Machine, mother nature team up to bring Skijordue back to Calgary
With some last-minute help from mother nature and a snow gun, Skijordue is bringing its high-flying, fashion-forward fusion of western and ski culture back to Calgary.
After a successful 2025 debut, Skijordue is set to return to downtown Calgary this weekend.
A slight problem, though - Mother Nature hasn’t exactly been on (snow) board.
Weeks of above-average weather made quick work of melting most of the snow that fell in the first half of the winter season in southern Alberta. And while it’s likely hard to find a Calgarian complaining about the trend, that kind of weather isn’t exactly beneficial to building what’s typically a 20-metre-wide, 230-metre-long race course made of snow.
So, as the event inched closer, organizers activated the contingency plan. This involved bringing a snow making system to the site, but not from where you might think.
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A uniquely western amalgamation of water-skiing, horseback riding, snow, fashion and fondue, Skijordue makes for a one-of-a-kind winter experience. (Connor O’Donovan/The Weather Network)
The snow gun you see here came all the way from La Crete, Alberta, roughly 700 kilometres north of Edmonton, and was turned on Monday night.
Its operator, Green-Zone Environmental, typically uses it to service the oil and gas industry, building snow roads and “bridges” in remote areas of Alberta’s north to facilitate the movement of heavy equipment across varying terrain while protecting sensitive soil and vegetation.
“Unfortunately, Mother Nature is only helping us with a little bit of natural snow. The true guarantee is man-made snow,” says course builder Michael Perks.
“As everybody else who's been hanging out in shorts has realized, it was warm. So we had to go to the next plan.”
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An operator checks on the snow gun helping build the skijoring course at the Confluence in Calgary.(Connor O’Donovan/The Weather Network)
Of course, course builders still needed some cold. Most snowmaking systems need temperatures of at least -5°C to begin working efficiently.
So, Mother Nature did end up chipping in, at least a little bit.
A significant winter storm brought significant snowfall to the Calgary region Tuesday, helping build a base for the course (and making the venue a little more photo-worthy). The system also brought bone-chilling temperatures to the prairies - perfect for snow making.
“We are pumping it out with these temperatures,” Perks says.
“This is roughly 200 gallons per minute of snow flakes for us to ski on.”
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A snow cat will eventually be brought in to groom the snow, and course builders plan to move as much natural snow as they can to supplement the build.
The last-minute nature of the operation isn’t without its challenges though. Exactly how the course ends up looking will be determined by how much snow can be built up.
“We’re either going to make a small track with hay bale jumps, or a really wide track with slalom features - and hay bale jumps. Everybody wants to see someone jump a hay bale - or five,” says Perks.
Course builder Michael Perks says the layout of the course is still under consideration and will be impacted by how much snow can be made. Ideally, the event will run on a wide, long course full of slalom-style turns and hay bale jumps. (Connor O’Donovan/The Weather Network)
“It’s been unseasonably warm. Luckily snowmaking has been invented and we have great friends and partners to work with to make this happen.”
Skijordue runs February 21 and 22 at the Confluence in Calgary.
Tickets can be found online.