Information

Date: February 27, 2021

Canmore Nordic Centre, Alberta

For 2021, the race will most likely be canceled.  Organizers are working on a virtual race option but this option is not looking feasible.

We encourage everyone to strap on the skinny skis and support the Peter Lougheed Provincial Park trail system (with cookies in hand).   Details on how to support skiing in the Kananaskis region here.

 

Course Details

Course Details TBD

Age Categories

The Cookie Race is open to classic cross-country skiers ages 5 years old and up.

 

Schedule

* Inclement weather or unsafe conditions may necessitate schedule/route changes.

Category	Start Time	Feeding Stations	Start/Finish
42km Race	10:00	TBD	TBD
24km Race	10:10	TBD
24km Tour	10:15
15km Race	10:25	TBD
15km Tour	10:25
5km Race	10:30	TBD
3km Race	10:35
2km Race	11:00	TBD	TBD
1km Race	11:30
0.5km Race	11:30

Bib pickup: TBD

Feed stations TBD

Registration

Details TBD

Important Dates: Registration opens 01/19/2020 and closes 02/24/2021

RESULTS HERE

Weather

For current information about the weather conditions, go  HERE.  Note that this forecast is for Banff and the weather in Canmore Nordic Centre may differ.  Be prepared for sudden changes in the weather.  This is the mountains afterall!

Trail Report

All ski trails are open to the public while the race is in progress.  Be cautious and courteous!  Dogs are not allowed on the ski trails.

Volunteer

Volunteering

Volunteers are heros! It takes over 120 volunteers to make the Cookie Race happen, not including the army of cookie bakers. We need people to help Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Many people volunteer for more than one job, and many racers volunteer to help before or after the race!  Details below.

Jobs

Controller Team:  Controllers take position at key points on the course to track skiers’ progress and ensure no one goes missing. This is job requires skis, warm boots, warm clothes, a hardy soul, and a thermos of hot chocolate. Additional Information for Course Controller positions

Race Office Team: Check in volunteers, hand out bibs and transponders before the race, or help load the race office materials back into the trucks after the race.

Course Team: Pre-ski the course on Friday placing flags and signs, or sweep the course behind the racers Saturday afternoon, picking up flags and signs as you go. You must be fit enough to ski the course quickly while carrying equipment in a backpack!

Stadium Team: Help set up tents and fencing on Friday, put the final touches on the stadium Saturday morning, then tear it all down and load it up Saturday afternoon. Stadium marshals guide racers and spectators into their respective areas from the parking lot. Many of these positions are perfect for racers because they happen before or after the race!

Timing Team: Write down finish times as backup for the electronic timing system, collect transponders at the finish line, and hand out candy bags to finishers – they will love you for it!

Refreshments Team: Volunteer either in the soup and cookie tents, where happy and grateful skiers and volunteers congregate, or at one of the three feed stations out on the course. The soup tents are warm and cozy, and the feed stations are definitely a focal point of fun on the race course.

Jackrabbit Team: Help run the 5km, 3km, 2km, 1km, and 0.5km races for the kids. These are some of the most fun jobs!

Transportation Team: Help load gear from the storage locker in Calgary onto the trucks (Thursday), pull a trailer to Pocaterra Hut, help unload and set up (Friday), reload at the end of the race and then unload again in Calgary (Saturday evening). Perfect for racers because it doesn’t interfere with the race!

Volunteer Sign Up Details

The sign-up sheet shows remaining unfilled jobs and exact time requirements.  Please consider volunteering.  Thanks!

Partners

A BIG THANK YOU goes out to our Sponsors and Supporters.

 

About Us

Team

Organizing Committee

Chief of Competition                       Tom Lambert

Chief of Cookies/Refreshments    Rosie Hickey

Jackrabbit Chief                               Paul Repp

Chief of Stadium                              Scott Taylor

Chief of Course                                Scott Jensen

Chief of Controllers                        Steve Layden

Chief of Timing                                Heather Spicer

Chief of Race Office                        Ann Lohka

Race Administrator                        Cynthia Mate

Jury

Technical Delegate                         Cross Country Alberta

Duty Conservation Officer           Kananaskis Country

 

History

The Kananaskis Ski Marathon, a.k.a. the Cookie Race, is the Foothills Nordic Ski Club's flagship event.  It is the second oldest Nordic event (after the Lake Louise Loppet) and the second largest loppet (after the Canadian Birkebeiner) in Alberta.

Don Gardner, who designed the X-C trail system in Peter Lougheed, and the late Ruedi Setz, then Race Director of FNSC, organized the first Kananaskis Ski Marathon in March of 1978, with 67 participants and one 45 km distance – track-set by Don and Ruedi on skis, not snowmobiles!

The race has grown to 500 participants annually (the maximum number of racers allowed by Alberta Parks). Over the years, a 24km event, a 15km event, and Jackrabbits (youth) races of 0.5, 1, 2, 3 and 5 km have been added. Over 120 volunteers are required to host the Cookie Race.

Recognition

Jackrabbits get a candy prize at the finish line. We will present awards for Jackrabbits at 13:00 on the podium beside Pocaterra Hut. Awards for all other race categories start at 14:00. In each race category we present awards to the top three female and male finishers. Skiers in the 15km Tour and the 24km Tour receive admiration, but no awards.

Contact Race Coordinator