Banff / Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada

• Dates: February 19 - 24, 2008. Ski four days. Click for flyer.

• Trip Captain: John Hill, 918-808-0987

Tulsa Ski Club Trip Report: Banff 2008

By John Hill, Trip Captain

Tulsa Ski Club took a trip to Banff in February. It was our first trip there in several years. People were good about getting to the airport in plenty of time and we left Tulsa early in the morning. We flew through Dallas and on to Calgary, where we caught a bus to Banff.

Calgary itself isn’t in the mountains — but you can see them from there. It’s like the way that Denver isn’t in the mountains, either. On our way out of Calgary, we drove past a cluster of ski jumps, evidently installed for the Winter Olympics. Some small ski hills and a half-pipe had been added to the complex.

Banff was the site of several of the venues for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics. During our 1:45 bus ride from Calgary to Banff, Jim Constantine took the opportunity to entertain us with some of the stand-up humor he has developed moderating ski club meetings.

Arriving in Banff, the bus dropped us at our lodging at the High Country Inn. After we settled into our rooms, the hotel treated us to a wine and cheese party. A representative from the mountain brought our lift passes and provided an orientation on the town and on the skiing mountains.

After the wine and cheese party, some of our number went to the shop to get up their rental equipment to save time the next morning. The rental shop was open until 9:00 p.m. each evening — how’s that for civilized?

One negative note — we seemed to have brought the Tulsa flu bug along with us to Canada and several of us (including the Trip Captain) were under the weather for at lease a day or two during the trip. We gathered each morning around our complimentary continental breakfast to compare notes and make plans for the coming day’s skiing — and determine who was feeling well enough to ski that day.

The trip agenda included a place and time for an optional lunch meeting. This was intended as a way to let people re-group and form up groups for the afternoon’s skiing. Most of these lunch gatherings did attract a few skiers and people seemed to appreciate them. Our lift passes were valid on three different mountains. Most people spend most of their skiing time at Lake Louise. Some spent a day or two at Sunshine. One hardy group went to tiny Mt. Norquay for night skiing!

After each day’s skiing, people gathered in the hot tub to sooth stiff muscles and tell stories. All in all, the skiing was pretty good. After being warned about potentially frigid conditions, we encountered SPRING SKIING — in Canada … in February! The snow was packed and it got thin in spots — no powder — but the days were sunny with mountain temperatures up around 30!

Our group included several non-skiers and they all managed to have fun on the trip. Off-slope activities included: touring Banff Village and the Lake Louise area, shopping (some SERIOUS shopping), gondola rides, dog sled rides, and a lot more.

Highlights:

• On our second evening in Banff we witnessed the total lunar eclipse on our way home from dinner. The visible disc of the moon turned a dark brown — it was quite a sight! I understand that that night was overcast and nobody was able to watch the fun. You should have been with us!

• On our third evening in Banff 20 or so of us went on an optional dinner outing to a Greek restaurant that had been enthusiastically recommended by “Glorious” Rex Graves. The food and drink were great, and dinner was followed by entertainment that included: the host pouring ouzo down Rex’ throat, belly dancing (by a professional and several spirited TSC volunteers), and breaking plates (the Greeks seem to enjoy this, thought I’m not sure why). See the photos.

The trip was a big success, due largely to the fact that the group included such a great bunch of people. People were all friendly and interesting and fun to be with. Beyond that, everyone seemed to be committed to having a great time — not a party-pooper in the bunch!

What more could you ask for?