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Lake Louise Ski Resort

Coordinates: 51°26′31″N 116°09′38″W / 51.44194°N 116.16056°W / 51.44194; -116.16056
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Lake Louise Ski Resort
Lake Louise in 2004
Lake Louise Ski Resort is located in Canada
Lake Louise Ski Resort
Lake Louise Ski Resort
Location in Canada
Lake Louise Ski Resort is located in Alberta
Lake Louise Ski Resort
Lake Louise Ski Resort
Location in Alberta
LocationLake Louise, Alberta,
 Canada
Nearest major cityBanff, Alberta
Calgary, Alberta
Coordinates51°26′31″N 116°09′38″W / 51.44194°N 116.16056°W / 51.44194; -116.16056
Vertical   991 m (3,250 ft)
Top elevation2,637 m (8,650 ft)[1]
Base elevation1,646 m (5,400 ft)
Skiable area17 km2 (6.6 sq mi)[2]
Trails145 [2]
Longest run8 km (5 mi)[2]
Lift system8 lifts:
- 2 surface lifts
- 1 triple
- 1 fixed-grip quad
- 4 high-speed lifts
- 1 six-passenger gondola[1]
Lift capacitymore than 14,000 skiers/hr
Terrain parks4
Snowfall454 cm (180 in) per year
Websiteskilouise.com

The Lake Louise Ski Resort & Summer Gondola is a ski resort in western Canada, located in Banff National Park near the village of Lake Louise, Alberta. Located 57 km (35 mi) west of Banff, Lake Louise is one of three major[a] ski resorts within Banff National Park.[3]

The resort is situated on the southern slopes of the Slate Range, with most of its skiable terrain on the slopes of Whitehorn Mountain, with additional skiable terrain to the east on the lower western slope of Lipalian Mountain. The overall ski area is between the heights of Mount Richardson, Ptarmigan Peak, Pika Peak and Redoubt Mountain, all around 3,000 m (10,000 ft) above sea level. The base of the slopes is defined by Pipestone River, a tributary of the Bow River, immediately north of the intersections between Highway 1A (Bow Valley Trail), Highway 1 (Trans-Canada Highway), and Highway 93 (Icefields Parkway).

History

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Lake Louise has been a home to skiing since the 1920s, as the gateway to the Skoki Ski Lodge. The first lift was constructed in 1954, and a poma was added in 1960.[4][5][6]

Until autumn 2008, the ski resort was owned and operated by the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR) company. In 2008, Charlie Locke, a former owner of the ski area (1981-2003),[7] exercised a buy-back option to reacquire Lake Louise from RCR to return as the ski resort's owner, president and operator.[8]

Events

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Skiing at Lake Louise

The Lake Louise Ski Resort is the first stop on the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup circuit, and the only place in Canada where this event is held.[9] The event, also known as the Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup, is described by Alpine Canada as "Canada's highest-profile alpine ski race",[10] and attracts high-profile downhill skiers from around the globe - such as four-time World Cup champion, Lindsey Vonn.[11] The races began at the resort in 1980 and ran consecutively from 1993 to 2020. The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 races to be cancelled.[12] The race is one of the select few that holds both the men's and ladies' speed events on the World Cup circuit and plays host to the first World Cup downhill and super-G races of the season.[13]

The Lake Louise Ski Resort hosted its first FIS Snowboard Cross World Cup in December 2013.[14][15]

The resort also hosts Shake The Lake: a freestyle and live music event held at the end of the snow season.[16]

Lake Louise Ski Area on Mt. Whitehorn, seen from Lake Louise


Facilities

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Lake Louise Grizzly Express and Lodges, March 2017.

The 145 marked ski runs and back bowls on four mountain faces are 25% beginner, 45% intermediate and 30% advanced.[2] The 'Terrain Park' is also designed for riders of all levels. Four full service day lodges are operational during winter. Snowboarders have access to all trails and the terrain park.

The Lake Louise sightseeing gondola is open year-round, offering panoramas of glaciers, natural springs, wildflowers and possibly wildlife (such as grizzly bears). Other activities in the resort area include dog sledding, ice skating, and cross-country skiing.

Trails

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View on the trails and on the mountains, March 2018.
Easier Intermediate Advanced Difficult
(Double Black) ♦♦
17 25 54 43

Lifts

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  Decommissioned Lift
Name Type Manufacturer Built Vertical
(metres)		 Length
(metres)		 Ride Time
(minutes)		 Notes
Grizzly Express Gondola Gondola 6 Poma 2004 736 2918 12 Relocated from Squaw Valley, California.
Top of the World High speed six pack Leitner-Poma 2002 411 1344 5
Upper Juniper Express High speed six pack Doppelmayr 2024 Bubbles
Larch Express High speed quad Leitner 1998 375 1463 6
Glacier Express High speed quad Leitner 2000 442 1822 7
Juniper Express High speed quad Doppelmayr 2021 - 1089 3.6
Ptarmigan Fixed grip quad Leitner-Poma 2008 412 1021 7.2
Summit Fixed grip quad Doppelmayr 2020 - - 3.3 Replaced a single person platter in 2020.
Paradise Triple Yan Lift 1982 394 1100 7.5
Whitehorn Gondola Gondola 2 Von Roll 1959 Closed in 2019
Glacier Triple Triple Murray-Latta Replaced by the Glacier Express quad
Friendly Giant High speed quad Yan Lift 1989 Closed in 2005
Olympic 1967 2,134 640
Summit Platter Surface lift 410 1,119 8 Closed in 2020
  1. ^ With Banff Sunshine and Mt Norquay

References

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  1. ^ a b Go Ski. "Lake Louise - Statistics". Archived from the original on 2008-04-21. Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  2. ^ a b c d Lake Louise Mountain Resort. "Mountain Statistics". Retrieved 2008-05-12.
  3. ^ "Visit Lake Louise | Flights, Holidays & Hotels". British Airways. Retrieved 2018-09-01.
  4. ^ Williams, Dick (December 9, 1959). "New Lake Louise ski area impressive". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 11.
  5. ^ Williams, Dick (December 12, 1960). "Mount Whitehorn installs modern 3600-foot ski lift". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 11.
  6. ^ Williams, Dick (December 27, 1961). "Lake Louise area shined". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 13.
  7. ^ Hudson, Louise (29 November 2012). "New generation of women taking over at Lake Louise". The Calgary Herald. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  8. ^ "Charlie Locke". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  9. ^ "FIS-Ski - Alpine World Ski Championships". Archived from the original on 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  10. ^ "Lake Louise Winterstart World Cup | Alpine Canada Alpin". Archived from the original on 2013-07-09. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  11. ^ "Lindsey Vonn". U.S. Ski & Snowboard. Archived from the original on 2012-01-15. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  12. ^ Conboy, Marie (22 August 2021). "Lake Louise Audi FIS Ski World Cup called off for 2020". Bow Valley Crag and Canyon. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Lake Louise Audi FIS Ski World Cup – Canada's Premier Alpine World Cup". www.winterstartevents.com. Archived from the original on 2022-01-09. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
  14. ^ "2013 Lake Louise Snowboard Cross World Cup". Archived from the original on 2018-09-02. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  15. ^ "fissnowboard.com - Informationen zum Thema fissnowboard". www.fissnowboard.com.
  16. ^ "Monster Energy Drink® | Events". Archived from the original on 2013-06-15. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  17. ^ "Lake Louise, AB". 6 November 2015.
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