Banff 2023

 

Arrival at Banff and St. James Gate to warm up after the drive up from Salt Spring Island and Port Coquitlam...

...and from Victoria, Delta and Greater Vancouver.

Ah yes!  Now we know where all of our old skis go long after they have been re-sold at the Turkey Sale at Whistler and Walter has used them for only ONE season.  A skier's Tree as Sunshine Village.

Skiing at Sunshine Village on Day one of or seven day ski trip to Banff.  Lots of fresh, Rocky Mountain powder.  

 
 The Banff Aspen Lodge, right in the heart of Banff, offers two outdoor hot tubs in which to while the time away and soak those tired muscles.  There is a Steam bath inside to melt out any other pores which need cleaning.

Lake Louise is the destination for most of us on Day 2

The massive log-cabin style lodge is one you should see and experience at least once in your skiing and snowboarding life.

 The lodge offers warmth, decent food, and ice cold beer.  There is no real need to ski all day when it is snowing and the temperature is well below zero.

Our hotel, the perfectly located Banff Aspen Lodge right on Banff Avenue, next door to the free ski bus shuttle and one block from Down Town Banff

The front our our hotel on a blue sky ski day.

Just hanging around to go on a wee walk to see what Banff has to offer the ambulatory tourist.

 

" I suggest we see where they sell the coveted Nut Brown Ale that St. James Gate dropped from their tap menu," say Iain to our group of explorers.

Instead, we are greeted by the wonder of Banff on a clear, sunny winter's day in February of 2023.

One view more spectacular than the other...

...and we stop to take in the panorama and take out our handy cell phones and snap a picture or two just to prove we do not linger in bars on such a fine day.

Yet, are we reach the Bow River and its sturdy, stone bridge, two beautiful ladies wave us over to the Royal Canadian Legion, and we obey.
 

A Pacific Ski Club ski trip is not all about the great social life we make and discover in restaurants and bars all over the world -- yes, Romania, Austria, and France have been visited, but it is also about skiing with friends on mountains...

Yes, high up in the Rocky Mountains, if you look closely enough, you will see us on skis and snowboards, goggles fixed to our faces, poles in hand, just waiting for the rest to arrive so we can ski down in a group.

Once in a while, when you 'think' you are all alone and want to take that perfect selfie, you pull out your handy phone and lift the camera and within those 5 seconds to focus, a friend drops in and now there are two of us in the picture... that is what skiing with friends is all about!!!

Of Course...we are not 'that' crazy...we do NOT ski all day.  In fact, one or two of us are smart enough to drop into the Mad Trapper's Bar on Shunshine to enjoy a tall, foamy Canadian beer on tap...

...and I get to sit right beside the wood-burning, pot-belly stove to keep my back warm while I pour ice clod Canadian beer down the front--all smiles.

Ah, the ride up in a covered gondola.  Gone are the single or double wood chairs, the 'T' bar, the Rope Tow, or even the thought of trampling up the hill on your skies?

What would we do with all the stations and towers if everyone bought Telemark skis with skins and simply walked up the mountain?  What a crazy idea; it would never catch on--it's too healthy!!!

After skiing, or just on your vacation, there is time for quality time...

..all ski trips are about lovers, friends, and family.  If you are very lucky, you can have all three with you on one single ski trip!!!

Banff also offers many different restaurants with various food themes.  This is Magpie and Stumps, a great Mexican Restaurant.

In Banff, on any sunny day, there is just so much more to see and do.  You can wander through the back and side roads...  ...see more wonderous sites...take another photo or two which you ...

...can later share with friends who went skiing on such a gorgeous day.  Some of us never skied as it was such a great place to visit...

...others went Geo-cashing in Banff.  "I found it," Shannon calls out with glee.  "Now to hid it in a less obvious location."

Did you know that Banff houses Canada's oldest museum?  Yes, that aged building which is only open on weekends and looks to once have been the railway station was built to look like a square station block but was built as a museum--the oldest in Canada!

As it is a museum dedicated to the Rocky Mountains and its history, it has many of the animals which the National Park offers.

Years of locals gathering old pictures, some from the 1st ever research into glacier retreat--yes from the late 1800's--a couple took pictures 7 years apart and were "amazed how fast the glaciers have retreated," and I quoted that scientific couple from Pennsylvania.  No cars or truck to blame back then?  Nothing has really changed other than our thinking on how things change, even without mankind....

You may have missed the 2023 ski trip, but we will run another in 2024!!!  Go back to the Home Page.