Category Archives: Lake Louise (2017)

Day 3 – Skiing!

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We awoke early to get ready for the day, making our way downstairs to the Poppy Brasserie for a nice breakfast buffet, arriving just as they were opening. After a hearty meal, we got dressed in our ski gear, and headed downstairs to pick up our skis from the valet, and out to the shuttle bus.

Since the Lake Louise Ski Resort is on the other side of the Bow Valley from the actual lake, it’s about a 10 minute ride over. The bus dropped us off right at the main entrance, and we were on our way.

It was rather overcast today, but the temperature and ski conditions were absolutely perfect. Temperatures in the mid-single digits at the bottom of the mountain, and of course 7 or 8 degrees colder up at the summit. Here we are at the top of the Glacier Express chairlift.

We got in a number of runs, getting reacquainted with the place. We had lunch reservations at the Whitehorn Bistro, which is a great spot, located mid-mountain, so it can only be accessed by skiing in. They had a great table in the centre by the window set aside for us.

After skiing the rest of the afternoon, we returned to the hotel for dinner. Tonight, we ate at a new restaurant, called the Alpine Social, which is located on the lower level of the hotel where the old Glacier Saloon used to be. It is a nice casual atmosphere with a lot of choices on the menu. It doesn’t compare to the Fairview for food quality, but it’s a nice way to spend the evening.

Day 2 – Banff and Lake Louise

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We had breakfast at the hotel, and then had to make a quick stop at Sobeys for some supplies before heading to the mountains.

It was a rather snowy and windy day, and we encountered a number of accidents, black ice patches and white out sections along Hwy 1. We took it slow, and the weather started to clear as we were approaching Canmore.

As our check-in time in Lake Louise isn’t until later in the afternoon, we decided to stop in Banff and do some shopping. We picked up some more nice ski clothing (because you can never have enough!), and explored our favourite shops and art galleries on Banff Avenue.

After a quick lunch and exploring Banff for a few hours, we headed back to the van and resumed our drive toward Lake Louise. We have a nice Lakeview Suite here for the next 10 nights. It’s quite spacious, with a big bathroom, a great view over the lake, and lots of storage for our ski clothing.

Below is the separate living area off the master bedroom.  We had a lovely welcome amenity, with a large fruit platter in the living room that was replenished daily, and two platters of sweets in the bedroom.

Here is the view out one of the windows.

We have dinner reservations at The Fairview tonight, which is one of our favourite restaurants. Before dinner, we took some time to explore the Chateau grounds, which featured the many ice sculptures from the recent competition that is held here every January.

Here is the Chateau Lake Louise outdoor Ice Bar.

They moved the ice castle this year. Instead of being in the middle of the large skating rink, it’s in front of it, leaving a more open ice rink behind.

After a nice relaxing walk around the grounds, we returned to our room to dress for dinner.

Day 1 – Leaving Toronto

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It’s only been a couple of weeks since our return from skiing in Mont-Tremblant, but we’re excited to get away for some more skiing. This time, we’re heading west. Last year, we split our time between the Fairmont’s at Whistler and Banff, but we loved the skiing best at Lake Louise. Therefore, this time, we’re concentrating all of our time at the Chateau Lake Louise.

Here we are after our arrival at Pearson airport. Did I mention that we don’t know how to travel light? Ski gear can be bulky. Good thing our baggage allowance is 6 x 70 Lbs, or this could be expensive!

By the way, for anyone else who loves to ski, and travels with good equipment, we love our SporTube. We’ve been using this thing for several years, on several airline trips. It’s picked up a few dents along the way, but the skis inside were always protected.

We have a late afternoon flight, arriving in Calgary in the evening. Here we are at check-in for our flight.

After arriving in Calgary, we claimed our luggage, and picked up our rental van. We’re staying in a hotel by the airport for the night, and plan to make our way to Banff National Park first thing in the morning.