Nakiska
| Nakiska Ski Resort | |
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 Slopes of Nakiska on Mount Allan in March 2007 | |
  Nakiska Ski Resort Location inCanada  Nakiska Ski Resort Nakiska Ski Resort (Canada) | |
| Location | Mount Allan,Kananaskis,Alberta,Canada |
| Nearest major city | Calgary:83 km (52 mi) |
| Coordinates | 50°56′38″N115°08′49″W/ 50.944°N 115.147°W |
| Vertical | 735 m (2,411 ft) |
| Top elevation | 2,260 m (7,410 ft)[1] |
| Base elevation | 1,525 m (5,003 ft) |
| Skiable area | 1,021 acres (4.13 km2) |
| Trails | 64 16% - Easiest 70% - More Difficult 10% - Most Difficult 4% - Expert |
| Longest run | 3.3 km (2.1 mi) |
| Lift system | 4Chairlifts - 3High Speed Quads - 1 Double 1Magic Carpet |
| Lift capacity | 8,830 / hr |
| Snowfall | 250 cm (100 in) |
| Snowmaking | Extensive, 75% |
| Night skiing | No |
| Website | skinakiska |
Nakiskais aski resortin westernCanada,in theKananaskis Countryregion of theprovinceofAlberta.It is located 83 km (52 mi) fromCalgary,west onHighway 1(Trans-Canada Highway) and south onHighway 40(Kananaskis Trail). "Nakiska" is aCreeword meaning "to meet" or "meeting place."[2][3]
Set on the east face of the southern end ofMount Allan,Nakiska has 64 trails with four chairlifts (3high-speed quadsand 1 double), 1 RegMagic Carpetand 1 Monster Carpet) set up over an area of 3 km2(1.2 sq mi).[1]The longest run has 3.3 km (2.1 mi), from a top lift-served elevation of 2,258 m (7,408 ft) to the base at 1,479 m (4,852 ft).
Nakiska is owned byResorts of the Canadian Rockies,which also owns theFernie,Kimberley,Kicking Horse Mountain Resort,Mont Sainte Anne,andStonehamski resorts.[4]
History
[edit]The site was selected in 1983[5][6]and opened for skiing in the fall of 1986,[7][8][9]in preparation for the1988 Winter Olympics.Pre-Olympic races on the North American Cup circuit (Nor-Am) were held in December 1986[10][11]andWorld Cupdownhillandsuper Graces were held in March1987.[12][13]
At the 1988 Winter Olympics, Nakiska hosted the tenalpineevents, as well asfreestylemoguls skiing,then ademonstrationevent.[14]A temporarysurface liftto the gusty top of the mountain was used for the men'sdownhillevent. Thispomacan be seen from the top of the "Gold Chair" and is sometimes used for avalanche control. The starting gate of the men's Olympic downhill was at 2,412 m (7,913 ft), 154 m (505 ft) above the present lift-served summit. That race was postponed a day due to 98 mph (158 km/h) winds at the summit.[15][16]
In 2008, Nakiska was named the official training centre ofAlpine Canada(ACA). Each year Nakiska welcomes alpine teams from around the world for early season ski training. During the summer of 2008 the ski area embarked on a series of renovations. Snowmaking enhancements increased capacity by 33%. The 100 metre Monster Magic Carpet was added and the creation of a dedicated Training Run was completed on Mapmaker.
In 2009, in preparation for the2010 OlympicsinVancouver,more enhancements occurred. A newhigh-speed quad liftwas installed (Gold Chair Express), replacing the original fixed-grip (Gold) triple chairlift. The ride time is 4.7 minutes, less than half of the previous chair's 9.7 minutes.
In 2009 new ski trails were also created with the addition of the new Monster Glades (trails in the trees).[17]
The Olympic flame still burns at the entrance to the resort. Of note is that the men's downhill shown on the board inside the restaurant is not the actual run used. With test skiers saying the proposed run was too easy, the men's downhill course was changed with only 3 days to go, leaving no time to change the course board which had already been painted and mounted on the wall inside the restaurant.
On November 13, 2017, the FrenchAlpine ski racerDavid Poissondied in a crash during training.[18]
Climate
[edit]A weather station located west of the ski area records temperature and wind speed. The station is above the tree line at an elevation of 2,543 m (8,343 ft). It has reported wind gusts as high as 219 km/h (136 mph)[19]
| Climate data for Nakiska Ridgetop 1994-2020 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 9.4 (48.9) |
6.8 (44.2) |
9.1 (48.4) |
13.6 (56.5) |
17.6 (63.7) |
22.2 (72.0) |
25.0 (77.0) |
25.5 (77.9) |
24.3 (75.7) |
17.6 (63.7) |
9.0 (48.2) |
9.3 (48.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −5.6 (21.9) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
4.8 (40.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
13.7 (56.7) |
13.0 (55.4) |
7.8 (46.0) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
1.9 (35.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.8 (16.2) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
1.3 (34.3) |
5.2 (41.4) |
9.7 (49.5) |
9.0 (48.2) |
4.3 (39.7) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−1.6 (29.1) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −12.0 (10.4) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−10.8 (12.6) |
−7.7 (18.1) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
1.6 (34.9) |
5.6 (42.1) |
5.0 (41.0) |
0.9 (33.6) |
−4.7 (23.5) |
−9.4 (15.1) |
−12.7 (9.1) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −36.5 (−33.7) |
−37.2 (−35.0) |
−35.2 (−31.4) |
−25.6 (−14.1) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−7.2 (19.0) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−16.2 (2.8) |
−24.3 (−11.7) |
−34.0 (−29.2) |
−36.1 (−33.0) |
−37.2 (−35.0) |
| Source: Environment Canada[20] | |||||||||||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^abSki Nakiska."Statistics".Archived fromthe originalon 2014-04-18.Retrieved2007-07-01.
- ^Ireland, Joanne (December 11, 1986)."Mt. Allan weathers criticism".Edmonton Journal.p. E7.
- ^"Skiers rave about mountain".Spokane Chronicle.Associated Press. December 25, 1987. p. D2.
- ^Resort of the Canadian Rockies
- ^"Mount Allan set for pre-Olympic ski challenges".Calgary Herald.September 22, 1986. p. E4.
- ^"Ski body supports Mount Allan site".Montreal Gazette.Canadian Press. December 8, 1983. p. B-17.
- ^"Nakiska is for all".Edmonton Journal.November 20, 1986. p. E5.
- ^Slade, Daryl (December 4, 1986)."Nakiska ready for onslaught of enthusiasts".Calgary Herald.p. E8.
- ^Ireland, Joanne (December 11, 1986)."Mixed reviews for Nakiska".Edmonton Journal.p. E8.
- ^Slade, Daryl (December 4, 1986)."Skiers to put Mount Allan to the test".Calgary Herald.p. E8.
- ^Woods, Paul (December 12, 1986)."Mount Allan faces official FIS test".Ottawa Citizen.Canadian Press. p. C2.
- ^McConachie, Doug (March 9, 1987)."Graham finishes second, still has shot at ski title".Star-Phoenix.Saskatoon. p. B-3.
- ^McConachie, Doug (March 16, 1987)."Boyd new Canadian downhill king".Star-Phoenix.Saskatoon. p. B-2.
- ^1988 Winter Olympics official report.Part 1. pp. 128-43.
- ^Lochner, Bob (February 16, 1988)."Zurbriggen snatches downhill gold".Eugene Register-Guard.(Los Angeles Times). p. 3D.
- ^"Zurbriggen not worrying about gold".Toledo Blade.Associated Press. February 16, 1988. p. 18.
- ^ Ski Nakiska News and Info - Monster Glades addition
- ^Inc., Midwest Communications."Alpine skiing-Frenchman Poisson dies in training accident".1450 99.7 WHTC.Retrieved14 November2017.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^"Daily Data Report for September 2011".Environment Canada.Retrieved25 August2021.
- ^"Daily Data Report for Nakiska Ridgetop".Environment Canada.Retrieved22 August2021.
Further reading
[edit]- Murphy, Michelle; Reichwein, Pearl Ann (December 2019)."Manufacturing Nakiska: The politics of alpine ski hills, mountain parks, and the 1988 Calgary Olympic Games".Olympika.XXVIII:29–64.ISSN1188-5963.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- 1988 trail map– Olympic runs
- Resorts of the Canadian Rockies– company site
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