| Mt. Norquay | |
|---|---|
Mt. Norquay |
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| Location | Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada |
| Nearest city | Banff, Calgary |
| Top elevation | 2,133 m (6,998 ft) |
| Base elevation | 1,630 m (5,350 ft) |
| Skiable area | 0.77 km2 (0.30 sq mi)[1] |
| Runs | 33 |
| Longest run | 1,167 m (3,829 ft)[1] |
| Lift system | 4 chairlifts - 1 hi-speed quad - 1 fixed-grip double - 2 fixed-grip quads 1 surface lift |
| Terrain parks | 1 snowboard park |
| Snowfall | 3 m (9.8 ft)/year |
| Snowmaking | 85% |
| Night skiing | Wednesday and Friday 5-10pm (January - March) |
| Web site | BanffNorquay.com |
Mt. Norquay is a mountain and ski resort in Banff National Park, Canada that lies directly northwest of the Town of Banff. The regular ski season starts early December and ends mid-April. Mount Norquay is one of three major ski resorts located in the Banff National Park.[2]
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The mountain was named in 1904 after John Norquay, premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. Norquay climbed the mountain that now bears his name in 1887 or 1888 but, contrary to some reports, did not actually reach the summit.
The mountain can be scrambled on the western side but involves a number of difficult steps and some exposure. Ascent is not advised while snow persists on the route.
The first ski runs date as far back as 1926, with the opening of the ski lodge in 1929.[3] Rope tows were installed in 1942 and the mountain was the first in Canada to install a chair lift in 1948. Since 1978 Ski Norquay has partnered with Ski Banff, Lake Louise, Sunshine to promote its activities. This created a joined up tri area lift pass system, which includes transport to and from the resort.[4]
Since October 2006, the Mount Norquay ski resort has been owned by a group of Alberta-based investors. This ownership group consists of Ken Read, a former Olympic and World Cup Olympic alpine ski racer; Len, Peter, and Robert Sudermann of Fortune Resorts; Stephen Ross of Devonian Properties in Canmore; and Jeff Kohn of Calgary.[5]
Mount Norquay has a long history supporting the sport of alpine ski racing. The Dominion Championships were early efforts by the local community to promote winter tourism and Norquay hosted the Championships on three separate occasions. The resort was part of two Olympic Winter Games bids (1964 and 1968) and did host the World Cup in 1972, running giant slalom and slalom races on the North American run.
The resort was also famous for ski jumping, hosting many international competitions. The ski jump is still homologated and was recently used by the Altius Ski Club of Calgary.
Today the Mount Norquay Ski Resort is a popular ski destination and one of the most important ski resorts supporting alpine ski racing in Canada. The ski hill hosts many local events as well as major international ski races. Well known Canadian ski champions who are members of the Banff Alpine Racers, the home ski club for the resort, are Thomas Grandi and Cary Mullen, as well as current Canadian Alpine Ski Team members Paul Stutz, Kelly McBroom, Erik Read and Stephanie Irwin.
There are a total of 28 runs which total 16,382m in length. 85% of the skiing terrain is covered by snow making.[6] The ski area has 3 quad chairs, 1 double chair and a magic carpet. The double chair, North American, services some of the hardest terrain in North America.
With a vertical drop of 503 m (1,650 ft) and 16.4 km (10.2 mi) of runs, it is considered challenging, with 20% easy, 36% medium, 28% difficult and 16% expert runs.[1]
On Friday and Wednesday nights between January and March, Norquay hosts night skiing between 5-10pm. It is the only Banff resort to offer this facility.
| Name | Type | Vertical | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. North American 'Norquay' Chair | 2 person fixed-grip chair | 396m | 945m |
| B. Sundance Magic Carpet | Surface lift | 10m | 64m |
| C. Cascade Chair | 4 person fixed-grip chair | 122m | 579m |
| D. Spirit Chair | 4 person fixed-grip chair | 196m | 654m |
| E. Mystic Chair | 4 person hi-speed chair | 395m | 1016m |
Norquay is able to provide rental equipment to guests from its rental shop, located opposite Cascade Lodge.
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