes moving and there are no formal maintenance crews in the winter.
“Canmore is such an outgoing and active community, the trails are rideable very quickly after a snowstorm,” said Ryan Draper, general manager at Rebound Cycle. “Walkers, hikers, runners, snowshoers and fat bikers all contribute to how quickly we get back on our bikes. Now, individuals heading out on snowshoes or towing a small heavy steel sled behind their bikes are our only real means of grooming the singletrack trails.”
Rebound hosts a weekly fat bike ride at 6 p.m. on Wednesday nights. It’s a great way to discover new trails, but the weekly get-together sometimes transforms into an impromptu work night. Draper explained that if it’s been snowing, the bikes stay at the shop and everybody straps on snowshoes instead. For this winter, the shop purchased 12 additional pairs, which Draper hopes will provide a huge boost to trail grooming on the major trails closer to town.
“Trail conditions and ride lengths can vary so much,” Draper said, “that it’s hard to nail down one trail as my absolute favourite. If pushed, I’d say it’s the Highline trail for fat biking despite it not being accessible all winter due to snow depth and freeze/thaw conditions.”
For our final ride, we ventured farther into Kananaskis Country to ride a short section of the High Rockies Trail. We drove south on the Smith-dorrien Trail to Driftwood, a popular pullout on the edge of Spray Lakes, and climbed onto our bikes. A few minutes later, we were in fat-bike heaven, riding rolling singletrack, built straight out of an imba manual. Bermed corners and constant elevation changes, all expertly designed to prevent surface water and erosion throughout the summer, coupled with solid snow coverage packed firmly thanks to regular use, transformed the trail into a lightning-fast fat-bike rollercoaster ride.
The route is still under construction; however, once complete, it’ll be a 70-km year-round multi-use singletrack section of the Trans Canada Trail connecting Banff’s Goat Creek Trail and Kananaskis’ Elk Pass, which descends into British Columbia. For our ride, we enjoyed 20 km of uninterrupted riding without encountering another person. The trail eventually ended near Mount Engadine Lodge, where visitors are treated to stunning views of the Canadian Rockies that stretch across the Continental Divide into British Columbia. We took a moment to catch our breath and take in the view before turning our bikes around to begin retracing our ride back toward Canmore. I’m already planning to return to ride even farther into the snowy wilderness. It isn’t often that a trail promises to get better – and longer – with age.
“Bermed corners and constant elevation changes, all expertly designed to prevent surface water and erosion throughout the summer, coupled with solid snow coverage packed firmly thanks to regular use, transformed the trail into a lightning-fast fat-bike rollercoaster ride.”
Details How to get there Canmore is often considered the gateway to the Alberta Rockies, located just 110 km west of Calgary and 27 km east of Banff on the Trans-canada Highway. Calgary International Airport (yyc) is busy and growing, so connections are easy to any location in Canada. The Banff Airporter ( banffairporter.com) runs 10 daily shuttles from 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. from the Calgary airport to Canmore. Where to stay As a tourist hub, Canmore has plenty of accommodation choices, but the Banff Airporter stops just outside the Coast Canmore (511 Bow Valley Trail). For longer stays, the comfortable apartment-style rooms at Stoneridge Mountain Resort ( stoneridgeresort.ca) give visitors a true home base, while the Paintbox Lodge ( paintboxlodge.com) is a beautiful boutique inn within Canmore’s small downtown. Where to eat Canmore is overflowing with cafés and restaurants, so dining options are seemingly endless. Locals favour the Rocky Mountain Bagel Co. ( thebagel.ca) and Summit Café ( the-summit-cafe.com) for breakfast and lunch, although a healthy option is Communitea Café ( thecommunitea.com). Dinner options are spread between restaurants, such as Crazy Weed ( crazyweed.ca) and Tapas Restaurant ( tapascanmore.ca), or pubs, including Iron Goat ( irongoat.ca), Tavern 1883 ( tavern1883.com) and Grizzly Paw Brewing Company ( thegrizzlypaw.com). Although it’s hidden in the industrial park, La Belle Patate (102 Boulder Cres.) serves what locals claim is the best poutine west of Montreal. Where to shop Two local bike shops, Rebound Cycle ( reboundcycle.com) and Bicycle Café ( bicyclecafe.com), bookend Canmore’s main downtown street. The former carries a wide selection of fat bikes, including rental bikes, while the latter stocks more soft goods and serves terrific coffee to cyclists heading out on a ride.