Magical Trails

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Fri. 16 December:  Ski Trails near Lake Louise

For the best snow, head west to Lake Louise. 

At this time of year, the cross-country ski trails around Lake Louise are often already in great shape, being situated close to the Continental Divide.  Of course, they are also very popular.  So it was a surprise to me that today I only met a small handful of other skiers on twenty kilometres of popular ski trail.  In fact, I had been out on the trails for over three hours before seeing another person.

My plan today was to ski up the Moraine Lake road, and then perhaps to return along Fairview and Tramline trails, depending on how much energy I had.  I achieved this plan.

I drove west out of the city in the dark, and was almost at Lake Louise before daylight came – under mostly cloudy skies spitting the occasional snowflake.  The Moraine Lake road is perhaps the most popular trail for beginners and intermediate skiers as it is wide and trackset and only climbs a few hundred feet in about eight kilometers.  Snow conditions were excellent, with a recent heavy snowfall coating the trees, making a very pretty scene.  I had the right wax and so made good time up the wide tree-lined road.

It was an eight kilometre ski up the road, which climbed gently but steadily up the forested mountainsides, past the junction with Fairview trail at the two kilometre mark, and then past the Paradise Valley trail (unmarked) a few hundred metres later.  There are a couple of sharp bends along the way, and a few hilly sections interspersed with long flat grades. 

Finally I reached a sign planted in the middle of the road warning of avalanche paths ahead.  Here the groomed trail stopped, although ski tracks continued up into the Valley of the Ten Peaks.  Above me to the right the gigantic snow-plastered north face of Mt. Temple (11,621 ft.) soared up into the cloud.  Ahead I could see the spectacular mountains surrounding Moraine Lake.  A hazy sun appeared briefly from behind the cloud.

I stopped for a snack just past the warning sign, from where I could see the dangerous slopes ahead.  It would not be a good idea to go further without the right avalanche training, and I had already travelled at least eight kilometers.  So turning around, I returned down the road.  It was an enjoyable cruise down the hills.  While it was not steep enough to allow me to glide all the way, most of the return journey was achieved with the minimal effort. 

I was more than halfway back down the road before I saw my first skiers, a group of four women and a man skiing up the road. 

Back at the Fairview trail junction I stopped to study the map.  The first section of this trail is shown as “more difficult”. Feeling up to the challenge I turned left onto this much narrower ski trail, and immediately started to climb a small hillside.  The trail divided at this point, allowing the uphill skiers to avoid the dangers of out-of-control skiers whizzing down the narrow trail towards them.  At the top of this first hill, a sign is nailed to a tree warning downhill skiers NOT to take this uphill route.

Further along, the trail divided again for another fairly steep uphill section, at the top of which another sign warned downhillers in even harsher tones, of the danger of  “collision with other skiers and trees – big, hard trees!!!”.

From here on, the Fairview Trail was a delight.  There were no other skiers along this section.  The groomed tracks meandered through trees and open meadows, with glimpses of Saddleback and Mt. Fairview to the left.  The snow covered the trees like icing on a cake, making this route resemble a path through Narnia. 

Passing two girls coming up the trail, I reached the Lake Louise car park, where I turned right onto the Tramline trail for the final two kilometers back to the car.  This trail was almost dead straight and had the great advantage of having a steady downhill angle.  It used to be the route of the tram which many decades ago ran from Lake Louise station up to the Chateau beside the Lake.  I had never been on this trail before, and it was an ideal finish to a grand outing.  I was able to cruise all the way back down to the car with just an occasional push with ski and poles.  I glided through the snow-covered trees, with a glimpse to my left of Deer Lodge hotel, with long icicles hanging from the window ledges.

By now there were a half dozen cars in the parking lot, which on any typical weekend day would be mobbed by hundreds of skiers of all abilities, fighting for a space on the trail.  This had been a wonderful experience in a silent, magical mountain setting (apart from an occasional throbbing echo of a train passing along the Bow Valley below). 

The roads were not busy as I returned east to the city, enjoying the spectacular mountain scenery along the way.  The two hour journey to Lake Louise never seems too long. The rewards are always worth it.

Statistics
Lake Louise Ski Trails
Fri. 16 December
Total Dist.	20.6 km (XC ski)
Height Gain	700 ft.
Max. Elev.	6,150 ft.
Time	4 hrs. 29 mins.

Other Stats.
Start ski:         8.39 am Fairview Jn:    9.04 am Arr. Tr.End:  10.37 am Dep.Tr.End:  10.59 am Fairview Jn:  12.01 pm Tramline Jn: 12.55 pm Ret. to Car:     1.08 pm	Temp: Minus 9 to minus 6 C Cloud, spits of snow, glimpses of sun, no wind