Lake Louise Ski Resort

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Lake Louise Canada
Lake Louise Canada
Chateau Lake Louise with the ski area in the background
Chateau Lake Louise with the ski area in the background
Ski Lake Louise
Ski Lake Louise
Lake Louise Ski Resort Terrain
Lake Louise Ski Resort Terrain
Lake Louise Mountain Resort
Lake Louise Mountain Resort
The base area of Lake Louise Ski Resort
The base area of Lake Louise Ski Resort
One of the day lodges at Lake Louise Canada
One of the day lodges at Lake Louise Canada
Lake Louise
Lake Louise
Ice sculptures on the edge of the lake
Ice sculptures on the edge of the lake
Lake Louise Canada
Lake Louise Canada
There is plenty of steep terrain at Lake Louise
There is plenty of steep terrain at Lake Louise
Lake Louise Canada
Lake Louise Canada
Photo: Chris Moseley
Photo: Chris Moseley
Photo: Chris Moseley
Photo: Chris Moseley
Photo: Chris Moseley
Photo: Chris Moseley
The view across the lake from one of the hotel rooms at the Chateau
The view across the lake from one of the hotel rooms at the Chateau
The front side of the Lake Louise ski area
The front side of the Lake Louise ski area
The frozen lake is adjacent to the Chateau Lake Louise
The frozen lake is adjacent to the Chateau Lake Louise
The lake
The lake
Gorgeous vistas of Lake Louise Alberta
Gorgeous vistas of Lake Louise Alberta

Lake Louise Ski Resort

Readers Ratings

Lake Louise

Lake Louise3.5/523
Lake Louise3.5 out of 5 based on 23 reviews
  • Recommend
    87%
  • Would Revisit
    83%
The Lake Louise Ski Resort in Canada is potentially one of the most beautiful places in the world to ski or snowboard. Ski Lake Louise Canada for the “wow” factor where the views are nothing short of spectacular! The backdrop adds so much to the great skiing and snowboarding experience, but that’s not the only reason that people flock there in droves. The Lake Louise ski area is a world class ski resort, it’s very family friendly, and the terrain provides a lot of choice for all levels of skiers and snowboarders.

Ski Lake Louise: Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Lake Louise offers phenomenal vistas so don’t forget to take your camera.
  • The Lake Louise Ski Resort has lots of great terrain for all ability levels, including lots of long fall line runs.
  • Most of the lifts are high speed.
Cons
  • If you’ve never been spoiled with deep powder then you’ll love Lake Louise, but it doesn’t receive a lot of snow so LL generally isn’t an ideal destination for powder hounds.
  • There is no lodging at the ski resort, so if you’re looking for ski-in ski-out accommodation you’re out of luck.
  • Like Banff, a Lake Louise ski holiday can be pretty expensive.
Pro or Con Depending On Your Perspective
  • Rug up well because it’s often very cold, but at least the cold temps are good for the snow quality.
  • Lake Louise is a reasonably sleepy hollow in the evenings.

Ski Lake Louise

Lake Louise Ski Resort is the biggest of the Banff ski resorts, and one of the largest ski resorts in Canada weighing in at a massive 1,700 hectares (4,200 acres). The Lake Louise skiing terrain is vast and spread across three areas: the frontside; the backside powder bowls; and the Larch area. This is no Whistler Ski Resort, but it’s still huge!

The frontside has plenty of sedate runs and wide groomed intermediate boulevards, and with a vertical rise of nearly a kilometre, many of these runs might get your legs screaming. The backside is awesome for experts and this area has chutes, gullies, rooooolly steep bowls, and the Ptarmigan and Larch areas have some good glades.

In part due to its proximity to Calgary, the Lake Louise ski resort can get very crowded, particularly on the frontside of the mountain, and on a powder day it can get skied out in less than an hour and mogul mania ensues. If you want fresh tracks you have to work hard for them.

For such a large ski area, Lake Louise Banff surprisingly has only 10 lifts, of which 3 are magic carpets. With the exception of the Paradise chair, the Lake Louise ski area is serviced by modern fast lifts. The long Grizzly Express Gondola is very impressive and provides a great opportunity to appreciate the stellar views.

Lake Louise Snow

Whilst the Lake Louise ski area has amazing terrain, the snow quality and quantity is probably not its forte. The average annual snowfall is rather modest at only 3.6 metres (140 inches), which is half of the average for a western Canadian ski resort. Ski Louise often has very low temps so the quality of the powder that falls is generally very dry and fluffy. However the snow quality is often not well maintained, particularly on the frontside where a sunny aspect and high traffic results in frequently slick slopes.

Where is Lake Louise Canada?

Located in the majestic Banff National Park, Lake Louise Alberta is 57 km from the town of Banff Canada (about 40 minutes by road), and 180km west of Calgary.

There are three parts to Lake Louise. Firstly there’s the actual lake where the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is located. About 5km down the road is the little sleepy village of Lake Louise, with a small collection of hotels and a few shops. Another few kilometres further on is the Lake Louise ski resort.

It’s not essential to have a car, but it can be very handy to provide some flexibility to get to the Lake Louise ski resort and to get around elsewhere.

Other Banff Ski Resorts

Lake Louise is one of three Banff ski resorts, with its neighbours being Norquay and Sunshine Village. You can enjoy all three resorts on an interchangeable lift ticket.

If you don’t have a car, all the resorts are accessible via complimentary shuttle buses from various Banff and Lake Louise hotels.

Lake Louise Accommodations

Unfortunately there’s no ski-in ski-out accommodation or on-mountain lodging at Lake Louise, but there are accommodations a few kilometres away in the quiet and peaceful village. Lake Louise accommodations consist of a handful of hotels and lodges, a hostel, and the gargantuan Chateau Lake Louise on the lake.

Lake Louise Accommodation Listings

Facilities and Nightlife

The Lake Louise ski resort has world class facilities and services, and it seems like a very well run resort.

Down the road in the village, there are only limited amenities and very limited après activities or nightlife. Lake Louise is more of a little hamlet than a town, and there are just a few shops and several restaurants in the village and at the Chateau. And if you’re not lucky enough to stay at the Chateau Lake Louise, it’s still worth a visit to enjoy the lake views and a chic cocktail.
Tours In/Near Lake Louise

Safari (Road Trip) Tours

Canadian Rockies Ski Tour
HOSTED SKI SAFARI | CANADIAN ROCKIES
8 Nights | 7 Days Skiing | 4 Resorts
Ability: Beginner to Expert
The ultimate Canadian ski adventure in the heart of the Rockies. Experience the best skiing & boarding at Lake Louise, Sunshine, Norquay & Kicking Horse with a local guide. Explore the shops, night life and restaurants of Banff. The guides handle everything so you can spend more time skiing!
Price p/p From price based on twin/double-share.
Base/invoice currency is in CAD ex taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 2,660
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Canada Glacier Highway
BACKCOUNTRY ROAD TRIP
8 Days | 8 Nights | 7 Days Skiing/Riding
Ability: Strong Intermediate to Advanced
A road trip around the Glacier Highway in Canada is ideal to score plenty of fresh powder if you are willing to earn your turns. On this trip you will backcountry tour & ski / ride classic descents around Banff, Lake Louise, and Rogers Pass.
Price p/p Base/invoice currency is in CAD
Displayed price may vay slightly to actual due to exchange rate fluctuations
USD 2,923
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The CollectIKON Canadian Tour
GUIDED IN-RESORT ROAD TRIP
11 nights | 12 days with 8 days on mountain
Ability: Intermediate to Advanced
This incredible 12-day tour visits Canada's best 4 resorts on the Mountain Collective & IKON pass - Lake Louise, Sunshine, Revelstoke & Panorama. Get the best of each resort & ski town with local hosts/guides who will leave no stone unturned. Visit hot springs, breweries, local restaurants & more
Price p/p From price is based in twin-share room and assumes you have a Mtn Collective or IKON pass.
Base/invoice currency is CAD
Displayed price may vary slightly to actual due to fluctuations in exchange rates.
USD 2,657
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See all Safari (Road Trip) tours that visit Lake Louise here

Heli Skiing Tours

RK Heliski Day Heli Skiing
DAY HELI SKIING (PANORAMA)
Ability: Intermediate to Advanced
If you are staying at Panorama Mountain Resort (or in the Banff area), you can't go past a day or 2 or 3 of heli skiing with RK Heliski. There is a 3-run package for first time/intermediate heli skiers & a 5-run package for those who are more experienced plus a private option for those with their own group of 4-10.
Price p/p From price based on per person for 3 runs package for 23/24.
Base/invoice currency is in CAD plus 5% GST.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 833
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See all Heli Skiing tours that visit Lake Louise here
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