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So today I headed off to the Rockies: Canmore (near Banff) to be precise.
Alas, when I woke up the snow promised for Edmonton did indeed materialize.
This made the drive through town rather messy.
And the highways were not in great shape.
Still the snow didn't last long. No snow in Red Deer and by the time we got to Calgary it was sunny. This made the last part of the drive quite enjoyable.
Canmore is the last town just before Banff when heading west from Calgary. Upon arrival there were a few flurries trying to make their presence felt but they failed.
For those who don't know Canmore, the town itself is far more enjoyable than Banff townsite being far less overrun by tourists. Mountain views are still just as resplendent as in Banff.
The weather was good enough for many patios to be open. Temperature was about 7°C, i.e. about seven degrees warmer than Edmonton.
There's lots of great walking trails right in the centre of town with five-star views.
Despite the higher elevation spring is perhaps a little more further along in Canmore than Edmonton? Not much in it though, still no green grass or leaves.
There are a few buds getting close to opening though.
Tomorrow it's up to the mountains for skiing; should be a winter wonderland for sure.
Went skiing at Sunshine Village in Banff National Park today.
As we set off weather was cloudy with scattered flurries.
Snow line is at about 1500m, just above the turn off from the main highway.
Sunshine Village is located high in an Alpine valley at about 2100m elevation. Access is from a gondola starting at about 1660m. Down at the gondola base it was snowing lightly on arrival.
However the flowing water reassured us it was spring.
Up at the village though it was still full on winter. Temperature was about -3°C.
You can usually ski here until late May; snow lasts until late June and beyond. It's been a good year for snow and they have a decent snow pack.
You can ski above and below the village. Visibility became quite dicey as we went higher up; this was at about 2300m and was the best view I had all day.
Things got really dicey above there. The highest lift accessible terrain is at about 2730m but at the tree line at 2400m the wind and snow made things miserable. Temperature here was maybe -6°C and the wind, I don't know, maybe 40-60 km/hr?
We turned around and spent the rest of the day below the trees. All in all good fun.
Last edited by Ed's Mountain; 04-15-2017 at 07:06 PM..
Reason: Clarifying
Went skiing at Sunshine Village in Banff National Park today.
As we set off weather was cloudy with scattered flurries.
Snow line is at about 1500m, just above the turn off from the main highway.
Sunshine Village is located high in an Alpine valley at about 2100m elevation. Access is from a gondola starting at about 1660m. Down at the gondola base it was snowing lightly on arrival.
However the flowing water reassured us it was spring.
Up at the village though it was still full on winter. Temperature was about -3°C.
You can usually ski here until late May; snow lasts until late June and beyond. It's been a good year for snow and they have a decent snow pack.
You can ski above and below the village. Visibility became quite dicey as we went higher up; this was at about 2300m and was the best view I had all day.
Things got really dicey above there. The highest lift accessible terrain is at about 2730m but at the tree line at 2400m the wind and snow made things miserable. Temperature here was maybe -6°C and the wind, I don't know, maybe 40-60 km/hr?
We turned around and spent the rest of the day below the trees. All in all good fun.
Stunning. That area is definitely on my bucket list.
Great photos everyone. Sweden looks bleak, Estonia looks bleak without snow.France and Poland look suitably springlike.
CT photos show another side to the area, with wide open vistas.
Impressive skyline at Canmore. Good to see some skiing photos. Makes ski areas here seem pretty low altitude in comparison, with my local area's top lift at only about the same altitude (1690m) as Banff's Gondola base, even though the highest mountains in my room area are nearly 3000m). Even the highest South Island areas are only around 2000m. 2730m here would be inconceivable.
Location: João Pessoa,Brazil(The easternmost point of Americas)
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Originally Posted by Joe90
Impressive skyline at Canmore. Good to see some skiing photos. Makes ski areas here seem pretty low altitude in comparison, with my local area's top lift at only about the same altitude (1690m) as Banff's Gondola base, even though the highest mountains in my room area are nearly 3000m). Even the highest South Island areas are only around 2000m. 2730m here would be inconceivable.
At this Altitude on New Zealand you would have at least 9 months of ski
Finally, the difference in more pronounced. Sad thing is that we will propably have weak frosts in next couple fo days...
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. Kept alive only by the sun.
