Stefan & Magi on natural snow at Canmore Nordic Centre. Dec 17, 2009

The natural-snow trails are skiable at Canmore

Are you an optimist, or are you someone who enters a situation with low expectations, hoping for a pleasant surprise?

After reading on the trail report that the natural snow trails had been rolled, I set out for the Nordic Centre today with my rock skis and low expectations. Depending on your attitude and perspective, the natural snow trails are surprisingly good or very poor. I was pleasantly surprised at how skiable they were.

There’s still plenty of hazards, but they’re not dangerous. Mostly grass and a few twigs. I could have used good skis. It’s not trackset, but the skiing was easy and enjoyable.

I have it on good authority that the Banff Trail with man-made snow will be groomed and trackset out to Junction 15 by tomorrow. That’s a total of 2.5K from the daylodge. At that point, you can access the natural-snow trails and ski many more K’s. A nice loop would be Banff trail to the end(5.5K), and return on Meadowview.

The Olympic qualifying races will be ongoing throughout the weekend at CNC, but I believe you will have access to Banff Trail, where you can ski out to the natural snow trails.  More photos
******

Mt Shark

“Hi Bob, just wanted to let everyone know that even though the Kananaskis Country Ski Report hasn’t yet been updated, all trails at Mt Shark (except the 15 km loop) were groomed and trackset Wed Dec 16 with a couple of cms new on top as of this am – made for some great “fresh” tracks skating this am and some silky soft classic this pm.  (Sorry no pics – memo to self, always take the camera! – mom and baby moose were providing a car wash service).

Thanks and keep up the great work of updating when the “powers that be” seem to be lagging with their information sharing!”

Chris Thomas, Canmore
******
Lake Louise

I forgot to mention that I thought Steve’s photos from yesterday were truly spectacular, especially the second one(scroll down a bit).

Ski trip this Saturday
We’ll be making a draw for two free nights at Nipika  on our ski trip to Pocaterra on Saturday. We’re up to 13 participants. Forget the Christmas shopping for one day and come out and join the fun! How could anyone even think of going near a mall when we have such beauty, serenity, and little traffic out in the majestic Rocky Mountains?

Send me an email if you want to come bobtruman@shaw.ca. You don’t have to be a fast skier to come on this trip as there will be both a novice and an intermediate group.

I’m hoping to be able to give a first-hand update on K-Country(PLPP) trails tomorrow evening. It’ll be late.

Jon took off to Tahoe for the weekend for a friend’s bachelor party. All week, it had been storming snow in the Tahoe/ Reno area, and he flew right into one and managed to hop a free shuttle from Reno to Harrah’s in South Tahoe. From there, someone picked him up to the giant ski house they rented. Swift little maneuver to avoid paying whatever it usually is for the shuttle to Tahoe – which isn’t steep, about $26 one-way, but a clever idea nonetheless that I heartily applauded. He managed to get one day in, but he did report back that many of the runs at Heavenly were closed, despite all the snow, and that the winds were pretty high at the top. Nonetheless, I was sincerely jealous.

As a result, I spent much time surfing for ski deals for myself because I am just as much an avid snow-player, and I am looking forward to some decent conditions on the East Coast this winter, thanks to unseasonal cool temperatures this summer and early snowfall this December (the one that caused our accident).

The key to finding a good ski deal really depends on a few things: 1. the amount of snowfall at that mountain so far, 2. current weather conditions, 3. the road conditions, 4. whether your flight will make it to the destination without being cancelled or you spending the night in O’Hare airport, and 5. if the only time you have available is a holiday or not.

Now I’m not a mountain expert, but I’ve visited my small share of them. Here are some tips I’ve learned:

1. If you’ve got your own wheels, take advantage. In snow country, sometimes the smaller mountains are less expensive and less crowded than the major ones – and therefore, more snow. In Calgary, I went to the slopes used by the Olympics for a warm-up day trip before heading out to Banff and Lake Louise (which are marvelous mounds of powder, too). Similarly, I often like visiting Stratton over Mt. Snow or Killington in Vermont. In Colorado, which I’m aiming to visit for the first time this winter, lift tickets are often less expensive and also available on discount site liftopia.com at Crested Butte or similar mountains that are more difficult to reach.

2. Many hotels will provide a stay-and-ski package complete with lift tickets, and in lots of cases, free breakfast. Some will also come with kitchennettes so you don’t have to eat out every night and wait for a table when you’re starving after a day of skiing. Check hotel Web sites for deals.

3. If you’re with a big group, a condo makes things very inexpensive. Look on Craigslist for vacation homes in the area and contact the owners. Book early for holidays and weekends.

4. If you have vacation time to kill, mid-week skiing is a great option. No lift lines, cheaper tickets, and lots of hotel deals.

5. REI and local supermarkets sometimes participate in area mountain discounts, but you have to go to specific outlets to purchase. For example, REI and Albertsons supermarket will sell discounted tickets in Tahoe, but you have to either go to the REI in San Francisco or northern California or to an Albertsons nearby. We used to pass both on the way up to Tahoe, so stopping in for a few minutes will knock off about $12-$15 off your ticket.

6. Be prepared if you get snowed in. I’ve been stuck halfway up mountains due to heavy snowfall and trapped in a ski house for an extra night because 12 feet fell – and couldn’t even enjoy the fresh powder because the mountain had closed.  (I’ve also driven most of the way home, only to turn around and head back because it had been blizzarding the whole way, meaning fresh powder and a Monday with nobody on the slopes).  Fortunately both times we took cars, but if you had a flight scheduled, you – and hundreds others – will be scrambling to leave on the next available flight.

See you on the slopes!

“The morning of the race seemed innocent enough*…”

 This event is a classic. There’s nothing else that can compare.  It is always an unforgettable experience.

(It’s the only thing for which I’ll wake up so early LOL). 

*These famous last words were reported in the Banff Crag & Canyon after the Jan 2008 race read more

Pre-dawn on Lake Louise, preparing to ski 71K to Banff in the Lake Louise to Banff loppet.

In addition to the main website, there are a lot of links where you can read first-hand accounts of the race, newspaper stories, and see lots of great photos:   

My 2009 blog entry Once per winter – don’t miss it!   

Mike Freeman 2008   

Marg Fedyna 2009   

Bob Truman 2009   

Ken Hill 2009(scroll down to comments)  

 Newspaper stories  

Many sections of the trail, about 45K, are trackset only once per year, and this is the only time you get to ski some of the most amazing trails in the Canadian Rockies. On a clear day, Baker Creek to Castle Lookout (2nd leg) is spectacular. If you haven’t skied the fifth leg on the river and through the Backswamp, well, you just haven’t experienced cross-country skiing at its best. 

Skiing past Morant's Curve, on the first leg of the Lake Louise to Banff loppet. This site was made famous as the photo on the $20 bill.

You’ll notice in some older accounts it refers to the race as 65K, but in the newer accounts it’s 71K. Now that the course has been GPS’d, we know for sure that it’s 71K and has been all along.

Moose in the Bow River at Castle Mountain. Image Copyright Tim Reynolds.

Like 90% of my best/favourite images, this one was a case of the right place at the right time.

My friend Linda and I were driving from Lake Louise to Castle Junction, down the Bow Valley Parkway to try and photograph the fresh snowfall on Castle Mountain with the clear blue sky. We had all our camera gear with us, ready, willing and able.

Linda was driving (she owned the car) and as we turned west over the bridge over the Bow River back toward the Trans Canada Highway, I looked north and there they were… a  moose cow and her calf standing in the river.

I was so stunned at our luck all I could do was shout “Moose! Moose! Moose!” Without question, Linda pulled over as soon as we cleared the bridge. We grabbed all our gear and ran, knowing that at any second the opportunity could be lost. As soon as they were within sight, we stopped and shot. Handheld at first and then on tripods when we could reach level-ish ground.

But our luck held. Instead of trundling off into the woods, mama moose simple interposed herself between us and her calf. I should add that we did remember to employ two of the most basic wildlife-stalking techniques used by both hunters and photographers:

1. Don’t face directly at your prey, avoiding obvious eye contact.
2. Don’t walk directly at your target, moving in at a variety of angles, so as to look casual and unconcerned.

By doing this, we were able to get right down on the gravel/stone river bank and set up our tripods. We shot carefully and quietly, knowing we had limited film and limited time until someone else wandered along and spooked her.

So, a million-in-one shot, with a rare-for-the-area wildlife, combined with the perfect sky, the dusting of snow and exactly where to get to for the mountain images. It was an easy sell to The Postcard Factory, especially since my first postcard sale was to them.

So, there are many ways to shoot this image, depending on the use.

1. Shoot wide, getting the famous landmark mountain and moose so that it can sell to the tourist market (what I did).
2. Shoot tight on the two moose, from river level for possible sale simply as a wildlife shot.
3. Shoot tight from above, on the bridge, to get a better angle of the calf.
4. Shoot vertically, with some blue sky on top for the title of the magazine/book. If you crowd the mountain to the top of the image then it could be too cluttered for any print.

Yes, Photoshop & other software can do wonders with images, but if you think it through before you take the shot, you can create opportunities and save yourself some work later on.

Until next week… (SUNSETS, SELF-PORTRAIT, SOMETHING SPIRITUAL)

Ciao for now.

Tim.

John Kucera, bilde fra www.ctvolympics.ca

Dramatikk i Lake Louise: TJ Lanning brakk en nakkevirvel og fikk kneet ut av ledd i alpintåpningen i Lake Louise lørdag. Dermed er han altså ute av sesongen for i år. På søndag var det utforverdensmester John Kucera sin tur; han brakk beinet da han falt i super-G-rennet. Han kommer dermed altså ikke til å være i stand til å konkurrere i Canada, Vancouver 2010 som kun er 74 dager unna. En dårlig start på sesongen for amerikaneren Lanning og canadieren Kucera. Sveitsiske Didier Cuche stakk av med seieren i lørdagens alpint utfor i Lake Louise’s Whitehorn Mountain løype. Søndagens super-G var det canadieren Manuel Osborne-Paradis som vant.
Så gjenstår det å se om nordmennene vil gjøre noe ut av seg denne sesongen…

Resultatlista fra lørdagens utfor finner du hos Aftenposten:
http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/sport/resultater/alpint/article3396671.ece

Det første OL løpet i utfor vil være fra løypa i Whistler Creekside, lørdag 13. februar 2010.

Manny Osborne-Paradis won his first World Cup Super G today in Lake Louise while team leader John Kucera was airlifted off the mountain with a broken leg that will almost certainly keep him out of the upcoming 2010 Games.

Photograph by: Andy Clark, Reuters

LAKE LOUISE, Alta. — John Kucera’s 2010 Olympic dream likely ended in a high-speed crash Sunday during the super-G slalom at the Bombardier Winterstart World Cup.

The 25-year-old Calgarian, one of the favourites in the race, suffered a broken left leg when he went off the steepest part of the course as he attempted to complete a C-turn and crashed into a catch net.

He was airlifted off the mountain by helicopter and transported by ground ambulance to Banff hospital for X-rays. An Alpine Canada spokesman revealed that Kucera’s injury will require surgery but didn’t specify which bone was broken.

“It’s a tough day . . . I mean it’s a good day but a tough day,” frowned a concerned teammate Jan Hudec when he learned of the extent of the injury. “He was skiing so good . . .”

The good day were first-, fourth- and fifth-place finishes for the seven-man Canadian team.

Read the whole article here.

Conditions were just about perfect

Florence and Abraham on the Great Divide at Lake Louise. Nov 28, 2009

If you stayed home to mail out your Christmas cards instead of joining us for a fabulous XC ski trip to Lake Louise, well, you’ve got your priorities all messed up. LOL (Glenna are you listening?)

We couldn’t have asked for better weather or snow conditions. Andrew had just finished grooming and tracksetting the trail earlier this morning. While the trail was still a bit soft, and no speed records were broken, if you happened to fall, it would be a gentle landing.

Members of the Calgary Ski Club enjoying a fabulous day of XC skiing on the Great Divide. Nov 28, 2009

The snow temperature was -6, so no problems waxing today.  As for other trails in the area, the lower Telemark was trackset today. I skied down about 500m and it was pretty good, with the odd twig poking out. The Telemark trail is an intermediate trail. It’s single track, narrow and winding and you could find yourself wearing a tree if you’re not careful. I’ll post a photo of it later.

Moraine Lake road was groomed and trackset, and Tramline was trackset.

The “just about perfect” disclaimer refers to the trail past the Great Divide. It seems that as soon as you cross the divide into BC, you enter a different climactic zone. The wind was blowing and there was lots of drifting snow on the trail for the last 3K.

Click here to see More photos

The Great Divide is a good trail for a family ski trip. Nov 28, 2009

The Grey Cup is on tomorrow, and being a stubble-jumper myself, I’m interested in seeing the game but it doesn’t start until 4:30, leaving plenty of time to get out for a ski. Does anyone have information on K-Country or Redearth Creek?

Baker Creek

Also near Lake Louise, there is a pleasant and easy trail which starts at the Baker Creek Chalets. I talked to Jay today, and he reports that it is now trackset but still has some thin snow in places. If memory serves me, I believe it is about 5K one way and ends at the Protection Mtn campground. This trail makes up part of the famous Lake Louise to Banff loppet. When joined with all the other trails(some only trackset for this event), you have a 71k race.

I’ve stayed at Baker Creek a few times and have to say it is wonderful. Located along the Bow Valley Parkway, it’s a peaceful hide-away if you want to spend a couple days in a winter wonderland. In addition to excellent accomodation, the Bistro is an epicurean delight.

493

We had 493 views of this blog yesterday. While not a record day, it shows me that we had a lot of skiers checking my Friday night update. I hope it was helpful in selecting your destination for today. I see from the comment on the previous thread that Rob found it useful.

Cover of Alive Magazine by Tim Reynolds

SHOOTING FOR SUCCESS:

So, Shooting for Success posts are the stories behind some of my favourite (and most popular) images. Not the aperture and shutter speed, but rather how the particular shot came about.

To start, here’s the first of two magazine covers I’ve sold to Canada`s ALIVE Health Magazine.

This was about as serendipitous a shot as I’ve ever sold. Believe it or not, this shot was taken in late September. The snow hit in 24 hours and covered everything. We had just hiked up Bow Summit (Banff National Park, Alberta, on the 93N north of Lake Louise, on the way to Jasper) and taken a slew of images of stunning Peyto Lake. We were hiking back down to the parking lot and passed these snowboarders who were on their way up to play on one of the many slopes leading down from there.

We passed the snowboarders and on a hunch I turned around and saw this shot. Without hesitation I snapped away.

Now, let’s make it clear that this shot wasn’t all luck. We saw the fresh snow and rushed to get out on the road while the sun was still low in the sky, thus the long shadows. Especially at the higher elevations, if you shoot too early or too late, the light is off. There’s a richness to dawn and dusk light which washes out in the hours between. This simple fact is what makes the difference in probably 75% of all landscape photos. You can have the best composition, the perfect location and then have the image just flop because you picked the wrong time of the day. Some things can be fixed by Photoshop, but light is probably the hardest to fake, even with the graduated orange filter they use on CSI: Miami.

The sale was made simply after I picked up a copy of the magazine (free at health food stores across Canada) wrote to the editor-in-chief, explained where I lived and what kind of pictures I took and then asked if she was looking for any new images.

She said ‘yes, send me some winter samples.’ I sent twenty and she picked this one. I got paid $150 for non-exlusive rights.

That’s it for this week’s Shooting for Success.

Ciao for now.

Tim Reynolds.

The snow which we had hoped for in K-Country turned out to be rain. The trails in the north end of the park are in very poor shape. They were rained on, then froze, so there’s an icy crust and lots of pine needles. Even Wheeler, which wasn’t in bad shape two days ago is very icy.

The south end of the park was getting groomed and trackset this afternoon and conditions look much better there. I didn’t ski them, but talked to someone who did, and Elk Pass and Hydroline were already done and our guess is that Tyrwhitt and Whiskey Jack may also be done by tonight. The skiers said Fox Creek was very icy.

Abraham and I were just discussing where to take our novice skiers tomorrow and the best choice we think is the Great Divide at Lake Louise. They had 20 cm of new snow on Thursday. The trail report says it has been rolled and will be trackset tomorrow(Sat). Intermediate skiers enjoy this trail also because after the 7K mark, you get into some more difficult terrain and can go up to 10.5K one-way. Read more on this trail The perfect trail for novice skiers . Intermediate/advanced skiers can also branch off onto the Telemark trail which to this point has only been packed.

Watridge Lake road at Mt Shark is another possibility for novice skiers.

The Banff trail report says Moraine Lake road(MLR) was groomed and trackset today. I had an email from Mark, who was at MLR today, and he could vouch for all the fresh snow. They were there early, when only the skating lane had been groomed, so they were skiing in the classic tracks with all the fresh snow and said it was slow going.

If anyone skis in K-Country or on Redearth Creek tomorrow, I’d be interested in hearing how the conditions were.

Conditions are excellent on the Great Divide(1A Hwy) trail at Lake Louise

Although the name sounds ominous, you can ski for 7K on the Great Divide(1A Hwy) before you reach a hill of any note. There are some small rises, dips and curves to make it interesting. The trail is wide and ultra-safe and the snow is much softer than you’ll find at places like the Canmore Nordic Centre. It’s an “out and back” so when you’ve had enough, you can turn around at any point and return to your vehicle.

At the 7K point, there’s a hill which drops about 40M over a distance of .5K down to the “Great Divide.” You can ski a further 3K, now in BC, to the Lake O’Hara trailhead. If you do the entire distance, it’s 21K return.

There was about 5 cm of fresh snow on the trail today. The tracks were in good shape albeit a little slow with all the new snow, but skaters were getting a good workout.

Today, Moraine Lake road’s skating lane had been groomed. Fairview was trackset as was Tramline all the way down to the village. You can continue on trackset trails on the Bow River loop and on the Campground loop. Telemark has been packed. The perimeter trail on the Pipestone loops has been trackset but there’s some fresh snow over top, and the west side is still a little rough. Dogs are allowed on the Pipestone trails and on the Bow River loop.

More photos from today

As you know, I’m heading to Mt. Shark today and will give a report later tonight.

We would also like to hear from anyone who was in Kananaskis(PLPP )or Lake Louise. I’m particularly interested in conditions on Whiskey Jack as we may be starting there tomorrow.

As previously mentioned, I am co-ordinating a ski trip for beginners/novices/intermediates on Saturday to K-Country. In other words, anyone can participate as we will split into two groups. I’m going to stay with the beginners/novices while Cheryl will take the manic skiers on some more challenging and longer trails in the south end of Peter Lougheed Prov Park(PLPP).

So far, the warm weather hasn’t affected the trails. While Calgary was +11 today, the temperature in PLPP stayed below zero, so the snow is holding up well. Let’s see what happens tomorrow;  check this blog tomorrow night. I’ll try to get it updated by 7 pm. The forecast for Sat looks good with a high of zero.

I have three very easy trails picked out for the beginner/novice skiers, some who will be out for the first time this year. The trails are trackset with some fresh snow on top(in case you fall, it will be a soft landing!). We have six skiers so far, but you can still join the fun. Send me an email bobtruman@shaw.ca if you’d like to come along for some early-season skiing in out beautiful K-Country. You don’t have to be a ski club member but you will be asked to sign a waiver.  You can come on two trips to try it out.

Our first trail will be ultra-easy with virtually no elevation and about 3K return trip. If everyone has found their ski legs, we’ll get a little more adventurous and do something easy but with a few small hills. I see Christine, Liz, and Mark are all back to try it again, after our wonderful trip to Lake Louise last weekend.

The picture below is what our first trail looks like:

This is the trail on which the novice skiers will start on Saturday

I skied some of the trails in the north end of PLPP today. The following are all groomed(not trackset); they’re still a bit rough but skiable:
Pocaterra, Lynx, Woolley, Meadow. I didn’t actually ski on Lynx, but I’m going by the PLPP trail report on that one.

Lodgepole is trackset from Sinclair south to WWL and in pretty nice condition. Some fresh snow on top.  Both tracks skied-in.

Wheeler is trackset with some fresh snow on top. One track is skied-in.

It was snowing when I left.

Take note:

Pocaterra Hut is NOT yet open for the season.

***

More Nordic News

This report just came in from Troy Hudson at the Golden Nordic ski Club:

Early season racing in Golden, BC

“Hi Bob, I will send you a report once we have groomed a bit more but we are intending to have at least 15km groomed for this coming weekend in Golden. The conditions are superb. Also we have a race next weekend and have a few Masters already signed up. For more info about the race goldennordicclub.ca“

To register, go to Zone 4

I hear the Sat night sprints are quite a sight to behold as they are held at the Kicking Horse venue under the lights.

Birkie Racers:

The first entry deadline for the Canadian Birkebeiner is Nov 21. It costs $60 now but goes up to $75 after Nov 21. The race is on Feb 13, 2010.

Winterstart Weekend

The Calgary Ski Club’s Winterstart Weekend in Lake Louise is coming up on Dec 11 – 13. Winterstart Weekend details. On the Saturday, I am leading a Daytrip to Emerald Lake(which is just a short hop from Lake Louise).

Emerald Lake trail

After a ski trip around the lake and through the alluvial fan, amidst incredible beauty and scenery, we’ll go to an amazing restaurant in Field for lunch: Truffle Pigs Bistro. There are many other activities that weekend including wax clinic, pub night, ski lessons, snowshoeing.

No grooming or tracksetting at Ribbon Creek:

Due to cutbacks at Alberta Tourism, Parks & Recreation, there will be no grooming or tracksetting on the Ribbon Creek, Kananaskis Village, Skogan Pass trails this winter. That’s a huge disappointment. Contact your MLA and let him/her know how you feel about this. I’ve contacted the Calgary Herald and hope to see an article on this.

Dogs Allowed

The Parks Canada trail report for Lake Louise says the Pipestone trails have been packed, and that is one of the few places where you can ski with your dog. Unless things have changed since I was last on them, those trails are not well-marked. You really need a map to take with you when skiing there.

Ski season has just begun, and if you’re headed out to the Rockies for some adventure. Make sure you stop at Dave Barton’s blog, The Real Banff.

It’s a blog full of videos (complete with cheesy intro music) showcasing the best Banff National Park has to offer.

Dave Barton writes about all things Banff and Lake Louise

“I blog about Banff because it is the world’s finest national park and everyone should know that. People from all over the world have been coming to Banff and Lake Louise for over a hundred years,” he says.

“From kings to hitchhikers, Banff attracts all and welcomes them with open arms and unparalleled experiences.”

Dave works from Banff Lake Louise Tourism and he tweets, texts and uploads all day long, engaging people to share their Banff experiences with the rest of the world.

If you’ve been to Banff or are considering a trip to Banff check out his entertaining video blog.

Another 10 cm of fresh snow

With all the new snow, John the groomer was working hard again today

We had plans to ski the Great Divide today, but upon arrival it was buried in about 10 cm of fresh snow. That, despite being trackset just yesterday.  The tracks had been skied in pretty well on Moraine Lake road(MLR) so we skied there.

The air temperature was around 0, so it was the kind of snow that was almost impossible to wax for. Cheryl had wisely thrown her waxless skis in the car, and they worked well in these conditions.

John had also groomed and trackset MLR yesterday but it was a struggle for the skaters with all the fresh snow. John was packing Fairview, so we checked it out and it was pretty good. I believe he was planning on laying down some tracks later today.

Fairview trail at Lake Louise. Nov 17, 2009

There’s now a new trail which circumvents the steepest part of the Fairview trail. It adds some distance but it levels out the most challenging parts. It will be welcomed by skiers who had trouble navigating the steep downhill. Being a new trail, it’s still quite rough and needs a lot more snow.

John had just put new track on the Upper Tramline, and packed the Lower Tramline, so Cheryl skied from the Chateau parking lot to the train station on her newly waxed skis. It’s all downhill, so no grip wax was required. I had barely got down with the car to meet her when she arrived. I guess that new wax was working well. Good thing we didn’t have a chance to race.

Photos from today

With Whistler opening this weekend and Lake Louise opening earlier this month, ski season is officially underway. Even our little local hill in Edmonton opened it’s doors , which surprised me considering there is no snow in sight.

I’ve been an avid skier since my early youth. After my second year of college my instructor and I went on a ski trip to Sunshine Village in Banff , Alberta. I instantly fell in love with the mountains and at the end of the week , i quit a great job up north and moved to Lake Louise where I worked , skied , climbed mountains and studied Photography. Quite a change from the oil patch and I sure surprised a lot of people, but I was young and looking for adventure. It was a truly amazing experience that lasted five years and left me with many fantastic stories to tell my son and maybe grandkids in the future

One thing to remember when playing in the mountains is SAFETY ! Every year the winter is littered with stories of people loosing their lives or disabling themselves in horrible accidents. Many of these are caused by people attempting things completely out of their skill level or without proper training.  As an ex adrenaline junkie I know from experience how easy it is to make mistakes, but keep in mind that mother nature can be very unforgiving at times and downright deadly. Skiing within proper boundaries is a rule for a good reason as well as having trails marked with different skill levels. Don’t get me wrong , I am not trying to be preachy in any way , just a little advice from experience. I’ve done a fair bit of backcountry skiing and hiking and the rule of thumb is “be prepared” just like the old boy scout saying There are great courses available which will give you the knowledge to travel into the abyss, it’s a matter of minimizing the risks with proper training just like the pros. With time and patience as well as a bit of style and grace , who knows, maybe you can make it into a Warren Miller film !

I’ve skied quite a number of places throughout British Columbia and Alberta , Canada and my top 3 without a doubt are :

Whistler/Blackcomb

Lake Louise

Mike Wiegele Heli skiing

The premier event this year is the Winter Olympics in Vancouver this year. I was blessed to be around for the Calgary Olympics in 1988 and even had the pleasure of having a bit of ski time with the Swiss team while they were training in Lake Louise. If you haven’t had a chance to go see a world class sporting event such as the Olympics I urge you to go , there is nothing else like it !

Vancouver 2010

For information on the Canadian Alpine Ski team check out their site : Alpine Ski Team and don’t forget to cheer them on this February !

One of the best websites for Canadian skiers of all ages is Ski and Snowboard Canada. There is tons of info as well as some fantastic deals for the kids, be sure to take a look

That’s all for tonight, take care , be safe and have a blast this winter !

Namaste ~ william

A perfect day at Lake Louise

Liz and Mark were on XC skis for the first time ever. They had a lot of fun and can't wait to do it again.

It was a beautiful day as Abraham and I led an enthusiastic group of 17 skiers on a trip up Moraine lake road. Conditions just keep getting better. The trail had been trackset and groomed last night and we couldn’t have asked for better weather.

My novice group skied down tramline from the Chateau parking lot and as far as Paradise Creek. Two skiers, Liz and Mark, had new skis and were trying out this amazing activity for the first time. It didn’t take them long to master the art of keeping their balance and they were even snowplowing by the end of the day. More photos

I’ll be co-ordinating more novice trips throughout the winter, so watch for them if you are a new skier or just want ski at a relaxed pace.

We’re getting some good snow conditions closer to home, so next weekend’s trip will probably be into K-Country. I hope you can join us!

I see we received some good comments on the previous post. That’s pretty exciting to hear that Emerald Lake should be ready soon. Also received this email from Brian:

cheers
brian mcbroom

and a report and photo from Stephen…

“I like your skihere.ca, thanks for the info on the new snow down
Kananaskis.  I skied the Elk Pass trail on Sunday morning, tracks were
in great shape all the way from the parking lot to the top.  Some people
had skied the hydroline and a few had made an attempt at Tyrwitt but
that would have been hard going as the base has not been packed.”

Elk Pass Nov 15, 2009. Photo courtesy of Stephen Vermeulen

Just posting a photo today of a trip up to Lake Louise. I think I like winter better than summer up at Lake Louise. No crowds, no sound, and it is so majestic. Enjoy!

The Lake of Little Fishes

© Meghan J. Ward, 2009.

Sunday trip

I wanted to let anyone and everyone know who’s considering  joining us for the ski trip on Sunday that it will be beginner-friendly. We already have a number of skiers who want to go at a relaxed pace and I will be skiing with them and helping them with waxing and giving free advice(which might be all it’s worth!)

We will probably only go as far as Paradise Creek and return(total 5K). Maybe a little bit on Tramline as well if everyone’s still enthusiastic.

There will also be another contingent who can go all the way to the end at a quicker pace. You don’t have to be a ski club member to join us. (You can go on two trips to check us out).

I have a gazillion photos of Lake Louise and Moraine Lake road posted here.

Lake Louise

Olympic silver-medalist Sara Renner was skiing on Moraine Lake road Nov 11, 2009

There’s lots to talk about, so let’s get started. After the big snowfall on Tuesday, the trails were in great shape on Wednesday at Lake Louise. Moraine Lake road was groomed and trackset, the Great Divide(1A Hwy) was being worked on during the day. We checked it at 3 pm and John had just finished tracksetting and it looked like it was in excellent condition. No bear sightings.

Peter, Ray and I also skied on Tramline:

Skiers on lower Tramline Nov 11, 2009

Tramline had been packed(not yet trackset) but there was plenty of snow and some good skier-set tracks. It was a lot of fun coming downhill all the way to the train station on this narrow, winding trail. The Banff trail report also says that the Lakeshore trail is now trackset.

More photos from yesterday

Carl Pryce and his family were on Redearth Creek yesterday:

Skiers on Redearth Creek: Anna, Ben, Bridie, and Rosie. Nov 11, 2009

Carl gives us this report: “We were out again today – this time at Redearth Creek. A few rocks near the surface of the snow for the first 500m but after that there was very adequate snow cover. It snowed a few more cm during the day. Highly recommended!”

(The main photo on the home page of this blog was taken on Redearth Creek. This trail will eventually be groomed and trackset when there’s enough snow. It sounds like we’re getting close.)

Open House

Visit me at the  Calgary Ski Club’s Open House on Saturday. I’ll be there between 3-5 pm. If you have any questions about going on daytrips this winter, come and see me. If you are a SkiHere reader, drop in and say hi. I’d love to meet my regular posters and readers.

Ski Trip this Sunday

If you want to experience some great early-season skiing in our beautiful Rocky Mountains, join Abraham and me for a  Ski Trip to Lake Louise this Sunday. You don’t have to be a ski club member to join us. You don’t have to be a fast skier to join us. Send me an email if you have any questions bobtruman@shaw.ca or call me at 403-650-2514.

Snowing like crazeee at LL!

We had an awesome day at Lake Louise today. We were greeted by 10-15 cm of fresh snow.

We had no idea what lay in store for us when we headed out to Lake Louise this morning. It turned into quite an eventful day! I seem to say that a lot whenever I venture out with my friend Chip.

The snow had started coming down at Castle junction but got heavier and heavier as we neared LL.  With about 15K to go, we  were in a white-out snow storm.

Here's what the tracks looked like on Moraine Lake Road Nov 10, 2009

 Our plans to ski the Great Divide trail were abruptly changed when we realized that it would be buried in fresh snow. We saw that the groomer was out working on Moraine Lake road, so we decided to ski there. I didn’t have to take my bear spray after all!

I will let the photos tell the rest of the story. Needless to say, we should have some new trails to ski on at Lake Louise by the weekend. Don’t forget, I’ll be co-ordinating a trip to LL on Sunday so let me know if you’d like to join the fun! 

Click here to see amazing photos.

Just a note to everyone who’s planning on skiing tomorrow(Nov 11), John’s tracksetter needed repairs before he could do any tracksetting today. Let’s hope he got it fixed in time to get the trails ready for tomorrow. If not, bear in mind that we still have incredibly good conditions for this time of year.

And…take a moment tomorrow to reflect on the men and women who gave their lives for our freedom. We owe it to all those who have sacrificed for us. Lest we forget.

I needed 5K today to reach 10,000K since I started skiing in 1997. When we reached 5K, like magic the snow stopped, the sun came out, and two lovely ladies Mireille and Silvia appeared to help me celebrate!

Update Nov 9: The Great Divide trail(aka 1A Hwy) was groomed and trackset late this afternoon all the way to the Lake O’Hara parking lot. Chip and I are heading up tomorrow to check it out - and I’m taking my bear spray!

John the groomer has a warning: “Hi Bob; watch out for the big Grizzly at the O’hara end of 1A. It’s been feeding on grain on the tracks and crossing the 1A into the woods to sleep.”

22,000 Views

It turns out that lots of people are finding this blog to be a useful resource. Since my first post  on Nov 10, 2008, we’ve had about 22,000 views. Since Nov 1, and the renewed quest for snow, our readership is growing fast and we’re averaging 245 views per day since the start of the month.

My website statistics for the past day show that about 60% of readers are from Calgary, a surprising number are from Edmonton(about 15%), and there are people from many other locations reading this blog including Banff, Canmore, Okotoks, Red Deer, Leduc, Jasper, Ft McMurray, Airdrie.  We also had views from out of the province including Whitehorse, Vancouver, North Vancouver, Invermere, Golden BC, Tappen BC, Field BC, Toronto, Ottawa, Thunder Bay,  Brampton ON, Kingston ON, Schaumberg IL, San Mateo CA, Fairbanks AK, Federal Way, WA, and those hotbeds of skiing, Irving Texas, Phoenix, and Lihue Hawaii. We even had a viewer from France in the past 24 hours. Hello to everyone!

This blog has been successful because of input from many contributors in our cross-country skiing community who have taken a few moments to share their information about snow conditions(we’ve had 106 comments to date). If you ever see me on the trail, flag me down and say hi. I’m always interested in talking with you. It’s gratifying when I hear that people have come out to ski because of the information they’ve obtained on this blog.

I’m appreciative of all the businesses and ski organizations who have put links on their sites to this blog. If I say so myself, you’re doing all skiers a favour by helping them find good snow to ski on.

In the parking lot at Lake Louise yesterday, we met Brian and Jeanie, regular SkiHere.ca readers from Canmore,  who had just finished their first ski of the season, and Brian, observing his surroundings commented that “we live in paradise.” I can’t think of any better way to appreciate this heaven on earth than by cross country skiing.  When talking with visitors from other countries, they invariably comment on how lucky we are to be living here.

So, my fellow skiers, don’t pass up a single opportunity to enjoy this wonderful activity, and count your blessings for having the good luck to be here.

I’ll be looking forward to your comments during my second year as moderator of SkiHere.ca!

Update: Thanks to everyone for the nice comments. Coincidentally, we hit a new record for most views in one day today with  401.

“We live in paradise” update: I get a report each day on the “search terms” surfers use who find my blog. Today someone found this site by googling the words “Most beautiful places in the world.” Cool.

Faaaabuuulous!!!

How do we appear after skiing 18K? Thanks to Joad for taking the picture. Missing in action is Abraham.

Our group had a wonderful ski on Moraine Lake road at Lake Louise today. They had some fresh snow which had been groomed and trackset. Saw lots of people with smiles on their faces. It’s hard to believe we have conditions like this on Nov 7.

When you look at the photo album, you’ll see how many cars there were in the parking lot and up and down the road. The upper tramline has been double trackset, so tomorrow you could park at the Chateau parking lot. It will only add about 1.5K to your ski.

More great photos

Update: Photos from Nov 8

Update: Abraham and I are co-ordinating another ski trip next week, Sunday Nov 15. Contact me if you’d like to join us for a faaaabuuulous day of skiing in the spectacular Rocky Mountains at Lake Louise. bobtruman@shaw.ca or 403-650-2514. As always, we welcome skiers of all abilities and you don’t have to be a ski club member to join us.