Nakiska is proud to be hosting both international Olympic Alpine Teams and TEAM CANADA up until their arrival in Whistler for the 2010 Olympic Games.  The competitive energy can be felt around the resort as these top athletes push through daily workouts on the streamline slopes of Mapmaker, Whoop-Up, and Legacy at Nakiska Ski Resort.  The Alpine teams are thrilled with Nakiska's racing conditions and well taken care of with delicious and nutritious meals in the Legacy Lounge. Here, they refuel and soak up inspiration from the massive Legacy photo wall of the 1988 Olympics, a part of Nakiska's heritage.  As the Official National Training Centre for Alpine Canada Alpin, Nakiska Ski Resort proudly launches these athletes towards achieving their dreams and wishes them all the best at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games!

Olympic Alpine Teams Currently Training at Nakiska Ski Resort

Canada's Men & Women
Croatia's Men
France's Men & Women
Germany's Men
Italy's Men
Monaco's Men & Women
Norway's Men
Slovenia's Men
Sweden's Women
Switzerland's Men & Women

Team Canada works out on Mapmaker, top of Gold Chair Express - photo credit: Sarah Windsor

Team Cananda's Emily Brydon (Fernie's pride!) rides up the Gold Chair Express - photo credit: Sarah Windsor

Team Italy loads the Silver Chair Express - photo credit: Sarah Windsor

Team Slovenia discuss strategy at the base of Mapmaker, Gold Chair Express base - photo credit: Sarah Windsor

Team Norway rides up in-style on the Gold Chair Express - photo credit: Sarah Windsor

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Visit Guest Services at any RCR Ski Resort or the Calgary office to sign up for your Express Ticket today!  This FREE convenient option allows you to skip the ticket line-ups.  With your Express Ticket, you can arrive at Fernie Alpine Resort, Kimberley Alpine Resort ,or Nakiska Ski Resort and go straight to the lift and have your lift ticket charged directly to your credit card.  The Express Ticket is only available for Full Day lift tickets - Half Day lift tickets are to be purchased from the Ticket Office.

For further information please call 1-800-258-SNOW (7669)

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Memories of the 1988 XV Olympic Games came rushing back to Nakiska today with the arrival of the Torch that was greeted by a ceremonial ski down the North Axe run from a parade of ski club racers.  Crowds cheered and memories were shared as the ceremony took place, re-living the hopes and dreams of athletes that came true at Nakiska in Canada's first Winter Olympic Games.  The Torch for the 2010 Olympic Games re-ignited the spirit and fueled the memories at Nakiska, but Olympic dreams continue to thrive through the many alpine athletes who come to Nakiska to train in hopes of earning their spot on the podium some day.

photo credit: Sarah Windsor

photo credit: Sarah Windsor

photo credit: Sarah Windsor

photo credit: Sarah Windsor

photo credit: Sarah Windsor

photo credit: Sarah Windsor

The Monster Energy Hospitality Rig will come to Nakiska on Tuesday Jan 19th to get the party started in preparation for Olympic Spirit Day (Wednesday Jan 20th) when the Olympic Torch Relay arrives at Nakiska!  Skiers and snowboarders will get revved up with Monster Energy drink samples and pumping tunes while they wait in anticipation for the Torch to arrive the following day!

Monster Energy Hospitality Rig

There is no other ski resort in Canada that shares the Olympic Spirit like Nakiska Ski Resort, host of the 1988 Olympic downhill events and official National Training Centre of Alpine Canada Alpin.  Day 83 of the Olympic Torch Relay  (Wednesday January 20th) brings the eternal flame to Nakiska Ski Resort! Come on out and show your spirit by wearing RED on Olympic Spirit Day at Nakiska!

click here for more details

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Nakiska received one of the best snowfalls in the Alberta Rockies over the last 48hrs, with 11cm of fresh snow!  Come on out an enjoy fantastic skiing and snowboarding at Nakiska Ski Resort.

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From the amazing scenery to the fantastic snow conditions, the best ski day awaits at Nakiska Ski Resort.  Enjoy good times with your friends and family while cruising down one of the many runs at Nakiska or indulge in a peaceful moment while taking in one of the many views from Nakiska Ski Resort.

Share Your Best Ski Day - Upload Your Photos! 

Dec 7 2009 - Taking in the Views

Dec 7 2009 - Enjoying Good Times with Friends & Family!

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Nakiska Ski Resort is a magical place to have your wedding and will take your special day to new heights!  With spectacular views of the Kananaskis Mountains and at the base of Mount Allan, what better place to get married than at Nakiska?  We have a variety of room settings to make a perfect day!  Let our Wedding Coordinator help you plan the wedding of your dreams, email: Clugg@skircr.com or call: 1-800-258-SNOW(7669).

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At Nakiska Ski Resort, a special January romance package awaits you and your loved one!  Enjoy the luxury of the Delta Lodge Kananaskis and a wonderful day of skiing together at Nakiska!  Make memories in the mountains that will last a lifetime.  Visit our Vacation Hot Deals page for more information!

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A local school group visited Nakiska and here is what they had to say about their ski experience:

"I just wanted to let you know that we had a terrific day of lessons and skiing at Nakiska.  Everyone including the Group Sales representative, Instructor, Rental Shop staff, Chair Lift operators, and all other support staff WERE TREMENDOUS!

Every aspect went extremely smooth!  Hats off to your team."

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Now it is even easier to get to Nakiska!  New Nakiska Ski Bus available daily from various Canmore & Banff stops. Bus and Lift only $64.95 + GST!

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The best value family ski package in the Alberta Rockies is back for another season!  The Nakiska Family Snow Pack includes full day lift tickets and rental equipment for 2 adults & up to 3 children or youth (up to 17 yrs). Save up to $300 for your ski day with the Nakiska Family Snow Pack! 

Add Accommodation to the Nakiska Family Snow Pack & SAVE!

Delta Lodge Kananaskis
Stoney Nakoda Resort & Casino

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Nakiska Resort will say “Thank You” to local communities by offering a FREE day of skiing and snowboarding to the residents of Banff, Canmore, Exshaw, Cochrane, and all residents living in the Kananaskis Valley as part of the Community Appreciation Day on December 12, 2009.  MORE DETAILS

Nakiska Ski Resort will open for the season with daily operations commencing this Saturday Dec 5. With over 20cm of new snow this week already and more forecast for opening weekend, conditions should be AMAZING for skiing and snowboarding!  All Main Chair Lifts will be open from 9:00am to 4:00pm including: Gold Chair Express, Silver Chair Express, Bronze Chair, and the Monster Magic Carpet. Additional runs to open including Upper Little Hunter, Walking Buffalo, Big Bear, Lower Whoop Up and more runs opening daily.  Check Nakiska's online snow report  for opening day details including up-to-date conditions, lift status, and trail openings.

New Snow at Nakiska - Dec 1, 2009

Nakiska is pleased to announce our daycare will open this weekend for your convenience. Details and rates for our programs are available on the daycare page.

Whoop Up, run number 16 on your trail map, will open this weekend to the public. Come out and try the brand new Gold Chair Express Lift and our expanded Monster Glades.

Trail Map

The Calgary Herald features Nakiska instructors teaching the stars of the upcoming Leonardo DiCaprio movie, Inception, which is being filmed in Kananaskis Country. 

Actor, Cillian Murphy (second from left) and Nakiska Instructors

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As a special Thank You to ALL Nakiska Season Pass Holders, come ski Fernie Alpine Resort this weekend for FREE!  A special Preview Weekend opening is scheduled for Saturday Nov 28 & Sunday Nov 29 at Fernie Alpine Resort.  

Come celebrate the launch of the ski and snowboard season at Fernie Alpine Resort!

Ski Patrol tests out snow conditions at Fernie Alpine Resort - Nov 21, 2009

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For Nakiska's second weekend opening of the season (Nov 21 & 22), skiers and riders will get to enjoy more runs and lifts with the opening of the Monster Magic Carpet (Alberta's Largest) and the Minute Maid Learning Area.  Enjoy 2800 vertical feet of the best Fall-Line Skiing in the Alberta Rockies with the Silver Chair Express open at 9am and the new Gold Chair Express open at 10:30, both this Saturday and Sunday.

Photo Credit: Mark Shannon

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With Nakiska now open on weekends, all RCR Season Pass holders can ski at Nakiska for FREE until home resorts open.  This includes:

Nakiska mid-week passholders - until Official Resort Opening on Dec 5th

Fernie Alpine Resort passholders - until Official Resort Opening Dec 5th (tentative)

Kimberley Alpine Resort passholders - until Official Resort Opening Dec 18th (tentative)

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Hollywood Stars, Canadian Alpine Ski Team and lots of skiers and riders celebrate the opening of Nakiska Ski Resort and the debut of the NEW Gold Chair Express

Many of the Cast and Crew of Leonardo Dicaprio's new Hollywood blockbuster movie, Inception, skied Nakiska Ski resort this weekend.

Nakiska Ski Resort opened with incredible skiing and riding conditions and above average snow coverage, noted Matt Mosteller. Sun, Smiles and Fun sums up the weekend as Mosteller said guest enjoyed making their first turns of the winter at Nakiska Ski Resort.

Banff's region only new High Speed Quad, the Gold Chair Express, made it's inaugral run whisking guests to the top so they could enjoy Nakiska's Big Mountain style 2800 vertical!

Adding to the excitement was the chance to ski the Alberta Rockies only new Ski Runs! The Monster Glades add 13 new ski runs to Nakiska Ski Resort

Nakiska's Ski ResortS huge snowmaking system, largest in Western Canada, will continue to pound the slopes with new snowfall so stay tuned updates of more ski runs opening. Nakiska Ski Resort will operate weekends for the month of November.

Enjoy all these amazing new features at Nakiska for only $20 with the new Nakisak 2010 card

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Kelly VanderBeek writes as great Blog for CBC about her preperation for training for the 2010 Olympics- please see excerpt below and also check out great accolade from her about the Alpine Training provided at Nakiska Ski Resort- "Official National Training Centre of Alpine Canada"

A Leo sighting

I then flew to Calgary and jumped right into fitness testing, followed by a press conference and interviews, then back to the University of Calgary to complete our fitness testing. It went well, and I'm excited to put all that work behind me and get back onto my skis.

Right after testing we hit the road for Nakiska Resort, where I'm staying now and will be for the next two weeks of training.

On a side and rather fun note, they're filming a movie here and Leonardo DiCaprio is staying at our hotel. At dinner, he was eating 10 metres away from us, putting the women's team into giggling fits. Pretty funny.

I have now had three days on my skis here in Nakiska. With cold weather and a new high-speed quad, the training is as good as it gets. We focused on the giant slalom for a couple days, then moved into speed training. I'm feeling great on my skis and moving towards race mode.

I love this time of year — the anticipation is exciting and the bulk of training is done.

Now, I just need to go fast. The fun part.

Check out more on Kelly's Blog http://www.cbc.ca/sports/blogs/2009/11/training_hard_and_movie_stars.html

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Get your ski gear ready and go! Nakiska Ski Resort opens for weekends starting this Saturday Nov 14, 2009 - featuring some of the longest, vertical fall line runs open in the Alberta Rockies! That's right, a whopping 2800ft of vertical for your thigh burning enjoyment!We invite everyone out for the start of an exciting season at Nakiska including all RCR Pass Holders who can SKI FREE at Nakiska until home resorts open!

With an incredible early season snowfall and Western Canada's Largest Snowmaking System, Nakiska Ski Resort provides the best skiing and riding conditions in the Alberta Rockies. On Saturday, skiers and riders will be able to head up the Silver Chair Express and enjoy Grand Trunk and Homesteader. The exciting debut of the new Gold Chair Express, the only new, high speed quad in the Banff/Bow Valley area, commences this weekend. Enjoy skiing and riding on Mapmaker, accessible from the Gold Chair Express, starting at 10:30AM on Saturday. Experience the longest fall line skiing in the Rockies by skiing from the top of the Gold Chair Express to the bottom of Silver Chair Express.

photo by Al Charest- Calgary Sun

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Don't miss out this season on the 70 acres and 13 new SKI runs in the new Monster Glades. With the upper section of the Monster Glades open for this weekend, Nakiska will be the only Alberta Ski Resort to have new trails open for skiers and riders to enjoy. The Monster Glades provide some of the best tree skiing in the Alberta Rockies' We tested it out last weekend and enjoyed knee deep powder and perfectly spread trails. What a blast!

Don't miss skiing the new Glades at Nakiska Ski Resort if you are planning a Ski Vacation to Banff, Alberta, Canada this winter

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Nakiska is featured in the first of the season, Calgary Sun Snowscene issue.  Praised for the new Gold Chair Express and an earlier season opening than ever before!  Also hilighted is Nakiska's world-class snowmaking system (with the addition of 31 new guns this season) and the new Monster Glades - did you know that this amazing new area with top up the run total by 13?  That's a total of 41 runs now at Nakiska - this is THE place to be skiing and riding this weekend with the best snow conditions and most terrain open in the Rockies!

See you on Saturday!

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Nakiska Ski Resort aims to be open for public skiing and riding on weekends starting November 14th (Open 7 days/wk starting Dec 5).  This is the earliest opening in history for Nakiska Ski Resort, aligning with the few mountain ski resorts in Canada who have such early season openings.  With this, Nakiska Ski Resort plans to have, what could be, the most vertical and longest fall-line ski runs open at this time of year. On November 14th, skier and rider enthusiasts will be able to access the top of the new, high-speed Gold Chair Express all the way down to the base - a whopping 779m (2555ft) of vertical!  Enjoy quick and easy access to the slopes at Calgary's Closest Mountain, Nakiska Ski Resort - the only resort in Alberta to offer high-speed chairs for all main access lifts.  Visit the Nakiska Ski Resort booth at the Calgary Ski Show this weekend for show special discounts on skiing and riding at Nakiska Ski Resort and don't forget to check out the new 2010 Card!

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In preparation for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, Nakiska Ski Area will host race teams in-training from all over the world including the most important team, TEAM CANADA!   Visiting Olympians will commence training at this Official National Training Centre after resort opening on Nov 7 and leading up to the start of the games on February 12, 2010.  In addition to proudly hosting Team Canada's Alpine Men & Women, the famous Mapmaker run at Nakiska will be the workout platform for:

Croatia's Men
France's Men & Women
Germany's Men
Italy's Men
Monaco's Men & Women
Norway's Men
Slovenia's Men
Sweden's Women
Switzerland's Men & Women

Nakiska is proud of its Olympic heritage and honoured to play such an integral role in the success of the Vancouver 2010 Games.

We pass the torch to you, Whistler!

Emily Brydon - Team Canada

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The best Snow in the Alberta Rockies is not the only Star of the show at Nakiska Ski Resort. On the best groomed snow in Canada on October 28th Hollywood Stars skied in preparation for the upcoming shooting of Christopher Nolan's latest blockbuster feature film. Leaonardo DiCaprio headlines the film's star studded cast. This is truly First Tracks at a Mountain Ski Resort in Canada for the 2009/10 Ski Season

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Nakiska's New Enhancements including the Gold Chair Express get the attention of OntheSnow.com journalist Becky Lomax!

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Cool temps and precipitation means Fresh Natural Snow for Nakiska this past weekend while the largest snowmaking system in the Canadian Rockies revs up to pump out 1.5ft of snow per hour!

Watch winter transcend on live webcams of Nakiska Ski Area.  Get up-to-date snow reports this season directly to your email by signing up from the Nakiska homepage.

Live Webcam Images from Monday Oct 5, 2009

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The NEW Monster Glades at Nakiska will give skiers and riders more access to gladed terrain with the widening of trails and increased runs in the trees.  Other trail improvements include the widening of three runs to 60 metres and extending the core training run "Mapmaker" by 650 metres - all in part, vital to both the guest experience and ski racers training at the resort.

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Nakiska took a major step forward on the road to the 2010 GMC Canadian Championships this past weekend, with the homologation of a new downhill course.

ACA National Programs Director Philippe Bernier and Nakiska General Manager Jan Sekerak were joined by USSA inspector Bruce Crane and Julie Lemieux, member on the FIS sub-committee for alpine courses, during the homologation.  In ski racing, a homologation is a technical term referring to the process of ensuring a course is suitable for racing.  It is required before a race is approved by ski racing's international governing body.

An official Alpine Canada Alpin National Training Centre, Nakiska will proudly host the 2010 GMC Canadian Championships on March 22 to 28.   It will be the first major ski racing competition in Canada for many of Canada's Olympic ski racers after the 2010 Games.

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Nakiska Ski Area is excited to announce our tentative early weekend openings starting Nov 7, 2009.  The resort will be open every Saturday & Sunday from this date and leading up to the official full opening on December 5, 2009.

2009 Early Season Weekends:

Nov 7 & 8
Nov 14 & 15
Nov 21 & 22
Nov 28 & 29

Get your skiing and riding legs ready - winter is coming early!

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Not only can you get to skiing faster with Nakiska being Calgary's Closest Mountain but you can now ride up to the top in less than 5mins on the new Gold Chair Express, a new high-speed quad lift at Nakiska Ski Resort.  After a year of much planning and implementation, the resort will proudly be loading excited skiers and riders upon tentative opening set for Nov 7 for early season weekends! 

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Fall Pass Sale on NOW!  A variety of great season passes at great prices to take advantage of.  The new RCR Rockies Pass gives you access to 3 great Rockies Resorts all season long.   Don't miss out on great savings and choices! 

Season Passes are now being printed through the Calgary office.  Pass printing at Nakiska Ski Resort, Kimberley Alpine Resort, and Fernie Alpine Resort to commence Sept 1, 2009.  

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New this year! This premium pass includes three (3) Great Resorts! Ski when you want at 3 great Rockies Resorts featuring Fernie Alpine Resort, legendary powder and more, Kimberley Alpine Resort, Canada’s family ski resort, and Nakiska, Calgary’s closest ski mountain and Calgary’s favorite local ski resort. Don’t limit yourself to only one mountain when you can choose to ski from 3! Nowhere else in Canada will you find so much on one pass- over 60 feet of SNOW, 21 lifts, and 221 runs for your enjoyment!

Buy Online  

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Nakiska Ski Area - A real mountain, real close to Calgary undergoes major enhancements and is picked to be the Official Alpine Canada Alpin National Training Centre. The famed 1988 Olympic Winter Games ski resort is now set to become a major staging site for Canada's Olympic hopefuls.  Read more on Nakiska's enhancements

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NASA, the newly formed Nakiska Alpine Ski Association has started operations and marks an exciting development in the Alberta ski racing scene. Four Calgary area ski clubs operating out of the Nakiska ski area - the Skimeisters Alpine Racing Club, Paskapoo Ski Club, Kananaskis Alpine Ski Club and the National Alpine Training Centre - have partnered together and re-organized their program delivery to become the founding members of NASA.  Read more.

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Every year Calgary's Child Magazine holds a Parent's Choice Awards dinner, this year being the 13th annual. The awards recognize quality family retailers and service providers in our community. Ballots were distributed in the November-December 2008 issue of Calgary's Child Magazine and more than 150,000 readers were invited to vote for their family favorites in over 50 categories. Nakiska Ski Resort received an honourable mention in the "Best Family Ski Area in Alberta" category.

Nakiska is well known for being a family-friendly resort. A secure beginner's area with friendly ski school staff means that children can can enjoy lessons for the day while parents explore Nakiska's challenging upper mountain. With close proximity to the city of Calgary, skiers and snowboarders of all levels find it an ideal choice for a ski resort in Alberta.
 

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Alpine Canada Alpin (ACA) has officially designated Nakiska as a National Training Centre. Read More

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Wow! Over 43 cm of new snow in the last 48 hours. 72 cm in the past week and over 161 cm in the past 27 days. That's a lot of snow!!

Boasting some of the softest conditions seen all season, skiing and riding at Nakiska right now couldn't be better. All this new snow has setup the last 20 days of the 2008/09 season to be some of the best seen all season.

Environment Canada is forecasting great temperatures and more snow for the remainder of the week. Nakiska is Calgary's closest mountain and at just 55 minutes from the city limits gives you the opportunity to come out and spend the day or join us for just a morning or an afternoon.

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