The Bumf on Banff
first thing savvy skiers do when they hit town is find a local—fast.
Sure the Internet is great for research, as are blogs and live snow
cams, but there’s nothing like a local recommendation to set you on
the right path, whether it’s the best restaurant, the secret stash on the
backside, or the right pub for appropriate après atmosphere. Well, Banff and
Lake Louise residents are living the lifestyle and are happy to share. After all,
there’s a lot of terrain, great snow and so few people with whom to share it all.
FAVOURITE LOCAL RIPS
THE NORTH AMERICAN, NORQUAY:
“Close to town, it gets a lot of snow when a
storm comes from the east,” says Jeff Kostiuk.
EAGLE RIDGE 6 AND 7, LAKE
LOUISE:
“It’s steep and deep, and it’s what
legends are made of,” boasts Eddy Coté. “There
are no lineups and you’re free to roam.”
BROWN SHIRT, LAKE LOUISE:
John
Gibson was a Toronto dentist with a passion
for big mountains who racked up frequent-
flyer miles as a weekend warrior with a
season’s pass at Lake Louise. “Brown Shirt has
great snow, great pitch and great vistas.” Six
years ago he moved his practice to Banff after
he skied Brown Shirt on a Monday morning
with two buddies and no one in sight.
WHITEHORN TWO AND A-B RIDGE,
LAKE LOUISE:
“Nice fall lines and usually
good pow,” says Bob Hughes, lead singer of
Bow Valley band Chronic.
SOUTH DIVIDE, SUNSHINE VILLAGE:
“There’s nothing like ripping some monster GS
turns down the wide-open terrain on South Divide
off the Continental Divide Chair at Sunshine,”
says Bruce Marpole, owner of Hero T-Shirts.
BOOMERANG, OFF THE SUMMIT AT
LAKE LOUISE:
“If you’re an intermediate
skier, you can experience the most amazing
views and feel on top of the world in this spot.
You can test your skills in the powder and soft
bumps knowing you can always cruise over
to the groomed track for a rest,” says Linda
Scaravelli.
LONE PINE TO GUN RUN, NORQUAY:
Ski equipment
expert Eddy Coté
was first on the
lift at Norquay one
Friday a few years
ago when he racked
up more than 120
turns on Lone Pine and Gun Run in more
than 30 cm of fresh. The Banff Crag & Canyon
newspaper ran his unidentified photo on the
front page and it remains his “claim to fame.”
Coté, who moved to Banff from northern
Quebec 30 years ago, says, “It’s like heliskiing
but it’s in my backyard.”
BACKCOUNTRY RUNS
INSTRUCTOR’S BOWL, LAKE
LOUISE:
“It’s great the third or fourth
day after a powder dump when everything’s
tracked out. You can still fi nd freshies there,
like heli-turns,” says fly-fi shing guide Darren
Wright. “I’m talking faceshots, and it’s not
avalanche prone. It puts a big smile on your
face when you get down, then it’s a quick
10-minute traverse on the trail out.”
BURNT TREES,
LAKE LOUISE:
“Nice pitch and
good visibility—
that’s the way I
roll,” says Richard
“Churchie” Church. Spooky blackened stumps
from an old forest fire will guide you down in
a whiteout.
GREAT GROOMERS
GOAT’S EYE, SUNSHINE
VILLAGE:
“It’s a graceful run that’s
calm, collected and cool,” says Missy
MacDonald.
MEN’S DOWNHILL, LAKE LOUSE:
especially after a good grooming—just a
little off the edges, please.
SUNSHINE COAST, OFF GOAT’S
EYE MOUNTAIN, SUNSHINE
VILLAGE:
According to Level III
Instructor Linda Scaravelli, “You can
really let yourself go on this long,
cruising groomer. It’s great for practicing
your turns and getting in lots of
mileage.
TOP FAMILY ACTIVITIES
Happy, tired kids = happy, relaxed parents.
» Swimming at The Sally Borden Building
» Skating on the Bow River or Lake Louise
» The Banff Upper Hot Springs pool
» Dogsledding
» Cross-country skiing along the Spray
River Loop and the golf course
TOBOGGANING:
With two active boys
under four years old to keep occupied, Banff
physiotherapist Rebecca Mottram likes to
hit the sleds at either the water towers or
reservoir behind Buffalo Mountain Lodge or
Cascade Ponds, “where the parking lot goes
right to the edge and you go straight down
from there.” She’s also a regular at the public
library’s playroom—“It’s always open, there
are toys and family stuff, and it's free!"
WATERSLIDES
AND PLAY
ZONE: When
he’s not skiing
with his four-yearold
son Keifer,
Richard “Rocket”
Miller, chief avalanche forecaster at Lake
Louise, takes him to the Douglas Fir Resort
waterslides and gigantic kid’s play zone.
APRÈS SKI
If you want to hang out with more locals and
fewer visitors at après, try:
Mad Trapper’s Saloon at Sunshine Village.
At Lake Louise, Powder Keg or the Kokanee
Cabin “in the spring when the sun is on the
deck and a band is playing.”
In town: St. James’s Gate, Rose & Crown
and Elk & Oarsman.
HOT SOUNDS
Whether you like country
and western, rock ’n’ roll
or everything in-between,
Sunshine Village brings in
some of the best touring
bands from across Canada on
April and May weekends when
the ski area is the only one
offering lift-serviced skiing.
Dancing outdoors in your
ski boots has never been
better!
LOCAL TRADITIONS
Whether it’s due to a 15-cm virus or the 20-cm mystery flu, there are lots of locals with
goggle tans wearing sheepish grins and skipping work after a big storm.
•Circuits at Lake Louise usually take skiers up the Summit platter and down the northfacing backside on Whitehorn Two. A quick tuck to Paradise chair to catch your breath then
it’s back down the frontside to hit some blown-in, lee-side fence-line drifts. Anywhere near a
dozen circuits in a day is not only doable, but considered a respectable day if you’re over 40.
•The only chance to see the sun and a moon at the same time is at the Slush Cup at
Sunshine Village, where costumed crazies (family warning: some in their birthday suits) vie
to fl y the farthest over an icy pond of water.
» Brent “Brutus” MacLean remembers
moving to the mountains from
Saskatoon 23 years ago when social
events for Louise staff were practically
annual institutions. Infamous soirées
such as The Maintenance Shed Party,
Ski Burning, Joe’s New Year’s Day Party
with champagne at Whitehorn under
the lift and Summit Cup, a costumed
dual slalom that drew hundreds of
sunburned diehards each April. “Back
in the day we played volleyball and
par-3 golf at the “42-site” (Louise staff
residence),” says MacLean. “Many
local Lake Louise traditions were
killed over worries of insurance
rates and liability issues.”
» “Full-moon skate on Lake Minnewanka,”
suggests Bruce Marpole. “Or if it dumps
overnight, race everyone up to Norquay for
first tracks on the Big Chair, then back to
work (or school) by 11:00 a.m.”
» For the Bozo Cup at Sunshine Village, they
come from near, far and wide: former Banff
residents, ex-national team ski racers and
current hot shots on the World Cup circuit.
Each April the Bozo Cup features a hilarious
costumed corporate Gentle Giant Slalom and
an action-packed dual slalom in honour of
the late Rob Bosinger, aka Bozo, a former
World Cup coach and ski racer.
ON THE TOWN
Known for its live music and lots of locals,
good dance floor and different crowds,
the Rose & Crown serves beer by the pint.
There’s the pub side and the quieter side, as
well as pool tables. “People go to a place like
this for a good time,” says Missy MacDonald.
Tommy’s Neighborhood Pub is “like one
of those hidden away ski town spots,” says
Jeff Kostiuk. “It’s in the basement and the
drinks are cheap.”
The Elk & Oarsman for good pub fare and
hockey watching on several wide screens.
Village Grill and Bar in Lake Louise: If
you’re looking for local wildlife, tall tales of
“huckin’ big” and a “poor man’s buzz,” order
the Shaft. Recipe: shot of espresso, Kahlúa,
Bailey’s and cream served in a short glass
crammed full of ice; insert straw and suck as
fast as you can.
For beer-lovers, St. James’s Gate Olde
Irish Pub has Banff’s largest selection of
draught beer.
For cowboys and their ilk, try Wild Bill’s
Legendary Saloon & Cookhouse. Yee-haa!
LATE NIGHTERS:
The Aurora, Hoodoo Lounge: If you can
dance until 2:00 and still get first tracks in
the morning, you must be 21 or delusional.
Magpie & Stump: The best frozen
margaritas, good tequila and peanut shells
on the floor.
Devil’s Gap Lounge: Heavy metal music and
drink specials.
CAFFEINE FIX
The Cake Company: The locally owned bakery
tops everyone’s list for a quick coffee on the
way to the mountain, with a muffin or what
many consider “the best scone in town.”
Wild Flour: An artisan bakery that’s kidfriendly
and known for specialty teas, such
as Earl Grey with lavender.
SLOPESIDE DIGS
The best, and only, on-slope hotel in Banff is
the Sunshine Mountain Lodge at Sunshine
Village. On a powder morning you’ll be first
on the lift and have dozens of untracked
turns in before the first gondola unloads. If
you pay for one night (which includes a day
pass), you can actually ski two days: ride up
early on check-in day and put your bags in
storage, then ski the entire next day and the
luggage is waiting for you at the bottom of
the gondola when you head for home.
PARENT TRAP
Any parent who’s
been stuck in an
endless snowplow
around tight turns
while little skiers
whoop and holler
“whoop-dee-doo” through the forest, knows a
run like Pine Cone Way. This twisty, warrenlike
run at Lake Louise “is a leg-burner for
parents,” says 43-year-old Grant Capel, a rare
born-and-raised Banffite.
NAME THAT TUNER
Always on the
cutting edge with
a huge Austrian
Wintersteiger
machine in the
industrial complex, Jeff Kostiuk and his
partner Dave Sand sharpen, wax and repair
hundreds of skis each night, collecting from
Ultimate Ski & Ride, The Fairmont Banff
Springs Hotel, all Caribou Properties hotels
and The Ski Hub. “A lot of people don’t know
about us until they get their skis back and
they know they’re good.”
FAMILY FAVOURITE HOTELS
» Hidden Ridge Resort
» Fox Suites
» Tunnel Mountain Chalets
BIG SPLURGE: The Fairmont Banff
Springs Hotel—“It’s like a castle in the
mountains,” says Linda Scaravelli. “It has
two amazing swimming pools, skating in
the winter, and the biggest and best buffet
dinner to please all picky little eaters!”
GOOD EATS
For the best pasta, the jury is still out on whether it’s Giorgio’s Trattoria or Timbers Food
Co. It depends on if you’re a fan of Pasta Roses or Rosalinne, two names for every skier’s
comfort food. Better to try both and make your own decision.
“Call it Southwest or Tex-Mex, but it’s always different with a kick at Coyote’s Deli and
Grill,” says Darren Wright. “It’s reasonably priced and you don’t have to dress up, you can
go in your ski clothes.”
Pro belly-dancer and
wife of pro-skier Kevin
Hjertaas, Kim Malberry,
shakes it regularly at The
Balkan, where locals and
visitors alike appreciate
a belly-full of authentic
Greek food, bouzouki and
plate-smashing fun.
UPSCALE FARE:
» The Banffshire Club at the Fairmont
Banff Springs Hotel.
» Eden at the Rimrock Resort Hotel.
» The Post Hotel in Lake Louise.
FOR STEAKS:
» Saltlik
» Bison Mountain Bistro
» Maple Leaf
For prime rib:
» Bumper’s Beef House
Melissa’s Missteak, a cozy family restaurant
known for its great steaks, excellent
breakfasts and friendly service, “is one of
my favourite places. It’s locally owned and
one of the oldest restaurants in town,” says
Linda Scaravelli. Also kid-worthy are Elk &
Oarsman, Chili’s and Bumper’s.
