Canmore is one of those places that truly lives up to the hype. Nestled in the Canadian Rockies in southwestern Alberta, the small town with an authentically outdoorsy and Western Canadian vibe is definitely “bucket-list” worthy for anyone who hasn’t visited yet.
Locals say it’s a combination of the scenic backdrop, with jagged peaks on all sides rising around the town and Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, and the community—most everyone here lives and breathes outdoor recreation—that makes it special. It’s also home to the most Olympians per capita of any other place in Canada.
“We have Olympic medalists, including Robin McKeever, Beckie Scott, and Chandra Crawford, living in Canmore, so we are so thrilled when we have even more World Cup athletes coming to join us,” Tourism Canmore Kananaskis CEO Rachel Ludwig said of Canmore’s upcoming International Ski Federation (FIS) Cross Country World Cup from Feb. 9-13.
It marks the first Cross Country World Cup in Canmore in eight years after the 2020 event was canceled a week before due to the pandemic.
The town’s population of about 15,000 full-time residents more than doubles when an event like this comes to town. A past host of Para Nordic World Cups, a Masters World Cup, and International Biathlon Union (IBU) World Cups, this will be Canmore’s seventh Cross Country World Cup in 19 years.
According to Ludwig, they’re more than ready for it.
“Having 15,000 [spectators] come into the community plus athletes and coaches increases our population, but as a tourist town, we are well prepared for them,” she said. “We have great hotels and great accommodation options to choose from. We have restaurants ready to welcome everyone who would like to sample some special Canadian foods, and transportation is provided as well.”
Once in Canmore, just an hour west of Calgary, visitors can leave their cars and use free public shuttles to get around town and up to the Nordic Centre, 3.5 kilometers west of Canmore. Canmore boasts 80 kilometers of walking and biking paths, which are plowed in the winter, so they can also walk to the Nordic Centre, where the World Cup races will be held on Friday, Feb. 9, Saturday, Feb. 10, Sunday, Feb. 11, and Tuesday, Feb. 13.
En route to the venue, situated 1,400 meters (nearly 4,600 feet) above sea level, pedestrians can enjoy the Art Walk in the Woods. This temporary outdoor exhibit, with seven art installations over 2.5 k, celebrates the Cross Country and IBU World Cups, with the latter coming to Canmore in mid-March.
“The Art Walk is always a special treat for visitors [on their way] up to the Nordic Centre,” Ludwig noted. “When you walk from downtown up to the Nordic Centre, it is a bit of an incline. You might break a little bit of a sweat, so it’s nice sometimes to stop and look at the beautiful artwork.”
Created by the town of Canmore and Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, the Art Walk is one of several World Cup spectator events that extend beyond racing. Others include four The Warm Up concerts on Feb. 9 and a Fast & Female event, COOP Mini World Cup, and The Cool Down assortment of family-friendly cultural activities on Feb. 10.
“Our goal is to attract all sorts of spectators who simply want to come out to the mountains and have a fun, great day,” explained Norbert Meier, events chair of the Alberta World Cup Society. “Coming to Canmore is much more than watching a ski race. It’s a great place to spend a mini vacation.”
Meier said there’s been a great deal of investment and improvement in the Canmore Nordic Centre over the years, including the $27 million redesign of the 1988 Olympic trails in 2005 to meet modern World Cup standards regarding difficulty and television production. Most recently, in 2022, Alberta’s provincial government approved a $17.5 million project to improve the biathlon facilities.
Since Canmore’s last Cross Country World Cup—the Ski Tour Canada in 2016—and the World Cup before that in 2012, the race trails are mostly unchanged. They rise from the stadium with a series of switchbacks and a “compact footprint” that’s great for TV production and spectators, with the opportunity to see racers multiple times on a 1.3 k sprint or 5 k distance course.
“There’s no easy part to our trails. It makes for great racing,” Meier said. “The hills are steep going up and fast and short going down. … It’s a bit of a twisty, turny course, so there are lots of opportunities to watch up close and be out there in the mountains.”
Public access is free for general admission and spectating at designated places in the stadium and around the course. This year, organizers offered VIP tickets for an “elevated experience” in the VIP Suite at the day lodge.
“The Canmore Provincial Park is one of those really special facilities where, as a spectator, you can go to a lot of different places on the trails, similar to what you see over in Europe at the Holmenkollen or other venues where there are lots of spectator spaces trailside,” he said of the free spectator/fan zones.
Regarding racers, about 200 athletes from 19 countries had registered, with more arriving each day about a week and a half before the first race. The weather had been warm, but temperatures were expected to drop below freezing leading up to the first race, and the race loops had a base depth of half a meter.
“The racing trails are comprised of manmade and natural snow, and they’re race-ready right now,” Meier said. “We’re really happy with how the trails have been developed this year and how they’re holding up.”
With “all the big-name athletes” on the docket for Canmore and Minneapolis, Minnesota, which will host the following Cross Country World Cup on Feb. 17 and 18, Meier said it’s an opportunity for North American fans to come out and support their teams.
“We rarely get the World Cup here in North America, so we might as well binge out and watch them all,” he said.
For those who can’t make it to Canmore, the races will be live-streamed in Canada by CBC, Radio-Canada, and FIS TV and on Ski and Snowboard Live in United States.
More information about Canmore’s upcoming Cross Country World Cup can be found at albertaworldcup.com. For more on Canmore Kananaskis, visit explorecanmore.ca.
WORLD CUP SCHEDULE
(subject to change – all times MST)
Thursday, February 8
17:30 – 18:15:
Opening Ceremony
Canmore Civic Centre
Downtown Canmore
Friday, February 9
10:40 – 11:45: Women’s 10 k Freestyle Interval Start
12:45 – 13:55: Men’s 10 k Freestyle Interval Start
Saturday, February 10
10:30 – 11:40: Freestyle Sprint Quals.
13:00 – 14:40: Women’s / Men’s Freestyle Sprint Heats & Finals
Sunday, February 11
10:00 – 11:10: Women’s 20 k Classic Mass Start
12:15 – 13:15: Men’s 20 k Classic Mass Start
Tuesday, February 13
09:00 – 10:10: Classic Sprint Quals.
11:30 – 13:10: Women’s / Men’s Classic Sprint Heats & Finals
Alex Kochon
Alex Kochon (alexkochon@gmail.com) is a former FasterSkier editor and roving reporter who never really lost touch with the nordic scene. A freelance writer, editor, and outdoor-loving mom of two, she lives in northeastern New York and enjoys adventuring in the Adirondacks. She shares her passion for sports and recreation as the co-founder of "Ride On! Mountain Bike Trail Guide" and a sales and content contributor at Curated.com. When she's not skiing or chasing her kids around, Alex assists authors as a production and marketing coordinator for iPub Global Connection.
