A report of a mini trip:
Last week I was out west in Alberta for business, and timed an early morning meeting at a client's site with a ski day there -- my little perk for a busy work week. The client's site is located at the eastern edge of the Rockies in the town of Exshaw, Alberta, which is just outside Banff National Park (where Lake Louise is). Meeting over, I went to the rental shop, picked up a pair of Rossi's (I'd carried my boots on the plane) and went off to a small resort called Nakiska about 20 minutes away. This is the site where the Alpine events of the 1988 Olympics were held, where the Canadian Ski Team now trains, and where Bode Miller (apparently) also trains.
It's a great little place -- impeccable grooming (they're known for that -- think Deer Valley caliber grooming); 2400 ft. vertical; great runs; clean, tidy, well maintained lodge; beautiful scenery; and no one there (too cold, probably). Didn't check out what they had for off-piste terrain, as I don't go there. The upper blue runs were closed due to a race, so all they had open up top were double blacks, and I was too tired from the crazy work week to go there. Conditions were superb -- bright sunshine, no wind, a little bit of fresh snow over the groomed packed stuff, but bitterly cold. After four runs, the bottom half of my face was numb -- couldn't feel my lips, cheeks or chin -- and I had to go in for a warm up. Didn't matter, I skied most of the day, off and on, and loved it.
Sorry, no pics of the Viking ripping down a run -- skied solo, so no one to shoot me (a good thing, probably, as I was rigid with cold...not fluid form, for sure)
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