Mount Norquay ski resort
Encyclopedia
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.
, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 (1,650.3 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.
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.
Ski resort
A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing and other winter sports. In Europe a ski resort is a town or village in a ski area - a mountainous area, where there are ski trails and supporting services such as hotels and other accommodation, restaurants, equipment rental and a ski lift system...
in Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Banff National Park is Canada's oldest national park, established in 1885 in the Rocky Mountains. The park, located 110–180 kilometres west of Calgary in the province of Alberta, encompasses of mountainous terrain, with numerous glaciers and ice fields, dense coniferous forest, and alpine...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that lies directly northwest of the Town of Banff
Banff, Alberta
Banff is a town within Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada. It is located in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, approximately west of Calgary and east of Lake Louise....
. 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.
History
The mountain was named in 1904 after John NorquayJohn Norquay
John Norquay was the Premier of Manitoba from 1878 to 1887. He was born near St. Andrews in what was then the Red River Colony, making him the first Premier of Manitoba to have been born in the region....
, premier of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
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.
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.
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
Ken Read
Ken Read, CM is a retired Canadian Olympic alpine ski racer, Corporate Director, sport advocate and international sports leader....
, 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.
Ski racing at Norquay
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.
Terrain
There are a total of 28 runs which total 16,382m in length. 85% of the skiing terrain is covered by snow making.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 (1,650.3 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.
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.
Lift System
| 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 Detachable chairlift A detachable chairlift or high-speed chairlift is a type of passenger aerial lift, which, like a fixed-grip chairlift, consists of numerous chairs attached to a constantly moving wire rope that is strung between two terminals over intermediate towers. They are now commonplace at all but the... chair |
395m | 1016m |
Rental Facilities
Norquay is able to provide rental equipment to guests from its rental shop, located opposite Cascade Lodge.External links
- BanffNorquay.com
- Ski Banff - Lake Louise - Sunshine - Tri-Area Joint Venture