My Weekend in Lake Louise

To the millions of visitors that pass through Banff National Park on an annual basis, Lake Louise is the crown jewel of the Canadian Rockies with breathtaking panoramas and one-of-a-kind experiences.  To people living in Canmore and Banff, Lake Louise is a short trip down the highway with the promise of great skiing and dining at the end of the journey.  I was fortunate enough to experience all of those realities during my weekend at the Lake.

The weekend began at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in full winter garb with a cup of warm mulled wine in their outdoor ice bar.

This would fall in the ‘one-of-a-kind’ category – a bar sculpted out of ice with the incredible views of Lake Louise as the backdrop!  It was a cold night but not uncomfortable under the outdoor heaters and a great way to start the night before we headed inside to check out something new.

Alpine Social is the newest dining and drinking establishment in Lake Louise on the lower level of the Chateau.  For many years this venue was known as the Glacier Saloon, a place that holds many memories for me.  It was about 15 years ago that I walked into the sound booth there for my first ever DJ gig.  It was a big ski race weekend and the dance floor was packed with European athletes and guests ready to party.  I played “The Ketchup Song” by Las Ketchup four times by request.

It was a night that changed my life and put me on the path to my rewarding other career as a wedding DJ.  So, while a part of me will miss the old place, it definitely needed a facelift.  Alpine Social is a great modern venue focusing on family style food offerings.  We tried smoked wings, BBQ chicken pizza, duck confit, a charcuterie board, ribs, and more.  It was all decicious!

I spoke with James Fraser from the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise about Alpine Social.

The following morning I opened the curtains in my hotel room to be greeted by Lake Louise’s signature billion-dollar view.

Yes, the skating rink is open and kept clear on a daily basis!  This view will look even more incredible in a couple of weeks after the world-class carvers are finished with their Ice Magic sculptures.

After fueling up with coffee and the great breakfast spread at the Poppy Brasserie it was off to the Lake Louise Ski Resort.  Conditions were bear-y good!

I spent the morning in a small group with Dan Markham from the Resort leading us on an adventure around all faces of the mountain.  I’ve skied at Lake Louise for many years and he took us to a few places I’d never been.  How did I miss the fun, mid-mountain Jerry’s Jungle detour before?  My cold fingers survived outside of their gloves long enough to take this snap from the top of the Summit Platter.

Did I mention the breathtaking panoramas?

For lunch we headed up to Kuma Yama, the sushi restaurant in the main Lodge of the Ten Peaks.  Far from the traditional burgers and fries fare standard for ski hill lunches, Kuma Yama has a delicious spread that will leave you well-satisfied for the rest of the day on the slopes.

I spent the afternoon on Ptarmigan.  I remember standing on the top of that black diamond run on the backside, looking at the immaculate grooming, and thinking “Yeah, I could just ski this all day.”  So I did!  It was a nice treat for me; some of my best childhood memories are skiing with my dad and I hope to give my sons the same kinds of experiences, but while my 6-year-old is learning to ski I’ll likely spend most of this season with him on the bunny hill.  For me, there’s nothing better than getting the chance to cruise down a steep groomer at high speeds with great snow conditions on a beautiful sunny day, something that may be a rare occurrence this year.

Back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner at the Fairview Dining Room and an incredible table d’hote three course meal!  Delicious scallops and Christmas pudding were bookends to an outstanding pistachio-crusted sablefish.  This is a four-diamond restaurant and their culinary skills were on full display this evening.

The only experience I was unable to take part in was the Mountain Adventure snowshoeing program.  With the temperatures below -25 Sunday morning and a lack of fresh snow in recent days I wanted to wait to get the best experience possible on an outdoor excursion like that.  I’ll definitely be taking a rain (snow?) check on that one!

It was a truly wonderful weekend in Lake Louise.  Sometimes, living in the Bow Valley, we forget about the treasures in our own back yard, the experiences that people from all over the world spend thousands of dollars to take part in.  We’re truly fortunate to be able to take part in these same experiences with a short drive up the highway.  This weekend was a reminder for me to not get so buried in the day-to-day life around here and simply look up, take in the breathtaking scenery, and go out and enjoy everything this area has to offer!

A big thanks to James Fraser, Dan Markham, John Doherty, and everyone else who made this weekend possible for me and the other media attendees.