Lake Louise Ski Resort

The Lake Louise Ski Resort & Summer Gondola is a ski resort in western Canada, located in Banff National Park near the village of Lake Louise, Alberta. Located 57 km (35 mi) west of Banff, Lake Louise is one of three major ski resorts within Banff National Park.[3]

Lake Louise Ski Resort
Skiing at Lake Louise
Lake Louise Ski Resort
Location within Alberta
Lake Louise Ski Resort
Lake Louise Ski Resort (Canada)
LocationLake Louise, Alberta,
 Canada
Nearest major cityBanff, Alberta
Calgary, Alberta
Coordinates51°26′31″N 116°09′38″W
Vertical   991 m (3,250 ft)
Top elevation2,637 m (8,650 ft)[1]
Base elevation1,646 m (5,400 ft)
Skiable area17 km2 (6.6 sq mi)[2]
Runs145 [2]
Longest run8 km (5 mi)[2]
Lift system9 lifts:
- 3 surface lifts
- 1 triple
- 1 fixed-grip quad
- 2 high-speed quads
- 1 high-speed six-passenger
- 1 six-passenger gondola[1]
Lift capacity14,000+ skiers/hr
Terrain parks4
Snowfall454 cm (180 in) per year
Websiteskilouise.com

The resort is situated on the southern slopes of the Slate Range, between the heights of Mount Richardson, Ptarmigan Peak, Pika Peak and Redoubt Mountain, all around 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above sea level. The base of the slopes is defined by Pipestone River, a tributary of the Bow River, immediately north of the intersections between Highway 1A (Bow Valley Trail), Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), and Highway 93 (Icefields Parkway).

History

Lake Louise has been a home to skiing since the 1920s, as the gateway to the Skoki Ski Lodge. The first lift was constructed in 1954, and a poma was added in 1960.[4][5]

Until autumn 2008, the ski resort was owned and operated by the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) company. In 2008, Charlie Locke, a former owner of the ski area (1981-2003),[6] exercised a buy-back option to reacquire Lake Louise from RCR to return as the ski resort's owner, president and operator.[7]

Events
Skiing at Lake Louise

The Lake Louise Ski Resort is the first stop on the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup circuit, and the only place in Canada where this event is held.[8] The event, also known as the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup, is described by Alpine Canada as "Canada's highest-profile alpine ski race",[9] and attracts high-profile downhill skiers from around the globe - such as four-time World Cup champion, Lindsey Vonn.[10] The races began at the resort in 1980 and ran consecutively from 1993 to 2020. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 races to be cancelled [11] The race is one of the select few that hold both the men’s and ladies speed events on the World Cup circuit and plays host to the first World Cup downhill and super-G races of the season.[12]

The Lake Louise Ski Resort hosted its first FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup in December 2013.[13][14]

The resort also hosts Shake The Lake: a freestyle and live music event held at the end of the snow season.[15]

Lake Louise Ski Area on Mt. Whitehorn, seen from Lake Louise

Facilities
Lake Louise Grizzly Express and Lodges, March 2017.

The 145 marked ski runs and back bowls on four mountain faces are 25% beginner, 45% intermediate and 30% advanced.[2] The 'Terrain Park' is also designed for riders of all levels. Four full service day lodges are operational during winter. Snowboarders have access to all trails and the terrain park.

The Lake Louise sightseeing gondola is open year round, offering panoramas of glaciers, natural springs, wildflowers and possibly wildlife (such as grizzly bears). Other activities in the resort area include dog sledding, ice skating, and cross-country skiing.

Trails
View on the trails and on the mountains, March 2018.
Easier Intermediate Advanced Difficult
(Double Black) ♦♦
17 25 54 43

Lifts
Lift Name Length Vertical Type Ride Time Make Build Year
Grizzly Express Gondola 2918 m 736 m 6-person gondola 12 min. Leitner Poma 2003
Top of the World 6-Pack Express 1344 m 411 m High-speed 6-pack 5 min. Leitner Poma 2003
Glacier Express Quad 1822 m 442 m High-speed quad 7 min. Leitner 2000
Larch Express Chair 1463 m 375 m High-speed quad 6 min. Leitner 1998
Ptarmigan Quad Chair 1021 m 412 m Fixed-grip quad 9 min. Leitner Poma 2008
Paradise Triple Chair 1100 m 394 m Fixed-grip triple 9 min. Lift Engineering 1982
Summit Platter 1119 m 410 m 1-person platter lift 8 min. Mueller 1976
Sunny Upper Carpet

Sunny Lower Carpet

 181m 44 m Carpet Lift 3 min. Doppelmayr
Magic Carpet 79 m 18 m Magic carpet 2 min. 2006

References
  1. Go Ski. "Lake Louise - Statistics". Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  2. Lake Louise Mountain Resort. "Mountain Statistics". Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  3. "Visit Lake Louise | Flights, Holidays & Hotels". British Airways. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  4. Williams, Dick (December 12, 1960). "Mount Whitehorn installs modern 3600-foot ski lift". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 11.
  5. Williams, Dick (December 27, 1961). "Lake Louise area shined". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 13.
  6. Hudson, Louise (29 November 2012). "New generation of women taking over at Lake Louise". The Calgary Herald. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-02-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2013-06-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-07-09. Retrieved 2013-06-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  10. "Lindsey Vonn". U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Archived from the original on 2012-01-15. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  11. https://www.skilouise.com/things-to-do/2020-lake-louise-audi-fis-ski-world-cup-realigned-in-europe/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  12. "Lake Louise Audi FIS Ski World Cup – Canada's Premier Alpine World Cup". www.winterstartevents.com.
  13. "2013 Lake Louise Snowboard Cross World Cup". Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  14. "fissnowboard.com - Informationen zum Thema fissnowboard". www.fissnowboard.com.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2013-06-29.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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