The Inspiration
There is a bit of irony involved in an Iowan wishing to escape the uncharacteristically mild winter in search of the cold and snow. While there was no complaining during the 60 degree days in January or the 80 degree days in March, we were left with a void in our hearts that could only be filled with snowballs, hot chocolate and a frost bit nose. So we took to the heart of the Canadian Rockies, Banff, where they have hit record snowfall this winter season and are still counting. Banff, a picturesque mountain town approximately 60 miles west of Calgary, provides a perfect stage for numerous outdoor pursuits. It is conveniently located near 3 mountain ski resorts, has ample hiking trails, boasts several species of wildlife for viewing and has many other fantastic activities to keep the most avid sportsman busy. Also, the town is home to world class dining, hotels and tour operators. With the backdrop of the Canadian Rockies, one could find themselves actively pursuing all the mountains have to offer or simply staring out the window of the car at the postcard view unfolding at every turn.
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| On our hike up a mountain in the town of Banff |
The Hotel
Our vacation deal was struck online with little knowledge of the area other than what we had seen in photographs and magazines. We opted to splurge and stay at the Fairmont Banff Springs, arguably one of the most exquisite hotels in all of North America. While the caliber of this hotel is by no means on my radar for places I could afford to stay at, the deal online with the lift tickets for skiing proved too good to pass up. This hotel, along with the similar Fairmont Lake Louise, were on my personal bucket list of places to stay. I am not usually akin to putting a hotel on a list of things I really want to experience (I would much rather experience an expensive city in a cheap hotel than vice versa), but sometimes an exception can be made when the hotel truly is a destination in and of itself. The deal was similar for both Fairmonts, it was decided however that the hotel in Banff would be more convenient for shopping and dining.
I am typically quite uncomfortable and out of place staying at 5 star hotels. The hotels seem daunting to me because I am pretty much the lower crust of society. I don't like valet parking, am uncomfortable with porters moving my bags for me, am afraid that I will be charged for the coffee and tea in the room and I am constantly worried that I will be found out as a poor commoner posing in a fancy hotel. And while the restaraunts were far too expensive ($40 and up per plate) and a massage at the spa was completely out of the question, the hotel was refreshingly not full of the pretentious snobbery that I had built up in my mind. Rather, the hotel was full of amenities that were on the house. We were left a decorative plate of chocolates upon arrival, given a fruit basket with a personal note for the general manager and a tin full of sweets later in the week, all for simply being a guest of the hotel. The fitness facility was top notch, better than any I have seen in any hotel. The pools included a large indoor pool, a decent sized hot tub, a kiddie pool indoors with a number of floaty toys and a large outdoor pool heated year round to 100+degrees. It was worth devoting an hour to walking around the hotel and exploring the vast expanse of rooms and halls with elegant turn of the century decorations. There was literally something for everyone. Those who desire top notch service, cuisine and pampering were obviously in the right place. For those like me who like to take home the shampoo bottles as souvenirs (the Fairmont has some good soap) and uses the extra single use coffee in a bag in their coffee maker at home, then things like the free chocolates and fruit baskets and a bed that didn't squeak were just the icing on the cake to a wonderful place to stay.
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| Enjoying the "hot" pool outside at our hotel with the backdrop of the Rockies |
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| Yep, that is our hotel you see in the distance, how cool is that! |
The Flights
Flying in to Calgary from our home of Des Moines would have been a bit of an expensive endeavor had we not used our frequent flier miles. The cost of the flight was around $550 through Delta, however we scored the lowest mileage cost of 25,000 miles for our round trip ticket. Flights from the midwest are more reasonable from bigger airports such as Chicago and Minneapolis. Calgary was by far the easiest international destination I have ever flown into. We had our luggage quickly and there was literally nobody in line at customs. The airport was convenient to the rental cars, which are on site, and we were out the doors and in our vehicle within 45 minutes of landing. The airport is convenient to downtown Calgary, which is surprisingly a destination in and of itself. We were downtown and parked within 20 minutes of leaving the airport and began our brief expoloration of downtown.
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| Downtown Calgary, had a lovely walking trail, very Central Park like |
The Slopes
A winter trip to the Canadian Rockies should at the very least include a day on the slopes. Our deal included lift tickets at the "Big 3", which includes Sunshine Village, Mount Norquay and Lake Louise. These resorts combine a total of over 8000 skiable acres. Late winter and early spring is a fantastic time to ski in Canada. The weather is a bit less harsh than the dead of winter and there is typically a fair amount of snowfall to provide the coveted powder that the ski bums live for. Lake Louise is the biggest and provides an exceptional amount of bowls on the back side to ski. One could ski at the resort for a week and not ski every run the mountain has to offer. There was little snowfall during my stay. This didn't spell disaster as it could have during a similar trip to popular American mountains. The size combined with the lack of traffic meant that the runs were not chewed to shreds and there was plenty of places to get out of control without worring about skiing over an exposed rock or a sheet of ice. Sunshine Village was also a spectacular place. Though not quite as large as Lake Louise, it was a unique place to visit and offered some extreme terrain that rival any resorts in the world. The Village is accessed via a 20 minute gondola ride from the parking lot. From there were several lifts taking you to different peaks in all directions. Due to the lengthy ride up, the resort boasts a lengthy 6+ kilometer trail of continous riding back to the parking lot.The Town
Banff town packs a big punch in a small area. The town has residency and building codes that limit the expansion of the town, ensuring it to remain the quaint mountain town that it is for years to come. It is located in the Bow Valley and surrounded by several beautiful mountain peaks. Wildlife are known for walking around the backstreets (we spotted an elk and a deer while driving). The Bow river winds it way through town and provides a scenic place to take a walk. With all the natural beauty the town has to offer, it is any wonder how anyone could want to spend time walking in and out of shops. That is however, exactly what we found ourselves doing during every visit to town. There is shopping for every taste, from high end stores like Helly Hanson and Patagonia to the typical souvenier peddlers selling magnets, t-shirts and other useless trinkets. There is a wide variety of restaraunts to chose from, many paying homage to the English heritage of the city. There was a bit of sticker shock involved when we got our weekly ration for packing lunches on the slopes. We resolved to PB&J's due to the cost of food in the store. Having beer on the slopes was also out of the question when I found that it cost $13 for a 6 pack of Budweiser. So I was a bit uneasy after a trip to the Safeway when shopping around for where we would eat. After scoring on a brilliant local website, www.taximike.com, we were able to eat like a local at restaraunts by timing their specials like 2 for 1's and other deals. Perhaps the best deal we scored was the Tuesday night movie at the theater where every ticket comes with a large pop and popcorn for free! I only payed $10 to see the Hunger Games, which was a ripoff for other reasons, but at least I had the option to see a decent movie and stuff my face with popcorn for a relatively fair price.
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| Main St. in Banff, such a picture perfect mountain town |
The Prices
Hotel and Lift tickets were purchased at www.skibig3.com as a package deal. 6 nights at the Fairmont Banff Springs, a 3 of 4 day lift pass for my wife and a 4 of 5 day lift pass for me, valid at Mt. Norquay (don't bother, too small), Lake Louise and Sunshine Village. Total cost = $1350 with taxes.
Flights were booked with frequent flier miles, but would have cost $550 to fly from DSM to YYC.
We rented a mid sized car (hatchback for the skis) for 7 days for $175, no need for insurance because American Express combined with my car insurance covers rentals. Fuel runs about $5 per gallon, a bit odd since Alberta is a major oil producing province. As noted earlier, food and alcohol is quite expensive. With due diligence, we were able to save a bit on eating out and still had a great time. It helped to have a Safeway card, which is free to get, and getting groceries for breakfast and lunch, although more expensive than Iowa, was much cheaper than eating out for those meals. There are several good restaruants highlighted on Taxi Mike's website that we tried out, none of which were dissapointing. We averaged spending $25 with tip per dinner for the 2 of us.
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| One of the restaurants we ate at, it was the Irish night special! Score! |
The Assessment
Banff National Park looks and feels like giant postcard. Opportunities abound for even the poorest photographer to take poster quality shots. The Canadian Rockies are a great place to go either during the summer or winter. Since the winter lasts from November through May, the slopes are an ideal place to go for a late season ski. While it may sound intimidating to head north for the winter, the shoulder season provides much more moderate temperatures. We experienced average weather for early April, which was temps just over freezing in the valley to around 15 degrees on the slopes. The only regret to going during the winter was that we missed out on the pristine, turquoise colored waters of the many lakes that dot the landscape of Banff Park. Summer, in hindsight, would provide ample outdoor pursuits for travelers of all ages as well as profoundly beautiful scenery.
There are ample resources available to read up on geared towards whatever pursuit you are intersted in. Rest assured, if you love the mountains, the Canadian Rockies and Banff National Park will not dissapoint.
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