The crews were putting the finishes touches on Frozen Thunder today. Trucks were still dumping snow on the new addition: a 200 meter spur heading up the Salt Lake trail. In total, with all spurs and connectors, skiers will enjoy 2.2K of snow. That’s the longest track we’ve ever had.
The Pisten-Bully was busy smoothing out the trails
Paul was busy in the Pisten-Bully smoothing out the piles of snow, preparing for the final grooming, and hopefully tracksetting, which I am guessing will occur early Saturday morning when temperatures will be their coldest. If it doesn’t freeze overnight, it may be impossible to create a good track. There will be nice, smooth corduroy in any event.
Drew Goldsack GPSd the two main loops yesterday which is the blue track on the map. Today, I GPSd the additional spurs and connectors which are in yellow.
I expect it will be very busy, as skiers from all over North America will be getting an early start on their training regimen. With a forecast high of +12°C, I hope the nordic centre has some clothes racks on hand for all the jackets and toques that won’t be needed.
Skiing on Saturday and Sunday is open to everyone, but you are required to buy a day pass to ski on Frozen Thunder. Your Canmore Nordic Centre yearly pass will not cover you until Nov 15. Read more about Frozen Thunder and Canmore Nordic Centre.
Filling in the last piece of the puzzle on the Salt lake trail
Tips for skiing on Frozen Thunder
With the warm temperatures, it will be difficult to get any grip on your classic skis with normal hard wax. Come prepared with waxless skis or the dreaded klister. You can avoid any grip problems by using skate skis. By noon, the snow will be getting slushy. If anyone has anything to add to this, please leave a comment.
The snow will be finished with corduroy and possibly a classic track by Saturday morning
The course
It’s not an easy course for your average recreational skier. It’s really meant to be a training ground for the national team, so don’t come expecting to get around without some hard work. There are three significant hills and three corresponding fast downhills, one which has a turn at the bottom. The elevation difference from low point to high point is only 20 metres, but that can look pretty steep over a short distance.
Canmore Nordic Ski Club Annual Ski Swap
Saturday, October 19, 10:00 am to noon
Bill Warren Training Centre, Canmore Nordic Centre
Cash or cheques only (be prepared to show identification)
Read more Canmore Nordic Ski Club
