Worldwide Ski Resorts • Canada • Lake Louise
Overview
Lake Louise is located in the heart of Canada’s beautiful Banff National Park. This is a world class ski resort and the breathtaking scenery makes the whole skiing experience just that little more special. There are easy and challenging runs down from every chair making it ideal for beginners, novices and experts alike. On-hill facilities are extensive and include ‘Kinder ski’, perfect for families. There are plenty of activities après ski, including dog sledding, and an extensive choice of shops, restaurants and bars.
Profile
Lake Louise has over 4200 ski able acres with 113 named runs and a reliable 6 month long season from mid-November to mid-May and is much quieter than other large ski areas as it is located in a scenic national park where resort development is restricted. Lake Louise gets a lot of Canadian family business as the resort caters extremely well for all abilities and ages and lessons are readily available for the not so experienced. There is one drawback, however. Most of the lodging is in Banff, which is a 45 minute drive (or bus ride) from the Lake Louise ski area. It is recommended, therefore, that accommodation is sought in Lake Louise itself, some 5-10 minutes from the ski area.
Mountain Information
Lake Louise has less lift capacity but also fewer skiers than the other North American ski areas of comparable size. The 3 high-speed quads are in the right places to handle crowds, two ascend from the base and one is located in the popular Larch area. The ski runs are laid out on all four sides of the mountain, allowing one to ski all day long in the sun and the unique layout of a tall frontside trail system and huge alpine bowls on the backside, coupled with varying ability runs from every chair make it easy for groups to ski together without compromising safety.
Of the runs, 8% are green, 20% blue, 28% red, 32% black and 12% are yellow. There are 100s of miles of track set and back country cross-country ski trails ranging from beginner to expert. All skiers and snowboarders can expect minimal waits for lifts and excellent snow conditions.
Apres Ski
There are over 200 retail stores in the town of Banff alone, plenty of boutiques at Chateau Lake Louise and a small retail mall in the village of Lake Louise. A torchlight dinner is held twice weekly from mid-December to early April at the mid-mountain Whitehorn Lodge. Heli-Skiing is available daily from both Lake Louise and Banff area Hotels in the Purcell range of mountains There is a public skating rink, natural outdoor hot pool, dog sledding and sleigh rides. Lake Louise enjoys an extensive range of lively and quiet restaurants and bars.
Canadian Resort Guide
Resort Information • Lake Louise
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Resort Height | 1642m |
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Top Station | 2636m |
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Bottom Station | 1642m |
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Vertical Descent | 994m |
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Drag Lifts | 1 |
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Chair Lifts | 10 |
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High Capacity | 0 |
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Opening Dates | Nov - May |
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Rating Expert | 10 |
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Rating Intermediate | 9 |
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Rating Beginner | 9 |
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Apres Ski Rating | 6 |
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Snow Reliability | 9 |
