DOC POW
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Bill Keeling, manager of Wilson Mountain Sports Shop leads Doc Pow out on a spring Nordic tour. |
LAKE LOUISE, AB — The village of Lake Louise offers an endless supply of chances to re-connect with nature and enjoy some outstanding snowbound adventures. A great place to start your experience is the Lake Louise Visitor Centre located next to the Samson Mall in the heart of the village. Here you will find everything you need to make the most of your stay at the lake.
This Lake Louise Visitor Centre provides information on the cross-country ski options,
snowshoeing, backcountry reservations to some of the huts in the area and also provide full weather, trail and avalanche reports.
Signing in is important
“The centre is also a place where those headed into the backcountry can register and report back to upon the completion of their tour. This way should they not return when they are supposed to we know that a search may need to start,” said Parks Canada representative, Tania Peters.
Another top spot for the lowdown on everything snow minded is right next store to the visitor centre: Wilson Mountain Sports Shop.
“We have a good team here, a long term core of people who take pride in their surroundings. We have a three day off, four day work arrangement which allows for the staff to get out and explore. They then bring those discoveries back into the store to pass along to our customers,” explains store manager, Bill Keeling.
And for Keeling and his team, there is a lot to talk about. The village of Lake Louise offers over 78 kilometres of Nordic trails, all of them snowshoe friendly, and one – Louise Creek – is snowshoe friendly.
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For those looking for something a little more relaxing, a sleigh ride around Louise's most famous lake is the answer. |
Right from the door step
“You can literally rent the gear from our store, walk outside and start skiing,” said Keeling.
These trails are track set by Parks Canada and wrap through pristine wilderness. Keeling’s Nordic pick is the 7.5 km Fairview Loop which affords an impressive view of Lake Louise and the Village.
And finally a stop into Lake Louise wouldn’t be complete if you didn’t take a couple of days and a night to head back into history. Dating back to the 1930s, the Skoki Lodge was western North America’s first commercial ski lodge and it still welcomes guests today as a backcountry cabin.
A day snowshoe or beautiful three to four hour cross-country ski will take you back into this lodge offering overnight accommodations and some stellar eats.
“This season I took a group of snowshoers from Calgary out who couldn’t believe the beauty back there,” said Lake Louise Mountain Resort owner, Charlie Locke.
The Skoki offers a truly backcountry experience, set in the wilds of Banff National Park and features no electricity or running water. For more on the Skoki Lodge, visit www.skoki.com and for more on alternate adventures in the Lake Louise area, visit the Wilson Mountain Sport Shop at www.lakelouisewilsons.com