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As Calgary debates the merits of bidding for the 2026 Winter Olympics, it seems an appropriate time to reminiscence about how one of the most well-known legacies of the 1988 Winter Olympics came into being. Today, Canada Olympic Park serves as an athletic training and public recreational facility, with skiers hitting the slopes in the winter, and mountain bikers speeding through the 25 kilometres of trails in the summer.
Well before Eddie the Eagle captured the hearts of Calgarians and the world, and before the establishment of Canada Olympic Park, the site along the Paskapoo Slopes had been home to a single ski hill. Construction of the Trans Canada Highway in the mid-1950s led to the University of Alberta Ski Team to develop a recreational spot for skiing in the city, and once the necessary funds were collected, the Paskapoo Ski Area opened in 1960.
After the initial excitement wore off, the facility's use lagged without much-needed infrastructural improvements. Albertan businessman Joe Couillard, who owned, operated and managed multiple ski areas over his career, was approached by Paskapoo's owners to breathe new life into the facility.
After purchasing a major share in Paskapoo Developments, he turned its fortunes around, installing a second surface lift, a triple chairlift, a snow-making system, and a lighting system for night skiers. He courted businesses and schools by offering special incentives and programs, eventually developing one of the largest ski schools in Western Canada at the time. For the summer, Couillard expanded the complex to accommodate go karts, a golf driving range, and an alpine slide.
Paskapoo's terrain and name recognition attracted the eyes of the Calgary Olympic Development Association, who in 1984, reached out to buy the ski area. Canada Olympic Park was born, and would mesmerize viewers with its flurry of sports events during the 1988 Games, including ski jumping, bobsleigh, and luge.
The popular park now operated by WinSport Canada and relies almost exclusively on manmade snow. A plan to develop 105 hectares of land just east of the park into an urban village of housing, retail, offices and a hotel has stirred up local residents, who would like to see the untouched wilderness of the site retained. WinSport's move to install a big-box retail complex at the foot of the facility was rejected in 2012.
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