Happy trails as skiers benefit from new cash
One set of city cross-country ski trails has closed but another is gliding to the rescue this winter.
With WinSport installing a new tube park in place of its trails at Canada Olympic Park last year, skiers were left looking for alternatives. Foothills Nordic Ski Club quickly raised money to improve the offerings at Confederation Park Golf Course.
The club, which has voluntarily groomed trails at Confederation for 20 years, raised $87,000 in just over a month, said president Kevin McLean. The club then signed a new operating agreement with the city which includes snow harvesting and farming. “We haven’t expanded it but we’re making it more consistent for skiers.”
The funds are being used to purchase more snow-making and trail grooming equipment, to install lights in the driving range area and add portable toilets in the parking lots of Confederation Golf Course and adjacent Canmore Park.
“As soon as the weather cooperates and winter returns, our snow-making volunteers will get busy stockpiling snow to be used for the remainder of the season,” said McLean.
At present, a team of volunteers using shovels and toboggans collects natural snow fall from the golf course and spreads it onto the trails.
McLean is unsure how many new skiers are using Confederation Park since the ones at Canada Olympic Park closed but it appears busier than normal.
“We’re in the process of buying counters but, anecdotally, it’s a lot higher use than we expected. We felt our club use, when we’re teaching lessons, would be the busiest but a lot of people are out skiing during the day and on weekends.”
To mitigate any potential impact on neighbours, the nine lights will only be used from dusk to 9 p.m. and emit less than a residential street light. The club is limited to 250 hours of snow-making from January through March.
In addition to Confederation, Foothills Nordic Ski Club partners with Calgary Ski Club and the city to maintain ski trails at Maple Ridge Golf Course, Lakeview Golf Course, Shaganappi Golf Course and Bowness Park.