Camrose Ski Club

One of the major attractions we knew about before coming to Camrose, but were interested in trying out first-hand was the network of nordic ski trails that runs through the Stoney Creek Valley that cuts through town. In all honesty I was missing the opportunity to get more skiing in. Having Gatineau Park relatively close at hand in Ottawa was fantastic, but the last couple of years in Kingston were completely lacking in the nordic department. There were a few trail options but rarely the weather to actually take advantage. We ended up skiing more on visits to Ottawa!

So it was with excitement that we were moving to somewhere with some solid Scandinavian heritage (which instantly elevates both smoked fish and nordic skiing to new levels). In fact the heritage goes back a long way as the club (the the Fram Ski Club) was founded in 1911 and is one of the oldest in Canada. It used to include a ski jump (it was removed in 2016, so all I have to go by are a couple of pictures from events in the 1950s, see below) and was a big attraction for the Norwegian settlers. So I will unfortunately not be picking up ski jumping, but I'm ok with just some solid nordic skiing.

Spectators at Camrose Ski Jump, 1954 (Provincial Archives of Alberta, PA237.1).

When we arrived there was very little snow, very frigid temperatures and many boxes to unpack, so it did take us a few weeks to get out, but once we did, we realized it was a gem of a ski network. There are a total of 18 km in trails, but with multiple different side loops and difficulties running up various sides of the creek valley you could get some really fantastic technical skiing opportunities. The network is broken into three sections, north, central and southern areas. With the southern trails ending at a biathalon range about 4 km south of town (hopefully the subject of a future post!) and feature some great skiing. The whole network is maintained by a group of volunteers and they do a fantastic job keeping the trails in great shape. Demsis might be out earlier in the Gats, but I'm not sure they put as much care and attention into setting classic track and packing down the rare snowfall here so that it last beautifully even if relatively dry. With the low sun angle here, even a small amount of snow can last for weeks, especially with the groomers getting an excellent base packed down.

There are also some wildlife viewing opportunities as the local herd of mule deer can often be found in some of the south-facing woodlands. Indeed one has to be kind of careful about them being out on the trails at certain times of day!

Don't come around that corner too quickly...

It was cold this winter, but as the Germans like to say, there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. We've invested in long-johns, Buffs and lobster mitts, so even being out in -25 isn't bad after the first few km! If you happen to be coming for a visit in the winter, definitely bring along your skis! And in the summer, the trails and club are home to running, biking and triathlon clubs as well!

A picture of the trail in the shadow of Prairie skyscrapers...