Kananaskis Country in Winter

Skating on Spray Lake.

Winter in Kananaskis is most definitely the slow season, although there are still activities such as DOWNHILL and CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING, SNOWSHOEING, SKATING, and WILDLIFE VIEWING to keep you occupied. 

The most accessible of Kananaskis Country’s 200 km of cross-country trails are in the Ribbon Creek area. Most heavily used are those radiating from Kananaskis Village and those around the base of Nakiska. Most trails are easy to intermediate, including a five-kilometre (3.1-mile) track up Ribbon Creek. Rentals are available in the Village Trading Post in Kananaskis Village.

The wild skating season is relatively short and unpredictable, but in November and December, when the lakes freeze with minimal snowfalls, the conditions for skating on frozen lakes can be ideal. Favourite wild skating destinations include Gap Lake, Spray Lakes, and Barrier Lake.

Nakiska Ski Area

Nakiska was built to host the alpine skiing events of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games but is now open to the public. Great cruising and fast fall-line skiing on runs cut specially for racing will satisfy the intermediate-to-advanced crowd. The Bronze chairlift accesses a novice area below the main area. The area has a total of 28 runs and a vertical rise of 735 metres.