1. Cross the Street with an Ungulate
Wildlife sightings are so common in the towns of Banff and Lake Louise, locals can be recognized as those who don’t stop, flinch, or gape at deer or elk. The ungulates too seem to have adapted to mountain town life and use crosswalks and sidewalks pretty frequently; they are the path of least resistance after all.
2. Poutine
Poutine appears on every menu up North. It’s a dish of fries smothered in gravy and topped with squeaky cheese curds. It is fondly called a heart-attack-on-a-plate, but this Canadian classic is comfort food at its best. Poutine can be found at all three ski resorts as well as many restaurants around town.
3. A lap in Delirium Dive
Sunshine Village boasts some of the gnarliest inbounds terrain available at a resort anywhere. Delirium Dive requires a beacon, shovel, and probe to access, but if you have the skills it’s the stuff of legends.
4. Skate the Lake
Lake Louise has a groomed skating area cleared in front of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Bring skates because it may well be the prettiest place on earth to get on the ice and a great way to make your Instagram followers jealous.
5. Back Side Bowls
Lake Louise Ski Resort is known for the epic vistas of glaciers, jagged peaks, and pristine wildness stretching to the horizon, but if you are looking for your own stash of pow, head straight to the back bowls. You won’t be disappointed.
6. Lunch at the Cliff House Bistro
Built to withstand a full blown avalanche back in the 1950s, the Cliff House Bistro is nestled nicely into the mountain side at Mt. Norquay. The result is a retro Bond-like overlook with arguably the best vistas of the town of Banff and great meals for a sit-down lunch at the resort.
7. Make it Rain with Colourful Cash
With the most favourable exchange rate in over a decade, converting your cash to the Canadian dollar will get you more of those colourful bills than ever before. Your dollars will simply make more cents!
8. A Caesar
In Canada, Caesars are a drink. This northern cousin of the Bloody Mary replaces the tomato juice with Clamato (a clam and tomato juice – it is better than it sounds…). The result is less viscous and delicious!
