Unforgettable scenery, four different mountain faces and easy access to two other major ski resorts make Lake Louise an excellent choice for your skiing holiday. A tri-area lift pass gives you access to Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Banff Norquay, with Lake Louise having the largest and most varied terrain of the three. Hiking and cross-country skiing will allow you to take in the beautiful natural surroundings. Temperatures can be very cold here, dropping as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius, but this is still an excellent destination for a beginner's skiing holiday. More advanced skiers will find lots to challenge them and snowboarders will be delighted with the largest terrain park in North America - The Jungle.
* Combined statistics for Banff Mount Norquay, Banff Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Mountain Resort.
Lake Louise has an excellent nursery area for learners and ski schooling is held in very high regard. Novices will appreciate that every chair lift provides access to a green piste. Wide, gentle slopes such as Wiwaxy, Deer Run and Eagle Meadows are all designated as slow skiing zones. This is a great destination for both learners and novices.
Of all three resorts surrounding Banff, Lake Louise is perhaps the most inviting. Boasting over 100 kilometres of trails to explore, with the wide open cruising of Larch or the Skyline, the slopes here offer great powder and beautiful views. Snowboarders will love free riding the slopes of Lake Louise and, in addition to the huge Jungle terrain park, there is an extensive park called Showtime for freestyle snowboarding.
Advanced skiers will be impressed with the array of choice on the mountains of Lake Louise. Inside the boundaries there are lots of black diamond trails on Mount Whitehorn's Diamond Mine. The Back Bowls also offer countless black mogul runs. Since Lake Louise is located in a National Park, you are free to explore anywhere you like. This offers an exciting, back country experience, though a guide is essential. For snowboarders, the impressive vertical drop of over 600 metres in The Jungle must be sampled.
There are superb facilities in Lake Louise for younger skiers. Kid Ski provides schooling and care for children aged 5 to 12 years old and there is also a Kinderski programme for children aged 3 and 4.
The ski season in Lake Louise is particularly long. Starting in November and stretching well into May, there is good dry powder to be found throughout the season. Temperatures drop as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius between December and February. This ensures that the best snow, although the toughest conditions for the less experienced, are in the core of the season.
Aprés ski in Lake Louise generally focuses around the luxury hotel, Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, where the emphasis is on relaxation and fine food, as opposed to a more vibrant scene in Banff. However, at the foot of Lake Louise's slopes the atmosphere is lively and fun.
182 km (approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes transfer). British Airways flies direct to Calgary from London Heathrow.
