WinSport

Alberta has plenty to offer ski bums, including one of the former Olympic venues for the 1988 Winter Games, WinSport (also known as Canada Olympic Park). It serves as a training center for athletes and a public recreation center. Located on the west side of Calgary, the winter complex gets plenty of visitors ranging from first-timers to Canadian athletes in training.

Getting to the facilities is easy, as the Trans-Canada Highway 1 drives past the entrance. The Calgary International Airport is located about 10 miles to the northeast and just a few minutes away by a vehicle. Americans wanting to drive into Calgary will find I-15 in Montana, the closest Interstate Highway entering Alberta at Coutts.

An Urban Learning Center

The Canada Olympic Park (WinSport) is a daytime facility (which might surprise some nigh owls used to nighttime skiing and riding at locations near urban areas). There is lighting across 2.49 miles of alpine trails, but the winter hill hours stop at 5:00 pm. Calgary receives around 50 inches of snowfall each year, with snowmaking and grooming helping to supplement natural totals on the most popular areas. The Olympic track and ski jump areas are closed to the public and are used by athletes instead.

Local skiers and snowboarders can return home at night, but traveling snow hounds will find accommodations that fit their budget and party size across Calgary. There are plenty of food and drink options to keep guests fueled and satiated, including the Coffee Market & Retail, EIGHT EIGHT Bar and Grill, Frank King Day Lodge Food Court, Garden Cafe, Snack Shack, and the WinSport Hockey House. Ski and Snowboard Rentals are available at the venue.

As one might expect at a training facility, the WinSport ski area offers many learning opportunities ranging from beginner lessons to clinics to improve current skill sets. Interest covered include freestyling, hockey, mountain bike, skate, skiing, and snowboarding. Participants can be as young as two years old for some classes, with programs for kids as old as 100. Local skiers and riders can take advantage of the multi-day classes and clinics, building on solid fundamentals they can showcase here or abroad.

Limited Runs for Unlimited Imagination

The base elevation at the WinSport ski area is 3,707 feet, and the highest point is at 4,088 feet. A 381-foot vertical drop allows visitors to move along at a manageable speed without losing control. That does not mean that guests are limited in the type of terrain they can ski or ride down, though.

Its beginner area and the West-Main run are rated green for beginners to conquer, while intermediate skiers and riders can tackle East-Main with its blue rating. Two black diamond-rated runs, including the Alpine Pitch, offer advanced ski bums a challenge (note that the lower portion of the Alpine Pitch turns into blue-rated terrain on the lower section of the run). Finally, the World Mogul Pitch offers experts the double black diamond terrain that challenges their skills on one or two planks at WinSport.

The WinSport ski area maintains the Slopestyle Course, West Terrain Park, and a 22-foot Halfpipe for terrain feature enthusiasts. Five magic carpets and three lifts cover the WinSport ski venue.