Richard in the Rockies
Published 05.12.2005
Week Three - All downhill from here
21.11.05 - 27.11.05
Record snowfall meant Richard had no choice but to lock in a long weekend and hit the Canadian slopes. Intent on perfecting his downhill style, his travels take him to Lake Louise to get a few tips from the best - the competitors in the Men's FIS World Cup Downhill event! However, Richard's ability to mimic the professional's moves is hindered by an extended (and chilly) stay on a local chair lift.
Took a long weekend this week and headed for the Rocky Mountains and three days of skiing. Recent heavy snowfalls in the mountains meant there was the best early skiing conditions for 16 years…so I packed my ski gear, hired a car and headed for Banff.
The drive took about 1 hour 30 minutes to reach Sunshine Village ski resort just outside Banff, passing through some spectacular scenery. Speed limits here mean you can cover a much larger distance than you can in Norway, for the same travel time.
Sunshine resort is high up on the mountain (approx altitude of 2300m), which certainly tests the stamina for the first ski of the season. To get from the car park you have to take an eight minute Gondola ride, which definitely saves the legs. The skiing was excellent, fast and the runs extremely quiet.
Headed back to the hotel in Banff that evening for well earned food and beer. I stayed in the Ptarmigan Inn right in the heart of town. It was a nice hotel that I would certainly recommend.
Saturday I headed to Lake Louise, some 60km further north from Banff. The resort was hosting the FIS World Cup Men's Downhill that day, and this was the main reason for choosing this weekend. It was a totally different experience to watching it on TV, and made it even more impressive how much control they have at such high speed.
I got there early so I could ski the resort myself. The runs are much longer than Banff, but there was less snow, so not all were open. Looking forward to going back there as the winter progresses.
James and Kyle had made the trip on Saturday as well, so after the skiing we returned to Banff, and headed again for the well earned food and beers. Headed to a "Wild Bills" in the main street, which proved to be a prime position, as that evening the town hosted its annual Christmas parade, with many floats all decorated for the festive season.
After another good nights sleep (suitably assisted by the mountain air and beer), I returned to Sunshine Village again for another day on the piste. Overnight snowfalls meant there was plenty of fresh powder to be racing through.
Around 2pm the wind started to pick up and the temperature dropped. I had got trapped on a chair lift for 30 minutes in the cold when it broke down, so I figured enough was enough for the first ski this winter, and packed up my things, headed home, ready for a new working week.
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