The gates to Shaganappi were opened for the winter as of November 10th.
Skiing is not recommended until there is a compacted base. Skis on snow with no compacted base likely will go right through the snow down to the ground hitting grass, asphalt, and the shale cart paths, which can permanently damage your skis.
Feel free to go for a walk or snowshoe. After grooming and track setting has begun, please do not walk on ski trails.
Grooming and track setting for cross country skiing at Shaganappi will begin in December. Shaganappi Point golf course and Confederation Park golf courses have two different microclimates. Shaganappi has significantly more year-round sun and wind exposure compared to the Confederation golf course. If the snow above the turf at Shaganappi is machine compacted for skiing in November, freeze/thaw cycles of November Chinooks create an ice layer that remains in place all winter preventing air exchange within the snowpack, which kills the turf underneath. Turf death in the spring directly equates to lower visitor numbers and revenue loss at golf courses, as golfers in general prefer to play at golf courses that are in pristine condition.
Please stay off tee boxes and greens, as the fragile turf is easily killed by compacted snow. All greens are roped off. Tee boxes in general are flat areas with a hill around them. Some tee boxes are roped off, but not all. Roping off greens are the Golf course's responsibility, while roping off tee boxes near ski trails are SNO's responsibility. There are 80+ tee boxes, and 27 greens at Shaganappi.
