THE BEST SKI MONTH IS FAST APPROACHING
Longer days, warmer temperatures and more snow make a Lake Louise visit perfect
March is a special time in the Canadian Rockies.
You survive the cold, long, dark months that precede it, and then it's almost like March is the little reward that Mother Nature throws your way.
At the Lake Louise Ski Resort, March is typically the snowiest month of the year. As the temperature start to warm, thick stashes of powder hide themselves in every crook and cranny on the mountain.
It's not just the snow, though. The sun hangs around in the sky a lot longer at this time of the year than it does earlier in the season, meaning there's more time for après-ski fun. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, that's still true.
“You've got the longer days, which is a great thing and with daylight saving time coming up we'll have even more daylight later in the day,” said Dan Markham, director of communications at Lake Louise. “Aprèsski, driving home, all that stuff, you're doing it in the light instead of being on the road and it's getting dark before you pass Banff on your way back to Calgary.
“It just makes the day a better experience and people can spend a little more time relaxing at the end of the day, whether they're tailgating in the parking lot or in one of the restaurants. The après-experience is really the winner with the longer days and more sunlight.”
The pandemic has changed a lot of things at ski resorts, and it has definitely impacted the après-ski experience, as well.
But the recent loosening of restrictions in Alberta means that resorts like Lake Louise can provide options for guests who want to take advantage of the longer, warmer, sunnier days and not just rush back to Calgary as soon as their last run is done.
The Temple Café and Whitehorn Bistro are both open during the day on the mountain, providing dining options, while the base area has too many dining and drinking choices to list here, we're fans of the Powder Keg Lounge.
On a warm, sunny late-afternoon, the Banded Peak Base Camp — formerly the Kokanee Kabin — is the perfect spot for kicking back and enjoying the sun on your face. It's also outdoors, which is great for preventing the spread of COVID-19, and social distancing is strictly enforced.
“We do have limited in-restaurant (capacity) at all of our facilities, but you also have the outdoor tents where you can get your food and go to the tent to eat,” Markham said. “That gives us a little more capacity, but people ordering food, tailgating or coming into the restaurant, as long as you're with your cohort you can (still enjoy it).”
Of course, before the après, there's the skiing, and there's a lot of good news on that front, too.
With the exception of the recent polar vortex, Lake Louise has had a mild season with a lot of snow.
And when the polar vortex moved on, the snow started falling in bunches. In the past week alone, 48 centimetres of the fluffy white stuff fell on the upper-mountain and that brought the season total to 537 cm.
The forecast for the next couple days calls for more, too, which is setting Lake Louise up for a March to remember.
“This is probably the best snow time of the year,” Markham said. “The longer days give people more time to adapt and adjust. I think people are just a little bit happier.”