Ski & Snowboard

The best way to enjoy the overwhelming beauty of Lake Louise is from the slopes. Located in the heart of historic Banff National Park, Lake Louise is a world class ski-area in a World Heritage site.

Not only is Lake Louise one of the most beautiful places you’ll ever ski – but it’s also among North America’s biggest. The resort has 4200 skiable acres (1700 hectares) spread out over 113 named runs, plus the back bowls. In Canada, only Whistler-Blackcomb is bigger than that, and you have to take those two mountains together to top Lake Louise; individually, they fall short of the big 4200.

The longest run is 8 kilometers (5 miles). All this is topped off by limitless off-trail adventures. It is by most measures more terrain than can be skied in a week. And considering the variety of terrain types here, you're going to have a hard time making up your mind.

Trails are 25 percent beginner, 45 percent intermediate and 30 percent advanced – all featuring vast, spectacular views.

The resort is made up of four distinct faces. The front side has a vertical drop of 1,000 meters (3,000 feet) and is served by eight lifts, including two high-speed quads. The four back bowls are each as big as many midsize ski areas and are all well above the treeline. Larch and Ptarmigan faces have a variety of terrain, allowing you to follow the sun as it moves across the sky or escape into trees for protection on windy days. "The Jungle," on the front face, is North America's largest snowboard park.

In order to get to know this massive resort, take advantage of the free guided tours of the mountain available three times daily.

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Lake Louise wins big applause from snowboarders. The resort has built the largest terrain park in North America —The Jungle. It features 616 meters (2,000 feet) of vertical drop with tabletops, big air jumps and a superpipe.

The Summit Platter is a Poma lift that's an expert challenge all by itself. Once on top, there are some great hikes off the top to the left. For powder try the back bowls. An almost sure bet is the Brown Shirt Run which holds snow a full week after a storm. While you’re there other recommended runs are Upper Boomerang, North Cornice and Wild Gully. For trees, head to Ptarmigan Chair and the Fall Line Glades. The thick forest there holds snow when it can’t be found anywhere else.

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Not including snowmaking, the 20-year average is 367 centimeters (145 inches) of snow at Lake Louise. The Canadian Rocky Mountain powder snow is world renowned as being dry and light “champagne powder.” Lake Louise snow has an average moisture content of 7 percent. Compare this to the average of North American and European Resorts, where 10 percent is typical. The season lasts from mid November to mid May, essentially half the year.

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With the Canadian Rockies' first six-person, high-speed detachable chairlift, the ride to "The Top of the World" is faster and smoother than ever.

In all, the resort has a platter, a T-bar, two double lifts, a triple, four quads and the “Top of the World” six passenger chair. Total hourly capacity is about 17,000 people.

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A fully stocked equipment shop at the base offers basic, mid-performance and high-performance skis, ski boots, poles, snowboards and snowboard boots for adults and children. Adult and children’s clothing, including jackets, pants and helmets, is also available for rent.

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Whether you're a beginner looking for the basics or an advanced skier seeking specialized instruction, Lake Louise programs provide top level pros, lift line priority, and some of Canada's best ski instructors. Snowboarders can learn everything from the basics to performance free-riding. Kids are taught by caring instructors who know how to relate to little ones. Lake Louise' kids programs are fun, friendly and designed to take you to the next level with classes for every level of skier and rider.

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