Lifts & Terrain
Ski Lake Louise and you’ll be spoilt for choice. With 1,700 hectares of skiable terrain and plenty of vertical, there is a plethora of run selections available. The front side of the mountain is more suited to beginners and intermediates. On the back face, the terrain is typically more suited to experts and has chutes, tree runs and steep bowls.
If you want the sunshine and to avoid icy slopes (for which Lake Louise is renowned), go to the back bowls in the morning, ski Larch in the middle of the day, and finish the day on the front face.
There are only nine lifts servicing the massive terrain, but they are well planned so that they provide access to multiple runs. A relatively new six passenger gondola has added to the lifting capacity, and there are also two high-speed quad chairs.
Considering the variety of terrain, it can be handy to get a complimentary tour with the Ski Friends, who meet at Whiskyjack Lodge three times a day.
Beginner Ski and Snowboard Terrain Complete novices may want to ride the Sunny t-bar which services an area that is separated from the fast experienced skiers who may appear pretty scary. The next step is to take the Glacier Express quad and take the green runs off here.
For those wanting to progress, there are “Easiest Way” signs to indicate the green runs down from each of the lifts including those in the Larch Area, Marmot and Lookout. Unless super confident, there are some runs worth avoiding on bad visibility days including Saddleback, and basically any runs serviced by the World Six Pack Express Chair.
Intermediate Ski Terrain at Lake LouiseThe front face has plenty of long groomers served by the Olympic, Glacier and Friendly Giant. It is recommended to avoid the Summit surface lift, not so much because of the runs off the top, but rather the hairy steep ride on the way up. Avoid the Boomerang run when the visibility isn’t great.
The Larch Area has good intermediate skiing, and is accessed by a high-speed quad. Wolverine, Larch and Bobcat are all long cruisers.
For the Family/Kids The Sunny t-bar area is a great protected area for beginners, and is conveniently located near the magic carpet and the daycare centre. Children will also enjoy the Minute Maid Wilderness Adventure Park.
Parks and Pipes We can’t comment personally on the terrain park, but thank goodness for Telus. They’ve sponsored a terrain park with jumps and rails for various levels, and there are three pipes.
Advanced Skiing There are plenty of runs for advanced skiers to lap up. The Men’s Downhill (which is also the ladies’ downhill) run on the frontside is great for a race. When visibility is good, runs off the Summit Platter are worth a go. If you’re a bumps lover, give the runs under Ptarmigan lift a go, and for tree skiing there are plenty of options over the back side, but it’s probably best to wait until there is fresh snow.
For the Expert/Powderhound There is some fantastic terrain to challenge hard-core skiers and snowboarders. There are some great steeps that fall into the category of “if you fall, you die” so helmets are a must. As examples, some of the runs under the Eagle Ridge off the Paradise chair have cornice-capped chutes.
The backbowls typically get more snow than the front side, and sometimes you can find great powder a few days after a snowfall. Some keen powderhounds search for freshies by hiking the summit to go down Elevator Shaft between two rock outcroppings. If you’re a powderhound, don’t put Lake Louise on the top of your list of places to visit. With only 3.6 metres of snow annually, there are much better places to visit.
Snow and weather conditions We had the unfortunate experience of visiting Lake Louise after it hadn’t snowed for two and a half weeks. The only good snow conditions were on the double blacks as these hadn’t been moguled up. The rest of the runs were bumpy, slick and icy, and green runs became blue, and the blue runs became black. Tree skiing was far from fun.
And cold? Everyone we’ve spoken to describes this place as very cold – brrrrrrrrrrr! Even though our experience wasn’t great, the terrain clearly has loads of potential and we look forward to reviews from others regarding their experiences at Lake Louise.