Whistler Olympic Park: Nordic athletes start pre-season training on stored snow
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Whistler, BC: Even though the Sea to Sky Corridor has not seen any significant snowfall this year, British Columbia’s elite cross country skiers and biathletes, Nordic clubs and training groups will start their on-snow training at Whistler Olympic Park on November 14. To provide pre-season snow access to the athletes, the park has again created “Callaghan Gold”, a trail made out of stored snow from the previous winter. With that, the athletes gain a significant training advantage for the 2020/21 racing season. The trail is projected to be open from November 14 to 26. While it is primarily created for high performance athletes and Nordic clubs, access for public will be possible on weekends. Whistler Olympic Park’s projected official opening day is November 27.
This year’s “Callaghan Gold” initiative is the sixth time Whistler Olympic Park provides early snow access to the province’s Nordic ski elite. Tim Hope, the park’s Managing Director, is excited to see athletes on snow: “Callaghan Gold is an essential part of our mission to grow sport as an Olympic legacy venue. The trail provides the athletes with early snow access for training and fine tuning their equipment, to be ready for race season.” It also provides a skiing option for public skiers should no natural snow arrive until the park’s projected opening day on November 27. The trail is built out of approximately 10,000 cubic meters of snow that was kept from the 2019/20 season, and was stored under sawdust in a 200 metres storage pit over the summer. The stored snow is sufficient to create a 1.5 km ski trail with access to the biathlon shooting range.
Athletes will be using the trail daily from November 14 to 26. Public access is available on weekends, trail tickets will be $16/day (skiing only, no snowshoeing). Trail access is weather dependent. Intermediate or advanced cross country ski skills are required as the trail is not suitable for beginners. Rentals will not be available, the Day Lodge will remain closed until the Park’s projected opening day (November 27/weather dependent). Washrooms will be available. COVID-19 safety protocols are in place.
More information on Callaghan Gold, including details on athlete/team and public access is available here.