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Cross
Country Ski Guide
XC Ski Equipment
Buying New Equipment
There are a couple
of excellent stores which specialize in Cross-Country skiing in Calgary:
Lifesport
in Kensington and
The Norseman
in SW Calgary. They are very good at sizing and
fitting gear.
Mountain Equipment Co-op also sells cross
country gear, but selection tends to be more limited than The Norseman
and Lifesport. Out of town, there is
Trail Sports
at the Canmore Nordic Centre and
Wilson
Mountain Sports in Lake Louise.
Rentals
In town, rentals
are offered at the University of Calgary
Outdoors Centre,
Sports Rent,
MEC and
Canada Olympic Park. Out of town,
Trail Sports at the Canmore Nordic Centre
rents classic and skate equipment and
Wilson Mountain Sports rents touring and
classic equipment.
Equipment
Checklist
- Skis
- Poles
- Boots - make sure
they are a good fit and warm
- Warm clothes, dress
in layers. No cotton on the bottom layer, including socks
- Warm hat that
covers the ears
- Wind/water
resistant outer layers
- Mitts/gloves
- Wax (if the skis
are waxable) - there are starter packs available at the ski shops
that have 3 hard waxes, a cork and a scraper.
- Water bottle and
holder
- Dry clothes for
afterwards
XC Ski Technique and Waxing
Tips
There are many resources
on the web that offer tips on how to improve your cross-country skiing
technique.
Easy XC Ski Trails
Some members have asked for
a list of
easy snowshoe/x-country skiing locations posted on the website so
beginners would have some idea of where they should be going. Here is a
short list that we could recommend as near, safe and easy.
-
Shaganappi Golf Course - located just off of Bow Trail,
providing Calgarians with a central location to cross-country ski in
the city. When there is enough snow Shaganappi is groomed for
classic skiing.
-
Fish Creek Provincial Park - located south of Anderson Road,
offers cross-country opportunities during the winter season.
Generally, the most consistent snow conditions are in the west end
(24th street or 37th street entrance), where there are trails
suitable for the novice and more experienced skier. The
cross-country ski trails are not groomed and are available during
park hours. Accessibility will depend on the snow cover and winter
temperatures. There is no cross-country ski rental concession in the
park.
-
West Bragg Creek
-
There is a map of how to get there on the Members-only Car Pool
location page.
Click on this link for trail map. It takes you less than an hour
to get to Bragg Creek townsite, another 20 minutes or so to the ski
area. The trails are well marked, and interlinking so you can easily
shorten your trip if you get tired.
-
Ribbon Creek - Approxiamtely 60 km of trails are groomed for
cross-country skiing near the Nikiska Ski area in the Kananaskis
Village/Ribbon Creek section of Kananaskis Country.
With between 20
and 30 cm of fresh snow over the past few days, the Ribbon Creek
trail system is enjoying its best conditions of the season in years.
Please exercise caution on all trails and if venturing into the
backcountry, ensure you consult the Kananaskis Country backcountry
avalanche report at: www.kananaskis-country.ca
-
Pocaterra - a free XC
ski and hiking area in Peter Lougheed park. There is a hut at the
parking lot to warm up in and many trails to choose from. About a 90
minute drive from NW Calgary.
Click here for directions.
You can also
consult the SkiHere Blog
for trail conditions around Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise, Yoho and West
Bragg Creek.
Avalanche Awareness and
Safety
If you venture off of
groomed trails, be sure you acquaint yourself with avalanche risks in
the area.
Several links are
posted on the
CORE
Resources page, but here are two excellent
sites to reference when planning your winter trips into the mountains:
...enjoy and play safe..
Information derived from
the
Calgary Ski Club page and other sources
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