Justin Brisbane, Rocky Mountain Outlook November 20, 2014.
The Alberta World Cup Society is awaiting final approval from Parks Canada for the 2015 Haywood NorAm Western Canadian Championship cross-country ski race at Lake Louise, which will serve as a test event for the first cross-country ski world cup race at the mountain hamlet.
The race, which will begin and end on Lake Louise, and use existing Lake Louise Loppett trails, needs to pass a Environmental Impact Study, however, both sides don’t believe any issues will arise between now and the Jan. 15, 2015 start.
“This is a proposed event on existing trails. Given its nature, we don’t anticipate any major modifications,” said Banff National Park Visitor Experience Manager Michael St. Denis.
The Western Canadian Championships race attracts the best domestic racers in Canada, and is anticipated to draw more than 100 athletes eager to test out the future world cup course.
AWCS’s Ken Hewitt said the biggest change to the course will be improved grooming. A PistenBully 100 on loan from Kananaskis Country will be used to provide a world cup-calibre trackset on the course, which will require slight modifications. Hewitt said there will be some tree removal to ensure the machine can pass through the narrow trails, but it will be “less than 20 trees” over the 15 kilometre course.
Read the entire article at the Rocky Mountain Outlook