​Last spring, the Freestyle, Freeride, and ski communities were devastated with the loss of the high-quality training facility of Vortex. In their short time, Vortex offered our club and community an amazing facility to conduct trampoline training and work on new skills to translate to the slopes. Rex Thomas, the Owner and Head Coach of RT Freeski, took notice and was able to secure a few of the trampolines from Vortex (2 Olympic beds, a 16x16 ft trampoline, and a SuperTramp), and started a new venture named The Spot YYC.

This past fall, Rex opened the doors to The Spot with the goal to provide a high-quality training facility that is affordable to clubs, athletes, and the ski community in Calgary and surrounding areas. Our Freeride club has been using the trampolines at The Spot to train since September, and we could not be more appreciative of Rex. 

With construction now complete on the trampoline section of the facility, Rex has expanded his vision for The Spot and continues to work tirelessly on the indoor rail park, that will hopefully open soon!

With all of this in mind, The Spot is aiming to host their Grand Opening this Sunday, November 3rd, at 4 PM. All athletes are welcome to drop-in and check out the new facility for free. Athletes in attendance Require a Freestyle Membership for this event. 

The Lake Louise FIS team has just recently returned from an unforgettable pre-season ski trip overseas in Europe. We started our trip off by heading to Wittenberg, Germany where we spent the first 5 days of our trip getting to experience what indoor skiing is all about. This was a first time experience for the whole team and it couldn’t have gone any better. With the consistently perfect hard/icy conditions that we got from skiing indoors, athletes were able to make vast and noticeable changes in their skiing in no time. 

After our short but sweet 5 day stint in Wittenberg, the FIS team packed the vans back up and headed all the way to Hintertux, Austria for the remainder of the trip. The first week of the trip we got the full glacier weather experience and had to deal with lots of snow, rain and fog forcing us to have a couple rest days early on the trip. Luckily the weather cleared and we were able to push for a total of 12 days of training with conditions improving throughout the rest of the trip. 
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Beyond the on snow training, the trip was a great opportunity for team bonding and growth, both on and off the hill. Everything from the Hintertux lift lines in the morning, to having to tune 2-3 a times day for our indoor sessions, the team was able to work together and have a great time doing so. Not to mention athletes skied all of the varying conditions imaginable, from injected slopes indoors, to soft fresh snow on the glacier and everything in between, all while staying focused on the task at hand and making the most out of each and every training session. Our FIS team now has a couple weeks off at home before officially kicking the season off at Lake Louise on opening weekend. 

A few photos from our adventures!

The LLSC's has partnered with the Sunshine Ski Clubs, Banff Alpine Racers, and the Bow Valley Quickies to present Safe Sport sessions to various targeted groups within our memberships. We are extremely excited to have Allison Forsyth delivering these sessions as she will share her knowledge, experience and expertise as one of Canada's leading advocates for Safe Sport. 

Save the following dates in your calendars:

• Wednesday Nov. 13th at 6pm - U16 and older Athletes
• Tuesday November 19th at 7pm - Coaches and Board Members
• Tuesday November 26th at 7pm - Parents of all age groups

Session registration / links will be sent out shortly.

For a sneak peek and a taste of Allison's passion for Safe Sport, check out her interview on the CBC's POV Podcast about trying to keep kids safer in sport, or check her company Gen Safe.

The Lake Louise Ski Clubs would like to acknowledge in the induction of former club member Gene Durand into the Canadian Rockies Ski Racing Hall of Fame. For many years Gene was the heart and soul of our volunteers as he worked races from the grassroots level of Nancy Greene right up to the Lake Louise World Cup. He was famously known for his tireless efforts ensuring course quality and safety on the steep pitch of Men's Downhill, with crampons on his boots and a shovel in hand. Gene also spent time serving as a board member for Alberta Alpine and Alpine Canada. It was his dedication to volunteering and creating a sense of community amongst volunteers that was the inspiration for the LLSCs' Voli Cup (formerly the Gene Durand Cup), where we acknowledge the great efforts by all of our amazing volunteers. 

Gene's now joins his son Jeff in the CRSR hall of fame. Jeff was inducted as an athlete in 2014. Please join me in congratulating the Durand family (Jeff, Holly, Ruby and Tommy) on Gene's great accomplishments and induction.

First of all I would like to thank all of you who have already signed up to volunteer either at the Ski Sale or at one of our Casinos!  This is one of the first years that I have been with the Club that the majority of the Ski Sale positions have been filled well before set up starts! Now we need to fill our two Casino obligations!
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As our Casinos are our Clubs' biggest fundraiser, volunteer points are offered at a premium - 15 points per shift.  They are also one of the few remaining ways to earn your required financial credits for the season.  We have already had an amazing response with our first two morning shifts already filled, but we have many more to go.  Absolutely no experience is needed and is a great way to meet members new and old.  Athlete's 18 & older can volunteer as well.

In anticipation of hosting a number of on snow events for our athletes this winter, it is time to start thinking about either taking or renewing (must be done every 2 years) your Officials credentials for the season.  **** Grizzlies Families - please do not let this panic you! Watch your inbox for an email from Emily Clarke with further details for you ****

In order to volunteer in any Alberta Alpine sanctioned events you must have at least your Level One Officials. What does this mean?  This means if your athlete is a Grizzly Plus or Race athlete you will need your Level One to volunteer at any of their races.  It also means if you have a Freeride athlete and you would like to help with any of the provincial races we host (including the Doug Meyers) to earn your community credits, you will need it as well.  New this year - any race shifts work on a Monday through Thursday are worth 15 points versus Friday through Sunday shifts which are worth 10.

Level 1 Officials Course
Club parent, Dave Howard will be hosting a Level 1 early in the season at the Lake Louise.  Details about date, time and sign up will be communicated as soon as it is available.

Level 2 Officials Course
A Level 2 course is being offered October 28 & 30th via Zoom, click here to register.

Officials Update (Level 2 Officials and higher)
If you are a level 2 official or higher, the province is offering two opportunities to update your certifications, November 2nd and November 3rd (only 1 session needs to be attended). Please click on the date for the respective sign ups.

It is important to note that all of these courses are offered free of charge.​

Store is open now through to the end of the season!

Mark your calendars - our year end awards banquet will be held Saturday, April 26, 2025 at the Lodge of Ten Peaks.  More details to come!

Where: CSI Calgary at Markin Macphail Centre, 151 Canada Olympic Rd SW #250, Calgary, AB T3B 6B7, Canada
When: November 2nd (U14) and 3rd (U16 & FIS)
Time: 8:30am to 4:30pm
Cost: $55

Please note: Time slots are 2 hours long and will be assigned and communicated on Thursday, October 31st.
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Information on the combine and fitness testing can be found here: https://ltad.alpinecanada.org/page/aca-fitness-combine