Hit slopes with world’s best at Lake Louise
The best skiers in the world are going to be on the mountain at Lake Louise this weekend.
Organizers at the ski and snowboard resort are hoping it’s not just the best of the best, though.
With the Lake Louise Audi FIS World Cup bringing the top women’s alpine skiers to Alberta for the annual Canadian stop on their tour, the likes of Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin will be tearing down the slopes during three days of racing from Friday to Sunday.
And for all three days, the resort is offering free lift tickets to children 12 and under.
“It’s trying to encourage people to come out,” said Dan Markham, the director of brand and communications at the resort. “The kids have to say ‘Go Canada Go’ to be eligible to get the tickets. The idea is to get more involved in the excitement of the races and get more kids out skiing.
“Obviously, the next generation, we’ve got to keep people in the sport and this is a way we drive people out.”
The basics of the deal are this: Any adult who shows up and buys a lift ticket can get free lift tickets for two children under the age of 12 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Those days coincide with the three days of racing, as there are women’s downhill races on Friday and Saturday and a super-G race on Sunday.
The resort is also offering free lessons for kids who are new to the sport and decide they might want to try replicating what they witness the World Cup stars doing.
“Generally, if you can call the ski school in advance, it probably works better, but if you can’t and there’s availability, checking in with the ski school in the morning might work, too,” Markham said.
For parents looking to get their kids hooked on skiing, this might be the perfect weekend.
While the annual World Cup races in Lake Louise are always one of the premiere events on the Canadian sports calendar — amateur or professional — there’s always something a little more special about the event when it falls in an Olympic year.
With the opening ceremonies for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeong Chang, South Korea, set to go on Feb. 9, the athletes at Lake Louise will be fighting to be at their very best, and it’s a chance for fans to see them up close before they step into the Olympic spotlight.
“One of the things with the Canadian races is the athletes are much more open with the fans,” Markham said. “When the (skiers) come out from the ski area, the kids will gather around and the athletes are really open to signing bibs and photos.”
There’s also a lot more to the World Cup than standing at the bottom of the course and cheering on the athletes. This year, there will be a farmer’s market in the Lake Louise base area, for example.
Then there’s the skiing, which is made more affordable than ever due to the free lift tickets for children.
After the resort was forced to cancel its men’s races in 2016 due to a lack of cold temperatures and snow, the scene on the hill couldn’t be more different this year. The resort has around 80 runs and eight lifts open after a cooler-than-usual November.
“We just did some checking-in, and the latest snow numbers have us at around 225 cm in October and November so far,” Markham said. “That’s actually the most snow we’ve had (in that period) in the alpine since 1951.”