Frequently Asked Questions
Cross-Country Ski
Rentals
Service & Repairs
Can I reserve rentals online?
Yes. Customers can reserve online in advance to save time. Trail Sports also directs new visitors to book a lesson or guided ski if they are new to the Nordic Centre.
Are trail fees included with my rental?
No. Rental rates do not include Canmore Nordic Centre trail fees.
Do I need to sign a waiver for rentals?
Yes. A rental waiver is required, and Trail Sports provides an online waiver link on the rentals page.
What is your cross-country ski rental cancellation policy?
Cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the scheduled rental time to receive a full refund, minus a $15 administration fee. Reservations canceled within 24 hours are non-refundable.
Selection & Fittings
Do you help customers choose the right cross-country ski equipment?
Yes. Trail Sports offers expert help with ski, boot, and pole selection for both classic and skate skiing.
Can I book an equipment fitting appointment?
Yes. Trail Sports offers in-store cross-country ski equipment fitting appointments with expert ski technicians.
What is included in a fitting appointment?
Fitting appointments are designed to provide personalized ski, boot, and pole fittings based on the skier’s needs, discipline, and goals.
Do you specialize in both classic and skate ski setups?
Yes. Trail Sports specifically states that it provides equipment fitting for both classic and skate skiing.
Do you offer cross-country ski servicing?
Yes. Trail Sports offers dedicated cross-country ski servicing
Can damaged ski bases be repaired?
Yes. Trail Sports notes that deep scratches, gouges, and core shots can be repaired, with P-Tex repairs available for an additional fee.
What is hot boxing?
Hot boxing is a wax treatment process that allows skis to absorb more wax than standard ironing methods. Trail Sports explains that a few hours in the hot box is roughly equivalent to eight coats of wax applied with an iron. Their hot box runs every Wednesday, with skis typically ready for pickup by Friday evening or Saturday morning.
Do you offer stone grinding?
Yes. Trail Sports offers stone grinding for cross-country skis, and also offers a stone grind plus hot box option. The site notes that Trail Sports has worked closely with national cross-country skiing and biathlon teams on grind development since 1995.
What ski service options do you provide?
Trail Sports offers a wide range of ski services including storage wax, recreational glide wax hot application, klister grip wax application, ski binding transfer, ski skin swap, training glide hot wax application, pine tar application, hot box treatment, race glide hot wax application, stone grinding, and stone grind plus hot box.
Masters
Do you offer Masters cross-country ski programs?
Yes. Trail Sports offers Masters Programs as part of its cross-country ski lesson lineup.
Who are Masters programs for?
Masters programs are designed for skiers who are already confident in their technique and want to improve skill, efficiency, and performance. Trail Sports describes options for skiers with room for improvement in either classic or skate technique.
What kinds of Masters programs are offered?
The Masters page includes options such as classic or skate technique with video analysis, as well as skate fitness-focused series.
Are Masters programs suitable for advanced skiers?
Yes. Trail Sports positions Masters as a more performance-oriented offering, with some sessions requiring skiers to already be able to ski specific terrain confidently, such as skating up the teaching hill in the CNC stadium.
How do I know which lesson is right for me?
Yes. Some Masters offerings specifically mention video analysis as part of the training format.
Biking
Rentals
Can I book bike rentals online?
Yes. Trail Sports provides online booking and rental information through its summer rentals page.
Where can I rent bikes from Trail Sports?
Bike rentals are offered through Trail Sports at the Canmore Nordic Centre in Canmore, Alberta.
Do you offer e-bike rentals?
Yes. Trail Sports specifically mentions e-biking as part of its rental offering.
Do you offer fat bike rentals?
Yes. Trail Sports offers fat bike rentals, including winter fat biking options at the Nordic Centre.
Service & Repairs
What is included in the Trail Sports Tune-Up?
The site says the Trail Sports Tune-Up includes a safety inspection, inspection of bolts and bearings, shifting adjustment, brake adjustment (bleed not included), headset adjustment, clean and lube of the drivetrain, and tire inflation.
Do you work on bikes that are very dirty or need extra care?
Yes. Trail Sports notes that if a bike is excessively dirty, an additional cleaning fee may apply.
What types of bikes do you service?
Trail Sports says it services a variety of bikes, from commuter bikes to high-performance downhill mountain bikes.
Lessons & Tours
Do you offer bike lessons?
Yes. Trail Sports offers a wide range of bike lessons, including private lessons, adult group lessons, kids’ camps, weekly rides, and skills programs.
Do you offer private bike lessons?
Yes. Trail Sports offers 1.5-hour private bike lessons with certified instructors. Lessons are available for mountain biking, e-mountain biking, and gravel biking, and can be tailored to beginner, intermediate, or advanced riders.
Do you offer guided bike tours or rides?
Yes. Trail Sports offers private guided bike rides lasting 2–3 hours with a PMBIA-certified instructor. Guided rides are available for 1–6 people and can include e-biking, fat biking, gravel biking, and mountain biking.
What kinds of bike programs do you offer?
Trail Sports lists a broad mix of programs, including adult lessons, technical skills courses, kids’ mountain bike camps, private lessons, and weekly rides.
Are bike lessons suitable for different ability levels?
Yes. Trail Sports offers instruction for a range of riders, from people learning the fundamentals to riders working on more advanced skills such as air progression and technical trail riding.
Do lessons run with any number of participants?
Trail Sports notes that programs require a minimum of three registrants to run.
Orienteering
What is included when I purchase an orienteering map?
Trail Sports says each orienteering map includes an information sheet to help participants get started.
How does orienteering work?
Trail Sports describes orienteering as a sport that combines cross-country running or walking with navigation. Participants use a map to find checkpoints, also called controls, located throughout the area.
Is orienteering suitable for beginners?
Yes. The site says orienteering is accessible to everyone, and that different maps represent different experience levels so participants can choose the course that best suits them.
Where do I get an orienteering map?
Maps are available for purchase from Trail Sports at the Canmore Nordic Centre.
How much do orienteering maps cost?
Trail Sports lists maps at $10 per map, or $3 for additional maps purchased at the same time.
Disc Golf
Do you offer disc golf rentals?
Yes. The Disc Golf page includes a Disc Golf Rental section, indicating that rental options are available through Trail Sports.
Do you run a disc golf league?
Yes. Trail Sports lists a 2025 Trail Sports PGDA Disc Golf League held on Thursday evenings at the Canmore Nordic Centre, with league dates running from July 17 to September 4, 2025.
Are trail fees included with my rental?
No. Rental rates do not include Canmore Nordic Centre trail fees.
Is disc golf suitable for casual players?
Based on the site structure, Trail Sports presents disc golf as an accessible activity with rentals, course information, and tips for getting started. That suggests it is designed to work for both newer and returning players. This is an inference from the page layout rather than a direct policy statement.
Sales & Timing
Can I demo high end cross country skis at the nordic centre?
- When it comes to skin skis we don’t think there is another way to know a ski will fit you so we encourage all of our clients to demo the skis that they might purchase.
- As your wax pocket can be adjusted based on how the skis feel for you, fitting waxable skis generally is more forgiving than fitting skin skis also cleaning wax off skis is a more involved process so we don’t allow demo’s on waxable skis.
- We offer high end skin skis for rent in our rental program so if you need a longer ski to be certain whether skin skis are right for you please consider booking our premium classic rental skis.
“When do your end-of-season sales happen?”
- We don’t have a defined date for end of season sales, each year things are different depending on the weather, supply and demand.
“When do rental items go on sale?”
- We generally make our rental items available for reservation in the second week of January for winter equipment and June for summer equipment.
- Ex-rental equipment can be reserved by paying the cost of the item online or in-store and can be picked up after April 7th for winter equipment or after October 21st for summer equipment. We will make every effort to release the equipment earlier if possible. Customers who purchased first will be prioritized to get their gear early if possible.
Location
Are you located at the Canmore Nordic Centre
Yes, we are often closer to the trailhead than you are able to park.
Returns, Issues & Warranty
Returns
- The return window on unused product is three weeks from the date of purchase for a full refund.
- Product that has been used but is not working for you can be returned for store credit within three weeks from the date of purchased.
- For online orders/ shipped product the purchaser is responsible for the cost of return shipping.
"What can you do about defective or missing parts?”
- We carry many parts to service the gear that we sell, if we sold you something and it broke please reach out to us.
Orders & Shipping
Where is my order / can I track it?
- Orders are shipped via ground courier or Canada Post express post to Canada’s Northern Territories.
What happens if something arrives damaged or incomplete?
In the case product damaged in transit Trail Sports will ship a replacement and co-ordinate the return of the damaged product.