Whistler Olympic Park: Pre-season training; Cross country ski and biathlon athletes to ski on “Callaghan Gold” starting November 9
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Whistler, BC: Nordic ski athletes will be able to start their winter training early at Whistler Olympic Park, even though no natural snow has fallen yet in the area. For the fifth time since 2014, the park is facilitating pre-season snow access for cross country ski and biathlon athletes on “Callaghan Gold”, a trail made out of stored snow from the previous winter. “Callaghan Gold” is created primarily for use by BC’s Nordic elite athletes, clubs and high performance training programs; access for public will be possible during select weekend sessions. It is projected to be open from November 9 to November 21, 2019 (weather dependent).
“Callaghan Gold” is built using approximately 10,000 cubic meters of snow from the 2018-2019 season, which has been stored under sawdust in a 200 metres storage pit over the summer. It will be groomed to approximately 1.5 km in length with access to the biathlon shooting range. Etienne Letondeur, Head Coach of the park’s own Whistler Nordic Development Centre with 15 full-time athletes, is excited to get his team on snow: “This is truly worth ‘gold’ to our athletes. Thanks to Whistler Olympic Park’s efforts, they can make the transition from dryland training to snow very early. The trail is perfectly groomed and meets our high performance needs, it enables us to refine techniques and test equipment to be ready for race season.”
Trail access is weather dependent. Athletes will be using the trail daily from November 9 and 21. Public visitors will be able to ski on weekend afternoons (including November 11/stat holiday) from 12:00 to 3:00pm. Intermediate/advanced cross country ski skills are recommended as the trail is not suitable for beginners (skiing only, no snowshoeing). Trail tickets will be $18 plus tax/day, 2019/20 Ski Callaghan season pass holders who purchased the Extra Early Bird Pass get free access during the public sessions. Rentals will not be available as the Day Lodge will remain closed until official opening day (November 22/weather dependent). Washroom facilities will be available.
More information on Callaghan Gold, including details on athlete/team access and public sessions is available here.