Canmore World Cup Coverage

Special to CrossCountrySkier.com

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Canmore Gears Up for Cross Country World Cup

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The economic numbers that accompany these events are the same ones that accompany any successful event – they look good and, by everyone giving a little, the region has gotten a lot back in return. Perhaps more than anything, there is a palpable sense of pride among people around these events. They have worked hard to bring the big show here and it comes through in everything from smoothly operating organization to fantastic grooming on tough competition trails, to costly improvements to infrastructure, and to a deservedly proud identity in a once post-mining, depressed region.

Running separately in the background is the U.S. Ski Team’s new “attitude,” for lack of a better term. Head Coach Pete Vordenberg has instilled a new ethos in the USST, based on notions of professionalism, team, nationally functional bodies of talent development, inherent value in the sport and improved technical support. Vorderberg names three specific areas of importance: fitness, continuity, and partnerships. 

Independently supporting these observations were several members of the regional Rocky Mountain Nordic organization, like Executive Directory Ivana Radlova, who returned recently from U.S. nationals and corroborated a new intrepidness in leadership among the USST. 

Here at Canmore, the feeling seems to have caught on. Retired U.S. elite skier Nathan Schultz (founder of Boulder Nordic Sport) and Zach Caldwell (founder of Caldwell Sport Specialties) have both made the trip to Canmore on an at least semi-voluntary basis to both use and expand their considerable expertise in ski fleet management.

Schultz accompanied athletes on the trails today refining kick wax, ski flex, glide wax, wax saturation, and base structures.

“The flex tester [machine] is great, but what I can do here is get real world data on which skis are working on what kind of conditions for top athletes at World Cup venues,” said Schultz.

Schultz swapped skis back and forth with U.S. skier Zach Simons in order to keep Simons moving and to study ski behavior all at once. Any citizen racer can tell you—and it is even more crucial at the fine tip of the competition world—there exists nothing quite so uniquely frustrating as working a percentage harder on the uphills in a race in order to keep the pace only to descend the other side just a little slower than your competitor who eventually glides effortlessly away from you.

Text and photos by Matt Muir.  Matt’s flight and accommodations are being provided by Travel Alberta.