The Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
at the Skyline Luge
Canada Olympic Park
88 Canada Olympic Road SW
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

June 5, 2016

Canada Olympic Park (COP) (formerly known as Paskapoo Ski Hill) is located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The park is operated by WinSport Canada (formerly the Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA)). It is currently used both for high performance athletic training and for recreational purposes by the general public. During the 1988 Winter Olympics, Canada Olympic Park was the primary venue for ski jumping, bobsleigh, and luge. WinSport Canada still maintains these facilities for training and competitive purposes. In the winter, the park is also used for downhill skiing, snowboarding, and cross-country skiing. In the summer, COP is used for warm-weather sports such as mountain biking (there are 16 miles of bike trails) and is also the site of a number of summer festivals.

The park is home to a summer challenge course and zip line. Many summer camps are available.

Major expansions and additions are under way to maintain the park's status as a training facility to gain back business and stature from the Vancouver 2010 venues.

On December 15, 2010, a phase of the Athletic and Ice Complex (AIC) opened which includes 3 ice surfaces to be used by Hockey Calgary and other groups as well as a restaurant. In 2011 the second phase will open which includes the 4th (Olympic size) ice surface to accommodate 3,800 fans. In 2012, the third phase will open which includes gyms, a public fitness centre, public sport development centre and a high intensity training centre for athletes. The AIC is located in front and to the side of the sliding sports training centre known as the "Ice House". The track in the Ice house can be seen from the upper floor corridor of the arenas.

The park is located in western Calgary, south of the Trans-Canada Highway, north of the community of Cougar Ridge and west of Bowness. FOR MORE INFORMATION, CALL '403.247.5452
sign: Canada Olympic Park flags at Canada Olympic Park
sign about Olympic Cauldron
flags at Canada Olympic Park flags at Canada Olympic Park
share the flame sign olympic torch monument
olympic torch monument
winter sport institue billboard winter sport institue billboard
Walt Disney Bobsled Karen Duquette in the Walt Disney bobsled
Karen Duquette in the Walt Disney bobsled Karen Duquette in a Canadian bobsled

JumpWatch Out - Here comes Lee Duquette!laughing clipart dude
Lee Duquette in the air Lee Duquette on skis
Olympic luge Olympic luge
Skyline Luge hill outside of the Skyline Luge

A luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine (face up) and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 46–55 pounds for singles and 55–66 pounds for doubles. Luge is also the name of an Olympic sport. Lugers can reach speeds of 87 mph .Lugers compete against a timer and on artificial tracks are timed to a thousandth of a second, making luge one of the most precisely timed sports in the world. The first recorded use of the term "luge" is 1905, from the Savoy/Swiss dialect of French "luge" meaning "small coasting sled", and is possibly from a Gaulish word with the same root as English sled. There are two different types of luge: artificial luge (called also olympic luge) and natural luge (world championships) with different sport vehicles and tracks.
Karen Duquette outside the Skyline Luge sign Karen Duquette by the Skyline Luge track map
Skyline Luge entry Rotoura NZ sign
sign sign
worlds longest luge track sign sign - twists and turns
look below

go to the next adventure of the two RV Gypsies Please continue on to page 2 - riding the luge - the excitement builds.