[This is a message from the Foothills Nordic Ski Club - if you want to see XC skiing facilities expanded in Calgary, please read on and do your part!]

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Hello Calgary Cross-country Skiers,

Hopefully, by now you’ve heard about the plan to expand the cross-country ski facilities at Canada Olympic Park (COP). If not, check out Foothills Nordic Ski Club's website. The COP Nordic Park menu includes information about the vision for a new Nordic Park, the steps the cross-country ski community will have to work through to realize the vision, facts about cross-country skiing in Calgary and some photos from COP.

The information on the website is comprehensive - be sure to check it out, if you have questions. But if you don’t have time to read a lot of information and just want the quickest way to help, here’s three easy steps (even if you only get to Step One, you will make a difference!):

1. Write, email or phone City Council
2. Write, email or phone WinSport 
3. Spread the word and ask other people to speak up too. 

Contacts are provided below.

Message to City Council:

There is a large constituency of cross-country skiers in Calgary that is frustrated by the fact the City doesn’t provide any cross-country skiing opportunities (tracksetting at Confederation and Shaganappi Golf Courses is done by volunteers from Foothills and Calgary Ski Club, respectively, with no financial support from the City to help with equipment maintenance or fuel). The 2.2 km of trail at COP is the only reliable cross-country skiing in Calgary.

WinSport’s proposal to expand the cross-country ski trails at COP and donate land to the City as a park is a great idea, so long as the park is a designated Nordic Park and WinSport has the right to build adequate cross-country ski trails and related infrastructure, such as snow-making and lighting. (We suggest a minimum of 15 - 20 kms of trail is appropriate for a city the size of Calgary. The current proposal for 3 - 5 km is inadequate.)

The City wins; at no cost it gets a first class sporting facility, which will have health and wellness benefits for tens of thousands of Calgarians of all ages and abilities, as well as economic spin-offs. The facility will have year round, multi-sport use (e.g. trail running and mountain biking in the summer). 

Message to WinSport:

WinSport needs to make improved cross-country ski facilities at COP a priority and under no circumstances should WinSport donate land to the City without ironclad provisions in place that will allow it to build adequate facilities. Trails must be designed to meet the needs of all levels of skiers (including paranordic skiers). We believe other needed infrastructure includes a large stadium for teaching and event hosting, a new biathlon range, and support buildings, such as equipment sheds and a daylodge/event hosting building. The trails require snow-making and some portion of the trails need to be lit for use during after school and after-work hours. The cross-country ski community will partner with WinSport to help raise capital funds.

City Alderman Contacts:

To email all Aldermen, click on “General Contact Form” part way down this page: http://content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Municipal+Government/Office+of+the+Aldermen/Office+of+the+Aldermen.htm

WinSport Contact:

Foothills does not have the administrative support to coordinate a large advocacy group, so we’re hoping that Calgary’s outdoor community gets motivated and generates the groundswell of support that’s needed to make this dream come true. Please use your contacts and networks to support this cause.

On behalf of Foothills Nordic Ski Club and the cross-country ski community, thank you for taking the time to show your support for this project!