Here are the answers to some of the questions we often hear:
Does the club offer ski rentals?
How should I store my skis for the summer?
What type of skis should I buy?
Where can I ski with my dog?
Does the club offer trips for recreational skiers?
Where can I go for classic skiing in and around Edmonton?
Where can I go skate skiing in Edmonton and surrounding areas?
Does the club offer ski rentals?
The club has initiated a Jackrabbit Ski Rental Program that is also open to kids registered in Biathlon Bears. We do not have any rental ski equipment for adults. You can rent skis from either Totem Outfitters in 99 Street or from Mountain Equipment Co-op. Click here for a list of nordic ski outlets in Edmonton.
If you would like to take lessons at a venue that offers ski rentals, here are a couple of suggestions:
- The City of Edmonton offers ski lessons that include equipment. Contact them at 780-496-2966 for more information.
- Strathcona Wilderness Centre about 30 minutes east of the city run lessons & have skis to rent for their lessons & to use on their 12 km of trails. They can be reached at 780-922-3939.
Note: that the normal rental skis for the classic style of skiing are waxless which are much slower than the more common type of ski where you apply a grip wax to the middle of the base area of the ski.
How should I store my skis for the summer?
- Clean off the old grip wax or Klister with a scraper & some base cleaner
- Brush the glide area a few times with a bronze brush
- Iron on some warm yellow (cheap) glide wax onto the glide area only
- Do not scrape off the glide wax until next season
- Also use some base cleaner & a rag to clean any bits of old grip wax stuck to the
upper surface of the ski
What type of skis should I buy?
Most people start with classic skis. For our climate in Alberta the best type of classic skis are the ones that you have to apply grip wax to the base. Have you done much xc skiing? If you can ice skate then you may find it relatively easy to pick-up skate skiing. One thing to remember about skate skiing is that it is very hard to achieve a good glide when the
temperature falls below -15, conversely when the temperature is around zero, skate skiing is much easier & you do not have the problems that you have with classic skis in trying to find a suitable grip wax that works well around zero.
Where can I ski with my dog?
In theory you can ski with a dog on the city groomed trails as long as the dog is on I believe a leash no longer than 1.8m. However, in areas that are very popular with skiers such as Goldbar & Goldstick Parks I would not advise it for your own & your dogs safety. They are normally just too busy and you will probably get a lot of negative comments from other skiers. Places like Rundle Park (when trackset), Riverside Golf course & the middle loops of Hawrelak Park are better options. A 1.5 km skijoring loop is planned for Laurier park & maybe packed later this season.
Outside of the city most ski areas do not encourage or allow dogs on the trails. At Blackfoot east of the city, dogs are banned from the classic trails but are allowed on the packed skating trails in the north of the park from the Blackfoot staging area.
Does the club offer trips for recreational skiers?
The recreational ski program meets every Wednesday evenings ready to go at 7 PM at the Goldbar Park shelter for an hour or so casual ski and often end up at the local Second Cup afterwards for hot drinks. It is show up & go.
Throughout the season we have day trips to outlying ski areas usually within an hour or so drive of the city. These usually are on Sundays unless they clash with another event. The current schedule is here. We normally meet at 9 AM at one of several car pooling points around the city, depending on where we are going. On these outings we ski for several hours and cover distances between 12 - 25 km. Sometimes we split into a shorter or longer distance groups or a fast & a slow group depending on peoples inclinations. You do not have to be a member to come along on these trips for the first few times.
Where can I go for classic skiing in and around Edmonton?
There are about a dozen x-country ski areas within 1 - 2 hours of Edmonton plus the city trails. Trail maps of the city trails are free from most of the nordic retail outlets.
The city trails often lose their snow by mid March unless we get another dump with cooler weather. I have found over the years that some of the outlying areas, e.g. Tawatinaw (1 hour north) keep their snow until early April and give some great spring skiing, mainly skating. For details on some of these areas, click here. Trail conditions around northern Alberta are listed here.
Where can I go skate skiing in Edmonton and surrounding areas?
Goldbar/Goldstick
The best groomed trails for both classic & skate skiing are those in Golbar & Goldstick Parks. All the 10 km of trails are lit for night skiing & are set for both classic & skate skiing. They are regularly groomed on behalf of the city by the Edmonton Nordic Ski Club. These are also the most demanding of trails in the city limits particularly the loops up into Goldstick Park. There is a heated shelter with washrooms next to the parking area in Goldbar Park. To find Goldbar which is on the south side of the river continue north on 50 street until you almost reach the river. Turn right into Goldbar Park next to the sewage works. Proceed for 1 km to the parking area. The trails start from the hut.
Link Trails from Goldbar
There is a 5 km link going east from Goldbar through Rundle Pk to the Biathlon Centre in Strathcona Science Pk where there are about another 5 km of trails. The link route is not often groomed, is rather flat & is usually chewed up by walkers. The trail crosses over the river twice. There is usually enough park lights to see at night.
Capilano Park which is on the other side of 50th Street from Goldbar has another 2.5km intermediate loop suitable for skate skiing. A trail from the top of this loop links up with the trails in Riverside Golf Course to the west. However, the portion west of the Capilano (Wayne Gretsky) Bridge is only wide enough for a single classic track.
Other City Skating Trails
Most of the other city trails that are set for skiing are relatively flat & easy. These include proceeding west:
- Riverside Golf course
- Argyll Velodrome in Millcreek
- Kinsmen Pk (There is a 1.5 km intermediate loop above the sports centre around the pitch & put course that is lit for night skiing)
- Victoria Park
- Hawrelak Park - inner loops
- Terwilliger Pk
Details of these trails can be found on the city trails ski guide, free paper copies of which can be obtained from some nordic retail outlets.
Outside Edmonton
There are about a dozen ski areas within an hour or two drive from Edmonton. Here is a list of what I think are the best ones for skating. Details on most of these areas can be found by going to the Northern Alberta Ski Area Guide link on the Edmonton Nordic website:
- Camrose - 90km SE. Hilly, challenging. About 25km of trails
- Tawatinaw Valley - 100km north. One of my favourite areas based around a small alpine ski hill. 22km trails - easy to difficult. Lovely scenery. Usually holds snow well into late March & early April
- Drayton Valley - 150km SW. Another one of my favourite areas. About 15km trails, easy to intermediate. Friendly club & cosy lodge.
- Strathcona Wilderness Centre - 40 km east. 10/12 km set for skating. Easy to intermediate. Nice heated lodge. Ski rentals available
- Athabasca - Muskeg Creek - 150 km north. 15km trails right in town. Easy to difficult. There is a 10 & 20 km freestyle loppet there in Jauary starting at noon
Skate Skiing Events: Currently there are not that many freestyle loppets on the local circuit. Apart from the aforementioned Athabasca loppet, there is one in Red Deer in early Feb, Mooseheart Loppet in Edson in late Feb & Beat the Boogie Loppet at Strathcona WC in early Apr, if we still have enough snow. For information on ski events see the list published on the Cross Country Alberta website.
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