My Canadian winter journey...
Alan Orbell and his son Alex discovered that a winter sports trip to Banff in Alberta means a whole lot more than just downhill skiing
64 canada: alberta
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Banff makes an action- packed base
A distinctive wolfdog
f the idea of skiing in three different ski resorts on one trip appeals then Banff in Canada’s Alberta is the perfect base and there’s a ski pass covering all three. Add in the area’s many other ‘snow options’ for skiers and non-skiers alike and it’s hard to better; there’s just so much to fi ll a week or two.
In the heart of the ‘majestic, historic’ Banff National Park, Mount Norquay,
Sunshine Village and Lake Louise are well
linked by shuttle bus services but a hire car does maximise the freedom, especially
when it’s a maxi-equipped Cherokee Jeep which made light work of the snowy side roads.
Families and hot springs
Next morning we headed up Banff’s long high street to pick up our ski gear at the Banff Ski Hub before driving to the closest and smallest of the three resorts, Mount Norquay. This is an ideal resort for family skiing and has also widened its summer appeal with the opening of a via ferrata (for leisure climbers).
“As always in
Canada slopes were never crowded and queuing was unheard of”
But no Jeep was required for our fi rst outing a couple of hours after checking into the Fox Hotel & Suites in Banff. Having added several extra layers we waited by the lobby log fi re for the evening Johnston Canyon Icewalk pick-up.
for some impressive views but the warming hot chocolate and cookies were a welcome extra.
The walk back was stunning. We were invited to switch off our head torches and view the myriad stars and planets in an area with minimal light pollution.
We passed a couple of elk along the way andon arrival the small group donned snow cleats (over shoes) and head torches (which participants get to keep) to be guided on the walk to the ice canyon. The frozen waterfall made for some impressive views but the warming hot chocolate
After lunch at the base we had a great time snow tubing down long runs at (potential) speeds of up to 70 kph; this is fabulous fun for almost any age. We wrapped up our fi rst full day of snow with a soak in the Banff Upper Hot Springs, a naturally-heated outdoor hot pool with air temperatures cold enough to ice up our hair, and then a delicious dinner in Giorgio’s Trattoria. The next day we drove to Sunshine Village. After checking in and depositing our luggage at the base we took the gondola up to the ski area for a real mix of pistes. As always in Canada, the slopes were never crowded and queuing at lifts, as so often in Europe, is unheard of.
At the end of the afternoon we skied to the Sunshine Mountain Lodge – where our luggage was dutifully waiting in our room – and enjoyed dinner in the hotel. Relishing the solitude of being halfway
up a mountain when the lifts were closed and the skiers had long since departed, was magical.
Hot chocolate and cookies
Another morning’s skiing next day and then an afternoon snowshoeing. Tramping through pristine often deep snow in the intermittent sunshine was a unique experience with an excellent guide who served us all with hot chocolate and cookies half way through the afternoon. Then we skied down the mountain and, sure enough, our luggage was waiting for us to head off to Lake Louise. There can be few hotels in the world where the fi nal approach is as grandiose as that of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. It’s simply stunning, as is the hotel itself
Tailor made itineraries to Canada, USA and beyond
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8.indd 1 9/26/14 04:07 PM
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