The Canyon Coaster, on top of the Canyon Ski Resort in Red Deer. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Up to 40 km/ hour; 1,300 metres

Alberta’s first alpine coaster opens today at Red Deer’s Canyon Ski Resort

Aug 5, 2022 | 1:52 PM

Alberta’s first and only alpine coaster opens today at Red Deer’s Canyon Ski Resort.

Over 1,300 metres in length, the track even includes a 440 foot vertical drop.

The single rail Canyon Coaster uses gravity to propel the coaster while the user controls the speed with a centrifugal brake, reaching up to 40 km per hour. Riders push the lever-like brake to move forward and pull back to slow down and stop.

“Hopefully this helps put Red Deer on the map that we’re not just a city that people live in but maybe we’re a bit more of a destination,” said David Martel, General Manager of the Resort, who initially proposed the idea years prior.

After the pandemic impacted their summer use of the hill as an event space, the family-run business decided to diversify their seasonal activities.

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Not only did Martel believe the idea of a coaster was unique as there are only two others in Western Canada, both in British Columbia, but Canyon had the perfect spot for it.

He says a natural luge track was installed for the 1988 Alberta Winter Games. However, due to its placement within a highly treed area, snow cannot be placed onto it, rendering it underutilized in the winter.

“We kept some natural features of the luge run and the fact that you have to go through probably about 90 to 95 per cent treed, it makes it for a pretty exciting ride,” he said.

Upon arrival at the Canyon Ski Resort red gate, visitors take the left pathway towards the winter tubing area. Visitors can then head to the new Upper Village for a dine-in restaurant with ceiling-to-floor windows overlooking the ski hill and Red Deer River, to be completed soon, or walk roughly 10 minutes from there to the coaster.

The new Upper Village at the top of Red Deer’s Canyon Ski Resort, nearby the Canyon Coaster, with a soon-to-be dine-in area overlooking the ski hill and Red Deer River. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

To prevent coaster riders from bumping into each other, a sensor notifies the start of the track when a rider has passed the halfway point, allowing the next rider to begin.

The coaster weaves in and out of the ski slopes and forest trails before reaching the bottom of the hill, where the Red T-bar lift, less utilized in the winter according to Martel, then attaches to the coaster bringing the rider back to the top of the hill.

When ski season does begin, runs will be free from rails as the coaster can be easily disassembled and stored for the season.

But the best part, Martel says, is even more important than the coaster itself.

“What we’re most excited about is the opportunity to keep our fantastic staff that we have in the winter time, year round. In the winter, we have upwards of 80 staff between full-time, part-time and casual,” he said.

Upon closing for the winter season in March, preparations began for construction which started on May 8 when the coaster arrived from Austria with four installers who collaborated with Canyon’s maintenance team for three months.

Canyon Coaster at Red Deer’s Canyon Ski Resort. (rdnewsNOW/ Alessia Proietti)

The project budgeted at over $1 million was aided by a grant from Tourism Alberta.

Permitted riders begin at the age of three and can ride as a passenger up until 12-years-old. Riding alone can begin at the age of eight.

Prices begin at $25 per ride for solo riders with tickets bought online or in-person at the Upper Village. Tickets are sold for a specific time slot to prevent line-ups from 11 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.