A Day at the Lake
A staff outing had been orgainsed for anyone wanting to visit Lake Louise. You pay $10, they arrange transport for you, and your staff pass works as a lift ticket. Seems simple enough...
However, after getting up early, packing very neatly (there was a Ski School dinner in the evening), and skiing all the way from the village to the car park, Muggins got to the base expecting (or assuming) a bus to be there at 8:00. However, it actually left at 8:30, so I went back up to the gondola mid-station with someone else who'd made the same mistake as me, and we did the lower half of the ski-out again (although, this time we didn't worry a couple of skidoo drivers or get nearly-squished by the Track Truck).
By the time we'd reached the bottom again, there was enough time to grab a breakfast bagel from Creekside before heading onto the bus for the Lake. When it pulled away at 8:30 sharp, there was only 6 people on it... The coach we took is the one which takes guests from Lake Louise to Sunshine for a day's skiing, so it dropped us off at Chateau Lake Louise for a transfer to the ski hill. At least this gave us the opportunity to see the Chateau and the Lake in winter...
...and it wasn't long before we crammed into the small shuttle bus to take us to the ski-hill. On arrival, it was lovely and sunny, however the snow was slushy already and there was a long queue to get on the gondola. I rented a locker ($5!) and headed over to the T-bar simply 'cos I've not done one for a bit'. It stopped for 5 minutes then gave me the chance to go down the nursery slope. I then went to the gondola, which now had a huge queue because the chairlift (the only other way up the mountain from the base) was closed for maintenance. However, I spotted the singles line to the left, which was empty and led me straight to the front! Success!
The skiing was typical spring conditions- lower down, it was very warm, and there was lots of slush. Further up the snow was better quality although there were still many patches where the dirt broke through. There hadn't been much snow recently, but the grooming and snow on the upper marked slopes was generally pretty good. I went onto the back side, where the steeper bowls and slopes are, which has less sun so the snow was generally pretty good. However, the moguls were generally over-developed and had a few rocks and muddy patches in the bottom.
I caught a lift with one of the Resort Hosts and her client, and having a chat with them I thought it might be good to follow them around for a bit. At the top, we met up with the rest of the group and the other Host, who was coincidentally also a Sunshine Snow Host and the father of one of the lads on my Level 1 course! I'd known and seen Don throughout the season and it was good to see a familiar face. He had a spare lunch voucher, so gave me a free lunch which I was very grateful for! But the tour was very near its end so we headed en-masse to the base and I got a burger.
In the afternoon I stayed mostly on the back side, exploring the double-blacks which Lake Louise is famous for. I met a lady called Nicky on the chairlift, who was out for a quick ski and asked to show me some of the steepest runs in the resort. Of course, it sounded like an ideal opportunity to have a guide in the steeps since the Resort Hosts can't even take you on blacks, so we did a couple of the ER (Emergency Route) runs, which generally had good snow and steep pitches. But then she needed to feed her baby so I was left on my own again.
I did another lap of the steeps, but it was approaching the time I needed to catch the bus back to the village to transfer back to Sunshine, so I took one last run back down, picked up my stuff and had a hot chocolate before starting the trip home. Generally, the resort wasn't up to the same standard as Sunshine. But then again, it's nowhere near as high and there weren't many people there. I explored some new terrain but also got a couple of scratches in my skis! But adapting to my edge changes is coming on leaps and bounds and I felt very confident on my skis.
The good- steep runs, good snow on the back, few people.
The bad- rocky patches and abandoned chairlifts (the were loads of abandoned, rusting lifts and towers all over the place, which really spoil the resort), and the clouds that seemed to fill in every time I tried to take a good picture!
But still a good day out.
However, after getting up early, packing very neatly (there was a Ski School dinner in the evening), and skiing all the way from the village to the car park, Muggins got to the base expecting (or assuming) a bus to be there at 8:00. However, it actually left at 8:30, so I went back up to the gondola mid-station with someone else who'd made the same mistake as me, and we did the lower half of the ski-out again (although, this time we didn't worry a couple of skidoo drivers or get nearly-squished by the Track Truck).
By the time we'd reached the bottom again, there was enough time to grab a breakfast bagel from Creekside before heading onto the bus for the Lake. When it pulled away at 8:30 sharp, there was only 6 people on it... The coach we took is the one which takes guests from Lake Louise to Sunshine for a day's skiing, so it dropped us off at Chateau Lake Louise for a transfer to the ski hill. At least this gave us the opportunity to see the Chateau and the Lake in winter...
...and it wasn't long before we crammed into the small shuttle bus to take us to the ski-hill. On arrival, it was lovely and sunny, however the snow was slushy already and there was a long queue to get on the gondola. I rented a locker ($5!) and headed over to the T-bar simply 'cos I've not done one for a bit'. It stopped for 5 minutes then gave me the chance to go down the nursery slope. I then went to the gondola, which now had a huge queue because the chairlift (the only other way up the mountain from the base) was closed for maintenance. However, I spotted the singles line to the left, which was empty and led me straight to the front! Success!
The skiing was typical spring conditions- lower down, it was very warm, and there was lots of slush. Further up the snow was better quality although there were still many patches where the dirt broke through. There hadn't been much snow recently, but the grooming and snow on the upper marked slopes was generally pretty good. I went onto the back side, where the steeper bowls and slopes are, which has less sun so the snow was generally pretty good. However, the moguls were generally over-developed and had a few rocks and muddy patches in the bottom.
I caught a lift with one of the Resort Hosts and her client, and having a chat with them I thought it might be good to follow them around for a bit. At the top, we met up with the rest of the group and the other Host, who was coincidentally also a Sunshine Snow Host and the father of one of the lads on my Level 1 course! I'd known and seen Don throughout the season and it was good to see a familiar face. He had a spare lunch voucher, so gave me a free lunch which I was very grateful for! But the tour was very near its end so we headed en-masse to the base and I got a burger.
In the afternoon I stayed mostly on the back side, exploring the double-blacks which Lake Louise is famous for. I met a lady called Nicky on the chairlift, who was out for a quick ski and asked to show me some of the steepest runs in the resort. Of course, it sounded like an ideal opportunity to have a guide in the steeps since the Resort Hosts can't even take you on blacks, so we did a couple of the ER (Emergency Route) runs, which generally had good snow and steep pitches. But then she needed to feed her baby so I was left on my own again.
I did another lap of the steeps, but it was approaching the time I needed to catch the bus back to the village to transfer back to Sunshine, so I took one last run back down, picked up my stuff and had a hot chocolate before starting the trip home. Generally, the resort wasn't up to the same standard as Sunshine. But then again, it's nowhere near as high and there weren't many people there. I explored some new terrain but also got a couple of scratches in my skis! But adapting to my edge changes is coming on leaps and bounds and I felt very confident on my skis.
The good- steep runs, good snow on the back, few people.
The bad- rocky patches and abandoned chairlifts (the were loads of abandoned, rusting lifts and towers all over the place, which really spoil the resort), and the clouds that seemed to fill in every time I tried to take a good picture!
But still a good day out.
posted by Colin at
11:43 am
2 Comments:
I guess that day out at LL makes you realise what an excellent ski mountain Sunshine is. I think fate has looked after you very well, leading you to Banff, and Ski School, and living up top, and having virtually unlimited opportunity to ski almost from the door of your room.....
You lucky,... lucky... (person) - as the Monty Python team would say!
By
Anonymous, At
15 April 2008 at 07:03
i agree with yr dad - you are a most fortunate steward of the bar variety.
wot a great experience.
By
Anonymous, At
15 April 2008 at 14:48
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