Canary Islands as a Training Ground: How athletes are preparing here for the 2026 Winter Sports Season
Over the last few years, the Canary Islands have become a favourite destination for athletes to train in during the winter, and with the 2026 Winter Games quickly approaching, national teams are travelling to train and develop far away from the cold in their own countries.
Athletes from Canada, which had great seasons in freestyle skiing and speed skating over the course of a strong 2023-24 World Cup season, view the islands as one of the go-to off-season stops. Not only do the Canaries have terrific clean air, altitude labs, mountain trails, as well as beaches for tough workouts, but they do it with warm weather.
Why Winter Athletes Choose the Canary Islands
Training for snow sports on a sunny island might sound strange, but science backs it up. Tenerife and Gran Canaria have first-rate sports facilities for every athlete.
The Islands also welcome football fans and players, from pros to kids, thanks to warm, mild weather, great grass fields, and youth tournaments year-round. Some training centres even borrow gamified drills inspired by classics like the Thimbles betting game to sharpen eye–hand coordination while keeping the mood light and fun.
What truly makes the Canaries special is the mix of landscapes. In Teide National Park, where the peaks reach 3,700 metres, athletes can log altitude-style training at between 2,00 and 2,500 metres above sea level.
Down by the coast, they swim for endurance or do paddleboard drills to build upper-body strength. After a hard day, they speed up recovery with ocean water therapy or hot-and-cold spa sessions at local sports clinics.
What the Canary Islands Offer to Winter Sports Athletes:
- Altitude simulation labs in Las Palmas and Arona
- Dry weather year-round, reducing injury risk
- Olympic-size pools and hypoxic chambers for VO₂ max testing
- Mobile synthetic ice rinks for technical drills
- Partnerships with sports universities and research institutes
Athletes in sports like skiing and skeleton use this space to get stronger, move better, and boost breathing before returning to snow. Many athletes and fans also use the MelBet apk to stay updated on live sports scores, match stats, and global tournament schedules. Training far from home, they can easily follow their favourite teams and stay in sync with global competitions.
Canadian Athletes Making the Trip
Over the last two winters, several Canadian teams have used the Canary Islands for training and rehab:
- Laurie Blouin – Snowboard (Tenerife, 2023)
- Ted-Jan Bloemen – Speed Skating (Lanzarote, 2024)
- Roni Remme – Alpine Skiing (Tenerife, 2022)
- Eliot Grondin – Snowboard Cross (Gran Canaria, 2024)
Laurie Blouin bounced back from surgery faster than expected, thanks to Tenerife’s constant sunshine, dry air, and friendly altitude. Calgary’s Olympic Oval coaches have also held camps at Lanzarote’s Club La Santa, polishing sprint starts and lactate max work. Bikes and sprint spikes hang side by side for mixed drills, all in smooth, even weather.
The warm, dry air keeps lungs happy and helps coaches dodge the breathing bugs that indoor snow halls invite after too many winter weeks. Athletes trade the weight room for the 400, slipping from leg presses to quick feet on the ladders without losing rhythm. GPS trackers and heart-rate monitors log every load, so they can nail the perfect effort, session after session.
Technology and Monitoring Tools in Use
Today’s pro athletes are logging hours with smart watches like the Polar Vantage V3 or the Coros Vertix2. These gadgets track the body’s anaerobic zones and replicate the intensity of actual competition. Their data streams feed into smart AI dashboards, highlighting lactate curves, sleep recovery scores, and even running gait metrics. Teams that want a sharper edge add DorsaVi sensors - tiny, motion-capturing devices that pick up the slightest joint movement and flag knee issues long before a serious injury can strike.
Now, Sport Canada is financing an ambitious new study that bridges Europe and the Canary Islands. The mission is straightforward: merge training data collected across different climates and terrains so we can find out which coaching programs produce the best and most consistent results.
Recent Canadian Sports Events
Here's a snapshot of recent and upcoming Canadian-oriented events:
- 4 Nations Face-Off (Feb 12–20, 2025): Canada won 3–2 in overtime against the U.S. in the final after a tense round-robin that included early fights and anthem controversies.
- Sidney Crosby, joined by potential teammate Nathan MacKinnon, is expected to lead Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship in Stockholm and Herning (May 9–25, 2025).
- 2025 FIS Freeski Nor-Am Cup in British Columbia (Feb 21–23): A major event for slopestyle and freestyle skiers.
- Stoneham StepUp Slopestyle World Cup (Feb 17–23, 2025) in Quebec: over 100 athletes from 15–20 countries competed.
- IIHF U17 World Challenge (Oct 31–Nov 8, 2025) in Truro, Nova Scotia: Canada will host youth talent.
These events reflect Canada’s deep involvement in winter sports, from junior hockey to elite freestyle skiing, and show why off-season prep matters.
Growing Demand from National Programs
Canada isn’t the only squad going for sun while others freeze. Norway’s biathlon crew and South Korea’s short-track team have both locked in Tenerife, too. Because the island currently has triathlon and endurance camps, winter athletes can be on the same running trails and in the same strength rooms. The crossover is working - coaches and athletes borrow footwork, balance, and mental-focus drills during their snack breaks and cooldown laps.
A new 2024 study in the European Journal of Sports Physiology finds that sea level in altitude suits can improve aerobic endurance by 11%, outperforming athletes who remain in the mountains. Island hotels for 2025 are already full. Every squad wants to be on Tenerife ahead of the Milan-Cortina 2026 Games.
The Future of Off-Snow Training
Climate change is rendering our old winter training locations less reliable. Athletes can't just wait around for snow that may or may not come. The Canary Islands offer warm weather that is always consistent, world-class recovery centres, and a variety of training surfaces without the excessive punishment of cold stress. That makes the Islands so appealing. It's a time to refresh, build new capacity, and shed the winter fatigue.
Share:
