This year, my ski mates (a.k.a., my husband and brother) and I decided to take advantage of the exchange rate with the Canadian Dollar and ski Lake Louise and Banff. “Spectacular” is definitely the correct word to describe our trip. The scenery in the Canadian Rockies was breathtakingly beautiful.

We spent three nights in Banff. It’s a charming town with a variety of shops and restaurants. The Moose Hotel and Suites was our home away from home. The gas fireplace in our suite was a body-warming, welcome home treat each day, as was the inviting hot tub on our rooftop. The outdoor fire pit offered a great setting and was tempting as well, but it was a bit too chilly during our trip to enjoy that feature.  Actually, on our planned first full day of skiing it was even too cold to ski. And we weren’t just being wimpy visitors from the States either; the ski lifts were not even operating that day because of sub-zero temperatures. Instead, we hiked in Johnston Canyon to the frozen waterfalls and rewarded ourselves afterwards with a soak in the Banff Hot Springs.

Nestled inside Banff National Park, Sunshine Village is a family friendly ski resort located on the Continental Divide. It’s about 15 minutes from the town of Banff and offers a unique opportunity to ski both Alberta and British Columbia in the same day. The resort offers complimentary mountain tours for visitors.  Trapper’s Lodge for après ski drinks had a great rustic atmosphere that we enjoyed.

We spent our last two nights at the iconic Fairmont Lake Louise. It’s a delightful winter wonderland playground all on its own. Tourists were skating on the lake, taking horse drawn carriage rides, snowshoeing and enjoying the ice sculptures dotted around the lake’s edge. It’s picture perfect.

The Lake Louise Ski Resort is just a few minutes from the Fairmont Lake Louise.  The panoramic views featured there are truly majestic!  The terrain is diverse and provides a variety of choices for skiers of all skill levels.

We all agreed that Banff and Lake Louise were fabulous; definitely spots worthy of a repeat visit.

Jane Hughes

Travel Advisor