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    PREVIOUS TRAVEL FEATURES

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    JOURNAL TRAVEL / NOVEMBER 24-29, 2004
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    No Shortage Of Snow, Scenery Or Skis

    Western Canada Has Plenty To Offer Enthusiasts Of Winter And Winter Sports

    In the Banff/Lake Louise area of western Canada, they call it "Champagne powder." To most it's simply known as light, fluffy snow. It's something Banff has plenty of from early November to late May. Banff National Park is home to North America's most spectacular winter scenery. The destination is consistently voted North America's most scenic ski destination by major consumer ski publications in Canada, the United States and Britain.


    Banff National Park and Lake Louise ski resort have long provided those looking for a winter getaway with what they were looking for.
    A convenient tri-area lift ticket offers skiers and snowboarders more than 7,700 acres and more than 240 trails of incredible ski terrain spread across three ski resorts and seven mountain faces. Convenient and frequent motor coach transportation to all three ski areas from Banff and Lake Louise hotels are included in the cost of the multi-day ticket.

    Lake Louise is Canada's largest single ski resort, more than 4,200 skiable areas. With so much space, all of the ski areas are uncrowded, and the lift lines are very short.

    There are many non-stop and direct flights into Calgary International Airport from all over the world. The four-lane Trans-Canada Highway whisks travelers to Banff National Park, only a 90-minute drive from Calgary International Airport.

    When it comes to après-ski, Banff/Lake Louise has a multitude of options in terms of sightseeing, spas and shopping. The area also offers a huge selection of non-sk activities: dog sledding, skating, cross-country skiing and back country lodge experiences, snowshoeing, Western barn dances, horse-drawn sleigh rides, nature/wildlife experiences (winter eco-tourism), ice/rock climbing, snowmobiling, heli-sightseeing tours, ice-fishing, art galleries, museums and National Historic Sites: Cave and Basin (birthplace of Canada's national park system) and Banff Park Museum.

    Banff serves as the base operations for the largest helicopter skiing and snowboarding operations in the world. In fact, Banff/Lake Louise is where hell-skiing was invented with Hans Gmoser establishing Canadian Mountain Holidays in Banff more than 30 years ago.

    Banff boasts a climate that is comparable to that of western U.S. ski resorts‹average daytime high temperatures in January of ­7C and in February ­1C. The area receives very little rain; therefore, winters offer low humidity, making conditions dry, comfortable and very healthy. Alberta also records more winter sunshine than any other province in Canada.

    Banff/Lake Louise is one of the only ski destinations in the world where winter is the quieter time of the year‹this translates into plenty of elbowroom, no line-ups and a very hassle-free winter vacation. It also means that hotels offer off-season rates and special value-packed ski and stay packages.

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