The resort

Situated in the mighty Canadian Rockies and within the stunning Banff National Park, the ski resort of Lake Louise is the centre of skiing in Alberta. This section of the Rockies has very reliable snow conditions, coupled with some of the best mountain scenery in the world.

The completion of the coast-to-coast railway in 1885 made one of the most picturesque and remote areas in the Rocky Mountains suddenly accessible. This virgin landscape, formerly known only to Canada's Aboriginal peoples, fur traders and explorers, was now open to everyday travellers and tourists.

Skiing and  boarding

The ski resort of Lake Louise is located approximately 45 minutes away from Banff. Lake Louise has been called the most scenic ski area in all of North America. The skiing is on three mountain faces and, for skiers and snowboarders of any ability, the options are limitless. From wide, plunging bowls to great tree-line runs and beautifully groomed slopes, there is so much you will probably not be able to ski all of its stunning 4,200 acres.

Apres ski

The three ski areas of Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Banff Mount Norquay, all linked by a free shuttle, are all covered by the excellent Tri-Area lift pass, which combined, has more than 200 runs on over 7500 acres.  25 percent of this is covered by snow canons.

With 4200 skiable acres, Lake Louise is one of the largest ski areas in North America. The unique layout allows families and groups of varying abilities to ski together; skiing in Lake Louise offers beginner, intermediate and expert runs down from every chair. Beginners and intermediate skiers have access to an abundance of gentle slopes and long cruising runs. Experts can explore endless chutes, glades, gullies and remote bowls in some of the Rockies' most challenging terrain.

The ski resort of Lake Louise is a skier's paradise. It is a skier friendly mountain as there is an easy run from every chairlift on the mountain. Lake Louise has an abundant amount of natural snow, backed up with Canada's largest snowmaking system. 65 percent of the terrain is below treeline and long protected tree lined runs, so you can ski at Lake Louise even when it is snowing!

Skiers and snowboarders in Lake Louise will love the Telus Snowtime Park under the Glacier lift. It is divided into three areas to cover all levels. The Marmot Park is the beginner park and has three small roller style jumps. There are several small ride-on boxes too. The intermediate park has three average sized jumps with gentle and wide transitions.  Juniper Park is for advanced boarders and will test all aspects of your boarding with quarter pipes, and The Cliff, a man made cliff drop that looms over the park and drops into a long landing.

The Ski Host Programme makes skiing in Lake Louise even easier! The Tourist Office offers free ski hosting every day designed to show you the range of pistes available in all three resorts.

Resort overview

The first national park in Canada was established near the present day ski resort of Lake Louise. Later, four other national parks were created nearby: Yoho, Jasper, Kootenay and Glacier, which explains why much of the region's rugged beauty remains essentially unspoiled. The scenery is still as magnificent as it was to the train travellers of the late 1800s with snow-capped mountain ridges, cliff faces pocked by glaciers, mountain lakes and hot springs. This makes skiing in Lake Louise truly unique.

Sunshine Village and Lake Louise are the two major ski areas located close to the town of Banff. Both of these ski resorts offer true Canadian skiing. 

The Lake Louise ski area has been rated the most scenic resort in North America. It offers more than 11 square miles of skiable terrain for all levels. Skiing in Lake Louise gives you the opportunity to experience the many other activities on offer such as ice hiking, ice skating, snowshoeing, snow hiking, heli-skiing, and cross-country skiing. For those who would rather rely on someone else's legs, sleigh riding and dog sledding is possible