The ideal social network allows one to call up a good friend and be able to go do something mutually enjoyable on decently short notice. Enjoying fun activities with friends while being able to catch up and have a good conversation with is fantastic. I was able to kidnap one such friend after a mutual social engagement in Cochrane and go check out the newly constructed Frozen Thunder, out in Canmore this past Sunday.
They've only just finished setting up Frozen Thunder, on Friday, October 17th. The snow is kept over the summer in shade, and I believe covered in sawdust, and then pushed around with giant dump trucks to make the 2 kilometres of trails as Skier Bob Truman has wonderfully reported on.
Conditions for Frozen Thunder are generally touch-and-go from what I gather. It is double-digit weather during the daytime, which means despite lying in the shadow of Rundle, there's a big risk of lots of melt, slush and potentially icy conditions when it all freezes up later in the evening. To avoid dealing with crazy waxes, skate skis were the order of the day - the friend brought along waxless and seemed to be doing well. The trail itself has 3 decent-sized hills to climb. One of the great downhills should be rebranded "The Mud-Run" since an out-of-control skier could easily end up in the giant mud puddle just off the trail. E-gads! :)
We arrived shortly after 5:30, and put in 6 loops, for a total of 12 km, finishing up just before 7pm. I'll definitely have to get some more practise in, but it was a great way to spend the evening. Trail passes are not required after 5pm.