For scenic grandeur, imaginative terrain design, and sheer size, the Lake Louise Ski Area ranks with the finest ski resorts in the world. Encompassing eleven square miles, spread over four separate mountain faces interconnected by a lift and trail system that is comparable to the European ski circuit concept, this is the largest ski area in Canada. Visitors from Europe, who may have been somewhat disappointed by the rather boring rolling hills on which some of North America's most famous ski resorts are located, will be mesmorised by the spectacular beauty of the place. In addition to over 100 named runs, some over five miles in length, Lake Louise offers thousands of acres of open powder bowls, glades and chutes.
When it comes to reliable snow, 'The Lake', is again hard to beat. With copious amounts of natural snow backed up by Canada's largest snow making system, Lake Louise has a season that runs from early November to mid May. Thirty years' average temperatures see a drop to -5 degrees celcius in December and -7 in January. With dozens of long protected tree lined runs, and 65% of the terrain below treeline, you can ski at Louise even when it is snowing.
Skiers and 'boarders skiing Louise normally stay either in Banff, a 45 minute drive away, or in Lake Louise village located five minutes from the lifts and linked to them by a free bus shuttle service. Within the village you will find over 1,000 units for accommodation along with twenty restaurants and bars. These '1000 units' include the luxurious bedrooms of the world famous Chateau Lake Louise, one of the world's greatest hotels, built in 1890 when the railroad arrived in probably one of the most beautiful locations in the world for any hotel - on the shores of the lake with the mountains rising majestically behind. The hotel was extensively refurbished for its centenary. Lake Louise itself has offered cross-country skiing since the 1890s and downhill for 80 years.
The first downhillers were a group of youngsters from Banff who, having learnt to ski downhill on Mt Norquay and slept the night in the Lake Louise train station, headed out on to the slopes. A decade later the same youngsters who had skied Louise in 1920 teamed up with some of the original Swiss guides who had led cross country tours in the area for 40 years and built the Canadian Rockies' first chalet, Skoki, in the summer of 1930. More huts followed and the first lift, a poma, was installed in 1954. A few years afterwards, when the Trans-Canada Highway passed through the area, the gondola tramway was installed in 1958. The rest, as they say, is history.
Grand plans for a big 6500 bed resort in the 1960s was blocked as 'too big' in 1972, largely due to the area's location in the precious National Park. However growth, slow and controlled, has continued with new lifts gradually bringing the resort to a level where it can easily attract skiers from all over the world. The growth restriction is considered by many to be a major asset and helps Lake Louise to remain so special to its many fans.
