Tag Archives: Canmore

Posts from the road

Last days of skiing in the Banff area

Leave a comment

(Canmore, Alberta, Canada)

For the fourth day of skiing, we went a little further afield to the Lake Louise ski area. I went skiing there in 2019, and was looking forward to revisiting the “Traumpiste” that we found in the area’s back bowls.

My only picture from Lake Louise. And the longest lineup we had for the entire week.

Once again, we had a very intense day of skiing. We were quite tired at the end of it. This was partly due to the amount of skiing we did, but also the conditions. There was a blizzard, so we really had to focus on what we were doing (and keep our knees bent just in case we hit some unexpected bumps).

Richard pauses halfway through some off-piste glade skiing on Goat’s Eye Mountain (Sunshine Village)

I am pleased to report that the Lake Louise resort renamed the “Brown Shirt” piste that I found troubling in 2019. It was such a shame that this great piste had such a dismal name. It is now called “Brown Cow”. Alas, the poor visibility meant that skiing this steep, unmarked and ungroomed piste was somewhat less than ideal. We didn’t return for a second try, despite knowing that all the fresh snow would create amazing conditions once the visibility improved.

And this is where we just skied to get to that spot. Lots of deep snow!

Our favourite itinerary for the day turned out to be a couple of black-rated pistes (#59 and #12) close to the main gondola. The visibility was OK and there wasn’t much traffic on these steep and snowy pistes. Without blizzard conditions, I can see how these could get icy and unpleasant very quickly.

Deep woods right beside the lower part of the Goat’s Eye Mountain chairlift

The drive home was an adventure, as the roads hadn’t been properly cleared. I was glad that we were in a heavy 4WD vehicle,

View of Goat’s Eye Mountain, from Mt. Standish (Sunshine Village). Glade skiing location on far right, just above the denser woods and marked trails.

We intended to return to Lake Louise for the final day of skiing. However, the roads were still dodgy once we approached Banff that morning. Even worse, traffic was getting backed up because of the sheer number of people who wanted to go skiing at Lake Louise (no doubt because of the previous day’s blizzard). We made a quick decision to turn off Highway 1 at Sunshine Village and ski there instead.

“The Great Divide”, as seen from Mount Standish (Sunshine Village)

This turned out to be a great decision. While the skies were once again overcast, Goat’s Eye Mountain was relatively untouched for the entire morning. I can’t say how much mileage we achieved, but it was a lot. And the conditions were really good despite the gray skies. We even managed a bit of glade skiing in the trees (see photos above).

One of Canmore’s many wild rabbits

While the afternoon didn’t quite live up to the morning, I was still pleasantly exhausted at the end of the day. The TP Town lift still had good soul and reggae music, and the heated seats were most welcome as the temperatures dipped to around -8’C.

Looking the opposite way (from the top photo) on “my” street in Canmore, Alberta

I left Alberta the next morning, and of course the sun shone brilliantly in response. But I was still very happy with how the skiing turned out. It’s great to rediscover something that at one time seemed lost forever.

Downtown Calgary in the distance, as seen from the departures area of Calgary’s airport

But that’s not the end of the trip! Stay tuned for the details of a brief but very enjoyable stopover on my way back home!

Posts from the road

Skiing at Banff/Sunshine Village

2 Comments

(Canmore, Alberta, Canada)

I’ve now completed three days of skiing at Banff Sunshine Village. The weather continues to be overcast and gray, but it really hasn’t affected my skiing enjoyment. I’ll take it over the -29’C temperatures I experienced the last time I was here!

Note the absence of a line-up for this chair lift (Sunshine Village)

Even though I have been active every single day of the pandemic, it often took the form of a walk or a relatively low-intensity sport. Hockey and soccer were severely curtailed. So I can’t overstate how good it feels to actually push myself to be seriously active for the entire day…multiple days in a row.

Typical skies this week above Sunshine Village

Although I have only skied for 3 days so far, it probably works out to be more like 5 or 6 “typical” days. There are only two of us skiing, lift lines are non-existent, and we ski at about the same pace…so we manage to get in a lot of runs. With the iffy weather, there also isn’t much incentive to linger over a beverage or have a leisurely al fresco lunch! While those things can also be enjoyable, it’s just not in the cards this year.

Naturally monochrome view from Mt. Standish, with Goat’s Eye Mountain to the left (Sunshine Village, Alberta)

At Sunshine Village, we spent most of our time in the “Goat’s Eye” area. There are basically two halves to Goat’s Eye Mountain (see photo above): the upper half is almost tundra-like, with fast, direct pistes. The bottom half is wooded, with terrain ranging from treed glades and mogul fields to steep powder stashes and leisurely cruising pistes. Our favourite piste this year was probably “Rolling Thunder”, which successfully combined a steep pitch with deep fluffy snow.

Delirium Dive at Sunshine Village: for adrenaline junkies only!

Sunshine Village also includes a couple of “hard core” areas for extreme skiers. Delirium Dive (access point pictured above) is one of them. You are not allowed to ski here unless you have avalanche equipment (digital avalanche transceiver, etc.) and a skiing partner with you. It’s rated a “double black diamond”, and the rating is certainly deserved. You can read more about Delirium Dive here.

Downtown Canmore, Alberta

We also spent some time on the areas serviced by the “Great Divide Express” and “TP Town” lifts. The TP Town chair lift is one of my favourites: not only is the music non-stop reggae (ideal for sports), but the seats are heated and there is also a “bubble” that you can pull down to shield yourself from the elements. The slopes are a little busier here, but my ski partner knows the area very well and was able to find hidden gems that the crowds completely ignored.

Downtown Canmore, Alberta (opposite corner from the previous photo)

Once again, my base for the week is the town of Canmore. I heard today that Canmore is the fastest-growing town in Canada. With the increasing popularity of telecommuting, more and more people are choosing to live here in the mountains rather than in big cities.

Stay tuned – I will be moving on to Lake Louise! Until then, here is a link to some highlights from the last time I went skiing here.

Posts from the road

My first flight/skiing/journey out of Ontario since the pandemic started

2 Comments

(Canmore, Alberta, Canada)

The title says it all. On very short notice, I found myself on a plane to Calgary and about to do my first skiing since my trip to Morzine, France, in early 2020.

My worst photo ever – I think it’s tilted at least 45 degrees

I’m once again based in Canmore, Alberta, and spent the first day of skiing at Sunshine Village (just north of Banff). There was no real sunshine today, and usually my ski photos feature brilliant sun and blue skies, but I’ve decided to include the photos anyway. After two years, I was just so thrilled to be on the slopes that I want to document the occasion here!

Not much better – this “Welcome Back to Sunny Alberta” sign is maybe 100 yards past the “Welcome to British Columbia” sign. Note: it’s not actually sunny.

In one of those quirks of geography, a tiny sliver of the Sunshine Village ski area is actually located in British Columbia. I took the above two photos to document my very brief visit to B.C. today. Both were snapped whilst riding the chair lift into the grey misty abyss at the top of the resort. So, I have successfully proven that (ski mitts + movement + fog + wind) = objectively bad photos. I even managed to make an uphill chair lift look like it was going downhill!

Goat’s Eye area – Sunshine Village, Alberta.

I was kind of anxious about the flight to Calgary, as I hadn’t been on one for so long and quite a few restrictions were still in place. But once I printed out my baggage tag, it all seemed to fall into place and it really wasn’t that different from before. I just had to wear a mask for a lot longer than I’m used to doing, and people seemed to be just a little more cautious about personal space, etc. And I’m OK with that.

Random skier at Sunshine Village

Being on skis for the first time in two years also brought some mild trepidation. Would I still remember how? Would I still like it? Would the overcast weather lessen the fun? Would I be cold?

View of the older part of Sunshine Village, from the Goat’s Eye area

I needn’t have worried. It all came back fairly quickly, and I’m not even feeling that sore…despite maintaining a hectic pace for the entire day (and having a fairly short lunch to boot). It was a reawakening – finally being able to do something that had brought me so much joy before the pandemic. I still like the deep snow, I still relish the challenge of solving the slope, and I still love being out in the mountains. We kept on going until the lifts were closed, and we’re going back tomorrow for more.

Well, of course we had to try it…

More snow is in the forecast for the rest of the week, so I may not post *any* spectacular sun-dappled ski photos at all. But I’m still ecstatic to be here, and I admit that I’m already looking forward to the next trip…wherever it may be.

Posts from the road

Cross-Country Skiing in Canmore

Leave a comment

(Canmore, Alberta, Canada)

After four chilly days on the alpine slopes, the temperature dropped even further. The overnight low was around -30’C. The visibility was iffy and there was also a cold wind. It would have been miserable on the lifts, even with Hotshots! We made an executive decision to skip our planned last day of downhill skiing and try an outdoor sport that keeps you a little warmer: cross-country skiing.

Me at the Nordic Centre “stadium”

Fortunately, I was in one of the best places in the country to do this: as I mentioned a few days ago, Canmore hosted the Olympic cross- country skiing and biathlon events at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.  The facilities have been maintained and remain a competitive/training centre today.  Instead of just visiting, however, this time I was actually going to ski!

Richard races to the finish line

I haven’t done cross-country skiing regularly for about 40 years.  The equipment has changed enormously.  But the basics are still the same and it is just a little easier to ski uphill with the new “skins” skis.  

Skiing through the forest at the Canmore Nordic Centre

There was no way that we could have enjoyed skiing downhill today: the windchill was approaching -30’C, although the actual temperature was about -17’C at midday.   While cross-country skiing was also cold initially, I warmed up after about 15 minutes of work.  We decided to do a series of loops that didn’t take us too far from the base lodge, just in case .  Eventually, the main concern was not getting too hot, as the moisture could really make you freeze when you got cold again later. 

Richard overlooks the meadow

After a delicious lunch, we did another longer loop in the afternoon.  The forest trails were beautiful but my favourite spot was  a spectacular alpine meadow (see photo at the very top of this post), where you could really appreciate all of the mountains around us. The sun had graciously reappeared shortly after we started, and the wintry colours were intense.

Some of the many flags at the Canmore Nordic Centre (representing the countries that competed at the 1988 Winter Olympics)

I don’t say this often, but this was definitely a day where it was better to be off the slopes than on them.  We ended up skiing more than 20 km and fully deserved the Mexican meal we enjoyed that evening.  I certainly wasn’t expecting to drink horchata in Canmore, but there it was! 

The Canmore Nordic Centre

We made the most of our last full day in Canmore, and we could only laugh the next morning when the temperature dropped to a totally ridiculous -36’C (again, without the windchill!) on the way to the airport.

Coming up: another Alberta attraction!

 

Posts from the road

Ready to Ski in the Canadian Rockies

4 Comments

(Canmore, Alberta, Canada)

I wasn’t able to cross the Atlantic for skiing this year…but when one door closes, another one opens.  I am now in the Canadian Rockies for a week of skiing in and around Banff and Lake Louise!

For a mere C$12,500.00, this samurai armour and sword can be yours from a Banff souvenir shop

It is a trip of “firsts”.  I have never been to Calgary, Banff, or Lake Louise.  I have never been skiing in Alberta.  And I have a feeling that I am also going attain some other “firsts” on the slopes…at least from a ski conditions perspective!

Bow River Waterfalls. near Banff, Alberta

I believe that Alberta is currently in the midst of a “Polar Vortex” weather system.  Whatever the reason, it is VERY cold here for late February.  We actually decided not to ski today, as the overnight low was -28’C and the windchill this morning was a nippy -30’C.  However, I still had the chance to explore this spectacular setting, in preparation for our debut on the slopes tomorrow.  

The Banff Springs Hotel, as seen from the (mostly) frozen Bow River

 We started off by visiting some hot springs and then the famous Banff Springs Hotel (see photo at the top of this post):  another one of the iconic Canadian Pacific hotels that sprang up across Canada approximately 100 years ago. I’ve been to a few of these recently: you may recall my posts on the Manoir Richelieu and the Chateau Montebello in Quebec. 

It’s -20’C outside, but they are called hot springs for a reason

The Banff Springs setting is amazing, but so is the interior.  The architect must have had a great time designing the hotel, given the disorienting maze of hallways and rooms.   The exterior also lives up to the castle motif shared by many other CP hotels.  After our dizzying self-guided tour, we came across some very unconcerned deer on our way to the Bow River waterfalls.

Wild but totally unconcerned deer near the Banff Springs Hotel

For lunch, we agreed that a huge bowl of Thai soup would be an appropriate way to recuperate from the cold.  We then visited a famous destination that will eventually get its own post, and finished up our non-skiing day by exploring some of the sights around Canmore. 

Canmore Nordic Centre, venue for biathlon and cross-country skiing events at the 1988 Winter Olympics

Canmore is a former mining town that has made the transition to a sport and resort centre.  Our first stop was the Canmore Nordic Centre, home of the cross-country skiing and biathlon events at the 1988 Calgary Olympics.  It looked much hillier than it does on TV, and the hardy warriors on the trails were emerging with incredible icicle formations on their faces. And yet, they seemed happy enough to be there.

Ha Ling Peak, near Canmore, Alberta

We finished by exploring a little bit of the hinterland that was apparently the preferred site of the Canmore Nordic Centre, but building an Olympic-standard road to that location would simply have been too difficult and expensive.  Believe me, it was quite an experience being in such rugged terrain only a few kilometres outside of Canmore.

Spray Lakes, near Canmore, Alberta

I’m now fully acclimatized and ready to hit the slopes. Stay tuned for our Polar Vortex skiing debut!