Alberta Ski Team Reports from Europe
The 2026-27 Alberta Ski Team has a squad of 11 athletes currently training in Europe. There’s a lot of distance involved in order to find good on-snow opportunities in August!
We checked in with coaches and athletes after their first week in Landgraaf in the southern Netherlands to see how things were going.
Coach Kyle Buchanan had this to say about the challenges of arranging (and re-arranging) training plans around a closed glacier:
One week prior to our scheduled departure to Saas Fee, Switzerland we received word that the glacier will close immediately due to warming temperatures and increasing rain. This is not news anyone wants to hear one week before flying across the world. Peter, Phil, Josh and I got together and began discussing alternative options; not skiing was not an option in our minds.
We divided and conquered. Phil began emailing and calling resorts and teams in South America, Peter was looking into European options and logistics on the ground there. I was responsible for checking into all indoor skiing options.
Ultimately, we had to pivot away from Saas Fee and were fortunate enough to secure a last-minute booking at Snow World Landgraaf. It was awesome to see the staff work together so quickly and put together plan B. Thanks to the athletes for being patient and trusting in us to come up with alternative options.
Going forward, we are still unsure when Saas Fee will open, we remain hopeful and are checking weather forecasts and webcams almost hourly. The coaching staff and I continue to work through various scenarios depending on where we can ski. Everyone back home, cross your fingers for us!
We asked the rest of the coaching staff to comment on some of the highlights of the training so far:
We are in the early days of camp; it is exciting to see the energy within this group. All the athletes are motivated and ready to work. – Peter Rybarik
We have a big group of athletes new to the AST this season, it takes time for everyone to adapt and get used to a new style of coaching and training. So far everyone has done an excellent job. It is exciting to see the senior athletes step into leadership roles and help the new crew adjust to our team structure. – Phil Pike
And the athletes all had something to share about the trip so far, both off snow…
“Travel is a necessary part of the game. As always, it makes for a long day. From home in Calgary to our accommodation in Landgraaf it was about 32 hours. Once we arrived, unpacked and got settled everyone was eager for a shower and bed. Unfortunately, our accommodation did not have towels! Thanks to the coaches for sorting that out first thing in the morning.” – Loren Hannema
“What a town! Folks were happy to see us and didn’t believe we were here from Canada to ski indoors! At the grocery store the employee at the till thought we were lying.” – Graydyn Swanson
“The first day we didn’t ski until noon, it was great. We had the opportunity to sleep in and recover after a couple of long travel days. A few of us went for a jog to shake out the legs and get ready to ski” – Sofia Stanier
“Our last camp was in May where we shut down the Alberta winter at Sunshine. It feels like a long time ago now.” – Emma Suman
…and training on snow at SnowWorld Landgraaf, Europe’s largest indoor ski slope:
The days go by so fast. Only skiing for 4 hours a day may not seem like much, but between skiing, ski prep, video review, dryland and meals, the days do not seem long enough. – Eric Ward
Asked to describe how you have to adjust to the indoor surface, we got some great intel from a couple of the returning AST athletes:
The ice surface gives you instant feedback. When you are not in the right position it feels nearly impossible to ski let alone race on a surface like this. Initially it was challenging and somewhat intimidating, but after our first few sessions it began to feel more normal. Mentally I had to stop thinking about the ice and ski it like it was normal snow surface. – Cole Merrett
It is my first time skiing indoors. As a skier who has notoriously struggled on icy surfaces, indoor skiing poses some initial fear. As our camp continues to progress, this fear has completely vanished. The indoor surface is much different than expected. Here is really grippy and offers a sustainable hard surface to push off. It only took a couple hours of drills and skiing to feel right at home in the surface. I have found that acting like the surface isn’t even ice and not looking down at the ground helps me feel more comfortable. William Puloski
“It’s cold! In the ski area temperatures are roughly -5 or -6 degrees, but the humidity makes it feel like Quebec cold! Snow World offers both snow lanes and ice lanes, it is nice to have the option and progress and build up onto the ice” – Thomas Cais
His teammate echoed that sentiment when asked, ‘if you could have a package sent overnight from home, what would be in it? Are you missing anything you’re used to having?’
“More layers! It’s chilly in the fridge” – Noemi Brooks
What are you doing training-wise off snow while you’re there?
“Recovery is our number 1 focus day to day; we try to stay as fresh as possible going into each session. After skiing the team will usually get together and play some sort of game. Last night we had a wicked soccer game, Peter’s team took the win. Spike Ball is another one of the team’s favorites. We are in touch with Nathan, our Strength and Conditioning Coach, from CSI in Calgary. He has provided a training and recovery plan that our coaches here on the ground can work through with us on a day-to-day basis.” – Gavin Johnson
Due to the last-minute changes to the plan, the team stayed in apartments for the first few days and did their own cooking. We asked who showed signs of chef talent, and who is destined for the dish pit!?
“At this point on the girl’s side things are equal, we have all been pulling our own weight in the kitchen. I don’t think we can say the same for the boys.” – Jess McLellan
“Tacos are always my go to. Ground beef, seasoning, lettuce, tomato; it’s simple to slap together and is always a hit with the boys” – Gavin Johnson
Then after a few days, they moved to stay at Snow World.
“At Snow World Landgraaf, everything we need is under one roof. Our hotel, restaurant, ski area, tuning room and gym are all in the same building. It is super convenient and allows us to focus 100% on the job – skiing. Without the hassle of commuting to and from I can dedicate more time to the little jobs that make a huge difference. The biggest one for me is video review, sitting down with the coaches nightly to review the days work is one of the biggest game changers” – Cole Merrett
One struggle so far has been finding time to be outside in the sun. Here everything is under one roof. It is super convenient and efficient but also can feel like we are stuck inside. Everyday I have made time to be outside and get some fresh air. – Loren Hannema
Where do you go from here/what does the next training block look like?
“From here we are set to go up to Saas Fee. Unfortunately, the weather has not been cooperating, and the glacier is shut down for summer skiing at this point in time. Our coaches have been keeping their ears to the ground and are working through different contingency plans in the event the glacier does not reopen while we are here. It is an uneasy feeling to not have the next training block totally locked in, but I can only control what I can control. All I can do is my job and trust our coaches to make the best decisions going forward for the team.” – William Puloski
What’s the elevation in Langraff? How will that change over the course of camp and how might that affect the training?
Landgraaf is nearly at sea level. After all the summer training the athletes feel strong at this low elevation. When we head back up to Saas Fee we will be living at 2800m and skiing at 3600m. For the first few days everything feels a bit more difficult, even walking up the stairs. In my experience at elevation the first few nights of sleep are rather difficult, but once the body becomes accustomed to it, we are good to go. – Gavin Johnson
Thanks to the 2026-27 Alberta Ski Team for this peek into a unique training opportunity as they prepare for another winter of competition. Follow them on Instagram @albertaskiteam and learn more about each of these young athletes and their coaches here.
Watch for more camp updates from Europe, plus highlights from Chile where the 12th member of the squad, Graeme Cliff, will be joining Canadian team athletes for some speed training.