| Last week I wrote a blog posting about the new | | | | lifts deposit you on some ridges that offer easy |
| movie Inception and its potential effect on the closed | | | | access to some lovely, powdery bowls. The only |
| down Ski Hill of Fortress Mountain. Writing the article | | | | thing to remember is that you need beacons, |
| got me thinking about going skiing, which I did and it | | | | shovels, probes and the appropriate avalanche |
| was glorious, so I started looking into the current | | | | training to safely access these winter wonderlands. |
| state of affairs at the ski hills that can be found | | | | Mount Norquay |
| locally, and not so locally. I suspect that the | | | | Mount Norquay is located across the TransCanada |
| information will be valuable to any powder hounds | | | | highway from the town of Banff. As such, it is the |
| currently leashed up in the city, so here's a bit of an | | | | local's favourite for the town, and the hill runs itself |
| informal snow report. I'm also going to briefly | | | | accordingly. Norquay is the smallest ski resort in the |
| describe the differences between the resorts, and I'll | | | | area, except for Calgary Olympic Park, and has the |
| also mention current ticket prices, more for any | | | | less challenging terrain than either Sunshine or Lake |
| visitors for the city who may be unfamiliar with the | | | | Louise. However, they are also a very economic |
| local options for powder-hogging. | | | | decision, and they are the only ski hill in the region |
| Sunshine Village | | | | that offers hourly rates and night skiing on Fridays. All |
| Sunshine is definitely the premier ski hill in the area. Of | | | | in all this is a great hill to go and spend an afternoon |
| all the hills in Alberta, Sunshine is the one that has | | | | or early evening, or to go and practice a few turns |
| earned international renown. Ticket prices are | | | | on before hitting up the bigger resorts later on in the |
| cheaper this year than they have been in the past. | | | | season. |
| Adults pay $76.14, Youths pay $54.28, Seniors $61.86, | | | | Nakiska |
| children and riders just using the gondola only pay | | | | While it will be opening shortly, on December 5th, |
| $26.42. At the time of this article's publishing they | | | | Nakiska is currently only open to the public on the |
| have a snow base of 107 cm. The terrain is a mix of | | | | weekends. Being located much closer to the eastern |
| both easy and hard runs, but there are far more blue | | | | foothills of the rockies, Nakiska typically has less |
| runs than there are black diamonds. Sunshine has | | | | snow than the other resorts located a bit deeper in |
| phenomenal snow and great access, but for more | | | | the mountains. Currently, they have a base of 71cm. |
| experienced riders there is really only one run that's | | | | The terrain at Nakiska is varied, but slants more |
| of interest. That run is the Jewel in the front-country | | | | towards the easy side. It's a great place for families |
| crown of Sunshine, Delirium Dive. Currently the Dive is | | | | to go skiing as there is a lot of novice, and kid, |
| not open for skiers/boarders due to all the explosives | | | | friendly terrain. Tickets are relatively cheap, Adults |
| they're chucking down it in an effort to improve the | | | | pay $64.95, Seniors pay $51.95, Youths $44.95, and |
| avalanche conditions by bombing the snowpack back | | | | Children only pay $19.95. |
| to the Stone Age. Don't go down that run just yet. | | | | Canada Olympic Park |
| You may get exploded. | | | | C.O.P. was built for the 1988 Winter Olympics, it is a |
| Lake Louise | | | | world class facility for almost every winter sport |
| At just under three hours, Lake Louise is a bit of a | | | | where the primary agent of propulsion is gravity. It |
| drive from Calgary. However, of all the ski resorts | | | | has facilities not only for skiing, but also for |
| nearby it is the largest with 4200 acres of skiable | | | | bobsledding, lugeing, ski jumping, skeleton, etc, etc. |
| terrain. It has the best balance of easy to difficult | | | | Because of this, it is a bit of a 'Jack of all trades'. You |
| runs, it gets decent snow (93 cm right now), and the | | | | certainly can go skiing there, but it isn't the primary |
| tickets are more or less the same cost they are at | | | | focus. Being located within the city of Calgary C.O.P. |
| Sunshine. Adults pay $75.95, Seniors and Youths pay | | | | also gets a very small amount of natural snow |
| $54.95, and children pay $24.95. Lake Louise is a | | | | compared to the larger resorts out in the mountains. |
| great choice for anyone looking to do some easy | | | | However, with tickets starting at $5 and capping at |
| access backcountry skiing. As you can tell from the | | | | $39, it is very inexpensive to go tear things up a little. |
| map I link to earlier in this paragraph, several of the | | | | |