Canada Olympic Park (COP), formerly known as Paskapoo Ski Hill, is a ski hill and multi-purpose training and competition facility located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, owned and operated by WinSport. It is currently used both for high performance athletic training and for recreational purposes by the general public. Canada Olympic Park was one of the venues for the 1988 Winter Olympics, being the primary venue for ski jumping, bobsleigh, and luge.
The park is located in western Calgary, south of the Trans-Canada Highway, north of the community of Cougar Ridge, west of Bowness and east of Valley Ridge.
1988 Winter Olympics
The ski resort is one of the best-known legacies of the XV Olympic Winter Games which were held in Calgary in 1988. It was the main venue for bobsleigh, luge (both at the now bobsleigh, luge, and skeleton track), nordic combined, ski jumping, freestyle skiing (aerials and ballet).
Activities and facilities
In the winter, the park is also used for winter activities including downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, ski jumping, bobsleigh and luge. In the summer, the park is used for warm-weather activities including mountain biking, summer festivals, ski jumping training, zip-lining and summer camps. The park also has a number of indoor facilities which are operated year-round, including arenas, fitness centres, and an indoor ice track.
The complex of buildings on the site was designed by Cook, Culham, Montgomery, Pedersen & Valentine.
Skiing and Snowboarding
thumb|200px|Canada Olympic Park
Canada Olympic Park is a popular place for people looking to go skiing or snowboarding without driving out to the mountains. The hill is divided into three sections, the downhill racing section, the casual section and the terrain park.
The terrain park is of exceptional quality, and as of 2006, the halfpipe has been enlarged to be an exact replica of the halfpipe that was used for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Other features of the terrain park include spines, handrail, and tables.
There are currently six lifts that are being used on a regular basis, two four-passenger detachable high-speed chairlift, one four person fixed grip quad, and four Magic Carpets. There is also a single chair that provides access to one of the smaller ski jumps, and a double chair (which has been removed), that takes people from the base area to near the base of the 90 m ski jump tower.
Snowmaking
Canada Olympic Park relies almost exclusively on man made snow to create skiable terrain. Snowmaking usually begins in early November and depending on weather conditions usually ends in early February. The hill has an arsenal of snowmaking equipment including automated SMI PoleCat fan guns, 'Mckinney' stick guns, and a handful of aging SMI Highland fan guns. An onsight pump station provides high pressure water and air to hydrants located around the hill. When pumping at capacity the park consumes roughly 850,000 L/hr of water.