The cross-country skiing races in Western Cup are run by Calgary Gay Ski and Social. We'd love it if you joined us! The races take place at the Canmore Nordic Centre, the site where Season 2 of Slaycation was filmed!

 

Whether you're a skier in the 2SLGBTQ+ community or an ally, you are welcome at this fantastically festive and dynamic event.

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The Western Cup cross country ski races are organized by the first and only gay ski club in Canada - Calgary Gay Ski and Social.  Western Cup 42 will be the fifth edition of our ski races at Western Cup and we have something for everybody.

 

New this year, bus transportation will be provided from Calgary to and from the ski venue.  You'll arrive back in Calgary with plenty of time to get ready for Western Cup social activities.

 

This ski race event is the last sanctioned ski race on the provincial race calendar - spring skiing at its best.   All are welcome at Western Cup Ski races - although targetted at LGBTQ skiers, allies are also very welcome.

 

Want to see some images of what Western Cup Skiing looks like?  Visit our event instagram page @western_cup_skiing 

 

What can you expect at Western Cup Skiing?  

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A variety of events - skate race, classic race, skiathlon, a drag race and a relay.

All abilities welcome - race formats that provide opportunity for anybody to succeed

• Celebration of gay sport

• A variety of distances

• A post event chili fest

• Themed events - a chance to get into some viking drag, lumberjack drag, or ski shirtless - examples from past years include:

• King of the Vikings - a 2x5km skiathlon

• Shirtless Saturday  - a 7.5km skate race

• Drag Race - a 2km event aimed at beginning and novice skiers

• Lumberjack classic - a 5km classic technique race

 

Relay

 

Possibilities for 2026 include:

 

• Gays with Guns Biathlon experience

• Calgary Gay Ski & Social has collaborated in the past with End of the Rainbow Foundation to offer intro to skiing experiences for LGBTQ refugees in Calgary.  This year, we are working on a plan to include skiers who participated in our End of the Rainbow ski day to join in Western Cup Skiing events.

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Registration for Western Cup Skiing will open on Feb 1, 2026 at the page linked below.  Early bird pricing will be available until Feb 15, 2026. Registration will close on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 at 11:59pm. Check back January 30, 2026 for the link to the registration site or use the search engine at zone4.ca to search for 'Western Cup Ski Races 2026' to find the registration site.

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Please direct all questions to Head Coach Roy Strum at cgss.skiing@gmail.com.