Canyon Ski Resort Summer Tubing Slide grand opening. (rdnewsNOW/Alessia Proietti)

By Alessia Proietti

Four season fun

Red Deer’s Canyon Ski Resort opens longest summer tubing slide in western Canada

Jun 23, 2023 | 9:13 PM

If skiing, snowboarding, winter tubing, and an alpine coaster… weren’t already enough fun at Red Deer’s Canyon Ski Resort, they have yet another new summer feature for the whole family to enjoy.

That’s right; the local hill (38433 Range Rd 264A) held the grand opening on Friday for their summer tubing slide; the longest in western Canada.

The Italian-made 453-feet long artificial slide is stationed in the same area of the hill where winter tubing takes place, but this time with beautiful summer views. A “Magic Carpet” conveyor belt whisks guests up to the top of the hill before racing down from a 35 per cent incline.

David Martel, General Manager and Co-owner of the resort, says the idea just came about one day during a family conversation.

“We’re family-owned and operated and we’re always talking ski hill stuff at the dinner table. It’s been a real pleasure that we can just operate like that and have open discussions,” he said.

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He says the slide does not require water, although it can still be used if rained on. Instead, the dry slide surface uses a tube with a base that is lubricated daily.

Martel says the roughly 30-second long adrenaline rush is similar to that of a burlap sack ride found at fairs like Westerner Days, but on a larger scale. Friends and family can even race each other on the two-lane slide.

The summer addition comes one year after the resort introduced the first alpine coaster in the province: the Canyon Coaster.

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

Martel says the coaster was a success in turning the resort into a four season facility.

“It was great feedback. We were overwhelmed with how many coaster fanatics there are out there that will travel to experience a coaster,” he said, adding people came from out of province, overseas while on a visit to family and friends, and day-trippers from Calgary, Edmonton and Lethbridge.

He says the summer tubing slide has already received good feedback from staff as an accessible ride without many physical restraints. Combined with the coaster, he says the hill can be a great way to spend a few hours on a hot summer day.

Still a prototype, he says the resort will potentially expand the number of slide lanes in the future depending on customer feedback.

“We’re just trying to create activities out here at Canyon that the families can come out and enjoy and we can see that there’s a real need for it here in central Alberta,” he said.

The resort is also continuing to upgrade their nearby Upper Village dine-in area overlooking the hill.

The coaster and slide will be open until Thanksgiving weekend in October.

Tickets start at $5 per ride with various packages.