Skiing Archives - Calgary Guardian

Summer Turns Return: Banff Sunshine Village Brings Skiing Back to the Rockies

Tyler Dixon — Fri, 26 Jun 2026 02:34:50 +0000

For most Canadians, the arrival of summer means trading skis for hiking boots and mountain bikes. At Banff Sunshine Village, however, exceptional winters can blur the seasons. This year, thanks to one of the snowiest [...]

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Old Photographs of Mount Norquay (1903 – 1959)

Tyler Dixon — Thu, 02 Apr 2026 06:33:06 +0000

Perched high above the town of Banff, Mount Norquay has been part of the Canadian Rockies’ winter culture for a full century. Its story mirrors the growth of skiing in western Canada, from rugged, hike-accessed [...]

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Old Photographs of the Skoki Area (1903-1942)

Tyler Dixon — Thu, 27 Feb 2025 07:44:47 +0000

It’s difficult to say with certainty but James Foster Porter, an American from Illinois, was likely the first non-Indigenous person to explore the Skoki Valley near Lake Louise in the early 1900s. Eventually the name [...]

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Old Photographs from Nakiska Ski Hill (1982-1988)

Tyler Dixon — Thu, 02 Jan 2025 06:33:58 +0000

Calgary learned it had been awarded the 1988 Olympic Winter Games in 1983. Shortly after, the Olympic Committee began their search for the ideal site to host the alpine events. Mount Shark and Mount Sparrowhawk [...]

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Old Photographs from Fortress Mountain Ski Resort (1974-1986)

Tyler Dixon — Thu, 28 Nov 2024 06:33:37 +0000

Fortress Mountain originally opened in 1967, but it wasn’t known as Fortress back then. At that time it was called Snowridge Ski Resort in the kananaSKIs valley. In those days, visitors had to navigate the [...]

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Curated Collection of Historical Photos from Marmot Basin

Tyler Dixon — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 00:03:23 +0000

As with the majority of skiing and mountaineering history in western Canada, Marmot Basin can also trace its roots back to Swiss guides. In this case, Joe Weiss guided clients into the area using cross-country [...]

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Vintage Photos from Banff’s Sunshine Village

Tyler Dixon — Thu, 26 Jan 2023 07:44:52 +0000

There is evidence to suggest that skis were being used in what is now Banff National Park as far back as the 1880s. Sunshine Village, one of the premiere winter resorts in western Canada, got [...]

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Wild Jobs: Snowboard Designer

Tyler Dixon — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 09:00:51 +0000

This pandemic has been devastating to both lives and livelihoods. The movement to support local businesses has only been amplified by rolling restrictions and ongoing supply chain issues. Big box stores are built to survive [...]

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Wild Jobs: Snowmaking Supervisor

Tyler Dixon — Fri, 19 Mar 2021 09:00:10 +0000

Snow can be defined as precipitation in the form of small white ice crystals formed directly from the water vapour in the air. Usually, Mother Nature is responsible for providing the goods that are lusted [...]

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Wild Jobs: Cat Ski Owner and Guide

Tyler Dixon — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 09:00:46 +0000

Cat skiing has been around longer than you might realize. Allan Drury, an Ontario native who was working in Aspen in 1965, witnessed snowcats being used to transport skiers into an unfinished area of the [...]

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