The Nakiska complex was built on Mount Allan for the 1988 Winter Olympics. Because of the frequent warm chinook winds, the natural snowfall in this area undergoes regular winter thawing. To overcome this, an extensive and expensive snowmaking system was installed at a cost of $5 million. Millions of gallons of water each day are pumped from the Kananaskis River to cover every inch of the Nakiska ski slopes in the form of artificial snow. A collection of three hotels, a recreation center and other buildings offer some of the best accomodation bargains in the Rockies. It seems that the competition to attract skiers from Banff has resulted in an unusual benefit for anyone seeking a high value, low cost, skiing package.

The Mount Allan ski area is a straightforward computer assisted design which provides most of the expert runs at the top, intermediate at mid mountain, and plenty of gentle runs at the base lodge. The Olympic quad chair takes you to mid mountain and a connection to the Gold chair to the summit. At this point, you are just below the start of the Olympic downhill course. On the whole it's simple, uncomplicated but good skiing with a great view. You will also find a difference in skiing this mountain. The machine made snow tends to pack hard and crisp so sharp edges on your skis are a must. Although we western Canadians tend to be spoiled by so much natural powder at most of our resorts, Nakiska offers a real advantage in the occasional lean natural snow year when Mount Allan will be guaranteed to have good snow coverage. For accomodation and information needs, try the Hotel Kananaskis at 1-403-591-7711 or toll free at 1-800-268-9411. As well, you can reach Travel Alberta at 1-800-661-8888.

Some Mount Allan statistics are;

Base Elevation:-1,525 meters (5,033 feet), Summit Elevation:- 2,260 meters (7,460 feet), Vertical Drop:- 920 meters (3,012 feet), Skiable Terrain:- 230 acres, Number of Runs:- 30, Longest Run:- 3.2 kilometers (2 miles), Lifts and Capacity:- 2 high speed quads, 1 triple, 1 double, 1 T-bar, 8,620 skiers per hour, Daily Lift Ticket Price:- $36, Annual Snowfall:- 250 cm (98 inches), Snowmaking:- 90%, Terrain Mix:- Novice 16%, Intermediate 70%, Expert 14%

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