Stashed Away Tracks at Lake Louise Ski Resort

Travel to Canada - What to Expect

Stashed Away Tracks at Lake Louise Ski Resort

Lake Louise Ski Resort hosts some of the best fall-line skiing and panoramic views in SkiBig3’s Canadian Rockies. With 4200 acres of skiable terrain, there’s a wide range of expert runs and secret stashes around the resort.

For those who want to get their knees knocking and the butterflies going, there are some truly steep shots and big lines to be had at Lake Louise. Just ask the likes of professional skiers, Chris Rubens and Eric Hjorleifsson, who grew up in the Bow Valley and cut their teeth at Lake Louise. Here’s a guide to a few of those stashed away areas.

 

Hiker’s Paradise

Hiker’s Paradise is a bit of a mission to get to, but well worth the effort. From the top of the Summit Platter, follow Boomerang to the backside to get there. Keep your ski tracks aimed high, before hiking about 15 minutes to the top of Hiker’s Paradise. Enjoy beautiful vistas along the way, and scope plenty of lines for your next time around.

There’s something for everyone on this hike. The big open Boomerang Bowl, tight chutes like First Gully and Main Gully, and Mini Golf Cliffs on North Cornice are all local favourites. Every hot dogger will find their flavour of steep shot up here.

John Bromley takes in the back bowls at Lake Louise. Photo by Will Lambert.
John Bromley takes in the back bowls at Lake Louise. Photo by Will Lambert.

Lipalian Chutes

Tucked away on Larch lift are a family of nice South-facing treed lines, reached right from the top of the lift. From looker’s right after unloading Larch, head through the gates and make the short traverse across.

These short and sweet shots are named the Lipalian Chutes. Although this is advanced terrain, most of the runs off this lift caters to green and blue skiers. As a result, the chutes rarely get tracked out. Lipalian Chutes boast beautiful views of Mt Temple in the sunshine, but it’s just as enjoyable on snowy or cloud-covered days. When visibility is low, this is a go-to run since the Larch trees add depth and definition.

Cole Richardson skiing Lipalian Chutes at Lake Louise Ski Resort. Photo by Travis Rousseau.
Cole Richardson skiing Lipalian Chutes at Lake Louise Ski Resort. Photo by Travis Rousseau.

 

The ERs

Eagle Ridge is the backbone of Lake Louise and the starting point for the ER runs – an expert skier’s paradise. Access the ridge via Paradise Chair by loading from the backside area. Paradise is the first chair reached along Pika run.

Seven main faces are found along this ridge, which spans the width of the resort. Starting from the East with East Bowl, you’ll find an awesome cornice drop and wind feature to play on. From here, Ptarmigan lift and Grizzly Gondola can be seen below. Crow Bowl is the next face, with a playful natural quarter pipe and nice cliffs to jump off. ER3 can be seen from Paradise Chair and is often the finals venue for the Freeride World Qualifier event. Paradise Bowl is a nice long fall line run right under the chair. ER6 and ER7 are further down the ridge and are home to great features to jump off. Secret stashes of soft snow are often hidden here. 

Daniel Thomson skies the slough in ER3 at Lake Louise Ski Resort. Photo by Shannon Martin / Page Two Photography.

Daniel Thomson skies the slough in ER3 at Lake Louise Ski Resort. Photo by Shannon Martin / Page Two Photography.

Need some help getting there?

SkiBig3’s Guided Adventures program can help you out. Our certified snow pros take you to the best secret stashes and provide local knowledge on resort terrain and Banff National Park. Need more convincing? Here are three reasons to join Guided Adventures on your next ski trip to Banff and Lake Louise.

Call our Reservations Team today to learn more about our personalized program, or combining it with a full ski & stay vacation package.