'Something everybody can enjoy': Canyon Coaster in Red Deer drawing crowds

The Canyon Coaster in Red Deer. (Nav Sangha/CTV News Edmonton)

Alberta’s first alpine coaster has officially opened in Red Deer, and it’s already a popular tourist attraction. The Canyon Coaster at the Canyon Ski Resort in Red Deer opened on Friday. The General Manager of Canyon Ski Resort David Martel said they did more than 500 rides per day on opening weekend.

“We were maxed out everyday,” Martel said.

“We had a few learning curbs to learn like how to operate the ride efficiently to the demand that we had.”

The 1.4 km ride also includes a total 134 metre drop. Riders can control their own speed using their own brake and safely reach up to 40 km/h as they wind through the dense forest of the Canyon Ski Resort.

“If you want to sight see, you definitely can, or if you’re the thrill seeker, and you want to open it up and see how fast you can go around those corners, it’s a user-defined speed,” he said.

Similar coasters are open in British Columbia, but Martel said the Canyon Coaster is unique due to its closed loop system. When riders reach the end of their ride, a T-bar lift will pull them back uphill to the start of the ride.

“T-bars are getting more and more unique to all ski areas, but we still use it and it’s a nice relaxing ride back up,” he said.

Martel said they plan to be open from May to October, every year, so riders can experience the coaster in different seasons.

“In May, the trees are just beginning to bloom…summer the forest is nice, thick, and lush and in the fall, you get to see the beautiful river valley change colours,” he said.

The minimum age to ride alone is eight years old and to ride with a passenger, you must be at least 16 years old.

“Watching grandparents go down with grandchildren, people with disabilities, it’s really great to see that this is something that everybody can enjoy,” he said.

Martel said he encourages people to buy their tickets online.

“We only release so many every half hour, so that when you buy your ride to go on a particular day, everyone doesn’t show up at once,” he said.

“When we sell our tickets, we spread them out through our online sales platform, and then we have a limited number of walk up tickets.”

For more information, visit the resort's website.