Going to Banff next week, excited to see that the last storm cycle was good for Sunshine and Lake Louise.
Back from Banff, it was a fantastic way to get the ski season started. The scenery alone makes any trip there worth it but the decent snow and balmy temps made it even better. Louise skied really well, most runs I skied had a decent coverage, sure the expert stuff isn't quite there but with over 100 runs open there was more than enough to keep me happy.
It did snow off and on my first day there, I think Sunshine and Louise ended up with 4-5 inches total which softened up things at both mountains nicely. Had some soft powdery turns skiing down the top of Lookout mountain....
Was definitely sad that Goat's Eye opened up the day I left but I will admit the coverage up there looked more than bit rocky, so it probably saved my skis some pain.
Norquay was much firmer and lacking in snow, only ended up skiing a half day there. I was there for the opening of the Mystic chair, they opened some runs with sketchy coverage it was kind of a powder tease since it was snow that had sat there for a while thinly covering obstacles. I did a few runs and then went back to the firm groomers. I also did one run down the Norquay chair, interesting terrain up there but not nearly enough snow to make it fun. The view though was worth the some of the pain going down.
Stayed at the Elk+Avenue which was a solid hotel with a hot tub and the Ikon rate really makes staying at Banff a steal if you have a pass. It is right in the middle of Banff, loved the shuttles and not having to deal with a car rental as well. It makes Banff a very easy trip. I also made a stop at the Pulse Boot Lab, Jesse there was great at helping me get fit for some new boots. He was very knowledgeable and I think for the first time I am skiing in proper boots. The exchange rate also helps making things easier on my wallet.
and missed Japan this year soooooo yeah. Going to be interesting diving in the deep end at ILL on 1 ski day this season!
