There is no snow right now in Calgary or Canmore and the weather has been relatively warm the last few weeks. Only the very tops of the mountains are beginning to snow cap and the weather fluctuates between hot and cold daily. Cross country skiing at most places will not open for another month but there is one place that has enough snow for cross-country skiers to get out for some fall skiing. Avid  skiers can enjoy The Frozen Thunder which officially opened October 21st, 2017 at the Canmore Nordice Centre!

Frozen Thunder Has Arrived

The Frozen Thunder is roughly 2 km of ski trails starting at the Biathlon  training station at the Canmore Nordic Centre. The trails go through the trees with beautiful mountain views. They are not tracked for classic skiing and are best for skate skiing.  Where does the snow come from? Well the snow is actually from the previous years snowfall and was stored under woodchips all summer!

The trails are not always available for public use. The   high performance teams have exclusive use during the weekdays until 12:00 pm after which the public can use the trails. On the weekends the trails are available all day for public use.  Canmore Nordic Season passes do not include using the Frozen Thunder. This means that even season pass holders will need to buy either day passes or a seperate $90 Frozen Thunder season pass.

For most, the Frozen Thunder is an early start to training season and a way to prep for upcoming competitions. For our family… it is the start of family ski adventures. We get to enjoy skiing in moderately warm weather and enjoy hot chocolate outside without jackets. We also don’t have to worry about little fingers and cheeks freezing.  Frozen Thunder is the time we get to see the first sign of cross-country ski “stoke” in our two girls.