Banff Lake Louise News

If you haven't managed to exhaust yourself during the day with skiing/snowboarding, dogsledding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, shopping, ice climbing, ice walking, ice fishing, sleigh riding, snowmobiling, museum touring or any of the other countless winter adventures available in the park, then pay close attention.

Recently two of our members came forward with new activities; both take place on a mountain, and both will become a wonderful memory if you choose to partake.

Last night I went out to the Lake Louise Ski Area for their 'Downhill at Dusk' event which consisted of live music, drinks, appetizers and a wee bit of ski boot dancing at their mid-mountain lodge. Then we gathered outside and were given a head lamp as the sun had been down for a good half hour at this point, and put into a group with a couple of ski patrollers holding onto torches to guide us down the hill. At the bottom we ate a wonderful dinner, enjoyed some more live music and learned a few line dance moves. To get first tracks on a freshly groomed trail is an experience that will leave you giggling!

The other possibility is the 'Banff Alpine Lights' at the Banff Gondola on top of Sulphur Mountain. This event offers guests a full dinner along with live music by long time locals 'Swanee & Friends' who will convince you it's time to dance before and after your meal. Imagine looking over the summits of the neighbouring mountains in the moonlight and getting that bird's eye view of the town of Banff all lit up.

There is heaps to do day and night in Banff National Park... what's your next adventure?

As we say goodbye to 2008 I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone happiness and health in 2009.

This week's video showcases little clips taken from videos we had created last winter... so if you like what you see stop by our Youtube channel where we've got a full buffet of winter and summer adventures waiting for you!

I've got the champagne chilling and will be watching the fireworks display hosted by the Town of Banff set to go off at the turn of the New Year.

Happy New Year everyone... see you in 2009!

Banff National Park presents a wonderful "12 days of Christmas" experience-packed calendar and today is day one!

I won't go thru all the experiences, but I would like to give you a sample tray of the gifts of natural and cultural heritage Parks Canada would like to share with you.

The 1st experience is titled "Soak in Some History"... tonight at 5pm-7pm join a guided tour of the Upper Hot Springs Bathhouse.

The 5th experience is titled "Tipi Tales"... a 5:30pm tour around the Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum; bring the kids (8-12) for some stories and crafts.

The 8th experience "Silver Blades on the Lake" will get your family outside partaking in one of the ultimate Canadian experiences; pond skating! It's 'like skating on frozen champagne'... visit the lake to see why!

For full details check out the Banff National Park Presents (pdf 1.27 MB) poster.

With 9 other experiences for you and your family to enjoy, you won't run out of things to do during your visit to the World's Finest National Park!

This week I rubbed elbows with the ski racers at the Men's World Cup in Lake Louise, while discovering first hand what our local ski areas are doing to keep the smile on your face!

Canadian John Kucera from Calgary placed second in the Men's World Cup the day after I chatted with him... check out what he says about skiing on his home course!

For those of you who haven't heard the news, the jumps are back in the terrain park at Lake Louise thanks to a change in ownership! And Sunshine Village has built a temporary rail park just off of the Wawa chair until enough snow falls for them to build their kickin' terrain park off of the Great Divide chair. Get some tips on how to do a rail slide from the guys who built the parks.

With week 2 under my belt I've got plenty of ideas for stories to cover in these videos, but if there is anything you'd like to know more about let me know... I love idea's and look forward to hearing from you!

Join me next week as I capture Christmas in the Rockies in the World's Finest National Park.

Don't forget, if you want updates about the snowfall, events and festivals in the park, sign up for our text alerts at banfflakelouise.com/text

It's early season skiing in the Canadian Rockies and it's beautiful out there!

In this video I head to 2 of our 3 ski resorts: Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Mountain Resort (Norquay opens December 5, only open weekends now), in the hopes of meeting some newbies who've come to work in Banff National Park for the ski/snowboard season.

With comments like "the best commute in the world", "we have snow back home but it's nothing like this" and "it's surreal", I've gotta question why more of your haven't made you way here yet?! I came out to work for one winter... that was 6 years ago, a scenario you'll hear over and over again if you take the time to chat with the locals.

Join me each week as I ask locals & visitors to share their stories and experiences with you about the World's Finest National Park. You can also expect a quick snow update, events and as always a call out to our feature packages.

And yes... my name is Reality, and I am sharing the real Banff National Park with you!

If you're looking to host a party, meeting, or conference that turns heads and goes down in history as the most magical event ever then look no further. Come on in, sit down and lets chat!

Did you know that early 2009 is the perfect time to have meetings and events in Banff National Park due to low season rates, and why not beat the crowd to the more popular dates? How's that for a sales pitch?!

Make your job easier, check out our Meetings section, watch some videos and enjoy some ideas provided to me by an events coordinator:

Living "Ice" Statues ............... or.............. Ice Center pieces, glasses & more!

Local and loving it... that's how the local tea connoisseurs feel about their tea houses in Banff National Park.

If you're around for the holidays and visiting Lake Louise be sure to stop by the Tea Cottage at the Lake Louise Inn. They will be open December 28-30 for a Traditional Afternoon Tea with those tiny little sandwiches and bite size cakes. Reservations are needed for the Traditional Tea, but stop by any time to warm up in the 84 year old log cabin.

If you can't make it for afternoon tea in Lake Louise, be sure to stop by The Fairmont Banff Springs to enjoy this English custom at the Castle in the Rockies. Reservations are recommended to enjoy this tradition, but even if you don't have any take the chance and wander past the Rundle Lounge.

The Banff Tea Co. right in the heart of Banff believes that "smelling is believing" and the rule of thumb when choosing your tea is "if you like the smell, you'll like the taste. It's a great way to shop". Stop by and chat with Susanne (one of the owners), she grew up at a teahouse in Lake Louise called "Plain of Six Glaciers Teahouse" which is only accessed via hiking. You can sit down and enjoy their international selection of tea at the restaurant beside the store called Cafe Soleil.

Thank you Charlie Locke!

For those of you who haven't heard the news, half of Lake Louise Mountain Resort has been sold and the new owner is bringing back the terrain park!

The park is currently under construction with no completion date given at this time, but for more information be sure to visit the Lake Louise Mountain Resort website.

The Heavy Metal Rail Jam is coming up on November 22 for those of you itching to have some fun in the mean time!

A press release just landed in my inbox...about our ski resorts and their opening dates.

Yes, I know, it's only the middle of August... but guess what?! They'll be running the chair lifts in a little over 2 months. Can you believe it?

If the weather cooperates with the resorts then here are the dates you should be marking in your calendars:

Sunshine Village: November 7, 2008

Lake Louise Mountain Resort: November 8, 2008

Ski Norquay: December 5, 2008 for full operation, but if all you need to get you through the early season is one chairlift and mini snow park then stop by on a weekend starting early November.

So get your skis and boards tuned up, track down your goggles and mitts and lets starting thinking snow... for November!

First of all... what is social media?

Wikipedia has it defined as "an umbrella term that defines the various activities that integrate technology, social interaction, and the construction of words, pictures, videos and audio. This interaction, and the manner in which information is presented, depends on the varied perspectives and "building" of shared meaning among communities, as people share their stories, and understandings." Some social media websites you might recognize would be Wikipedia itself along with MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, & Flickr.

What does all this have to do with Banff Lake Louise Tourism or Banff National Park? Well, Banff Lake Louise Tourism has been busy for the last 8 months creating videos for online distribution. We found the stories of the local characters, businesses and employees and created some fun, jealousy making, experiences... favourite quote "my life is better then your vacation".

The community's of Banff & Lake Louise have jumped on the social media wagon and are asking visitors and employees to share their own experienses with the world through YouTube videos.

As a visitor you can submit your video showcasing "Family Adventure in the Western Canadian Mountains" to win an amazing prize package! For more details and to see what's been submitted so far check out youtube.com/user/FairmontMountains

As an employee working in Banff & Lake Louise between the ages of 18-30 you and your friends could win $500 for creating a video that tells the world why it's so great to live and work in Banff National Park. The deadline for submitting videos for this contest is looming, for more information contact www.bllhma.com