 Poster: A snowHead
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We are considering a trip to Lake Louise next Easter; so basically going to be there for the first 10 days of April. This is as a result of my wife's desire to do less alpine and more x-c. Can anyone suggest (and I know that this is no guarantee of the future) what conditions on the x-c trails will be like during that period ? Also what's the snow like on the hills ? The x-c is of most importance as we're tryi g to find a snow-sure resort that has both decentamount of both types of activity.
I think I went to Banff / LL many years ago at that time of year and the snow was fine but I'm talking over 15 years ago and prevailing conditions might have changed
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We were there 3 seasons ago at that time of year.
The snow from mid mountain up was great, as was everything over in the back bowls. Lower down it was great in the mornings, less so in the afternoon as it turned to slush.
Every season is different though and you could end up with an April mega dump, or you could be XCing in slush and rubble.
We were still out walking on a frozen Lake Louise as well though and i'm pretty sure the XC tracks around that were in use when we were there.
Take a look at the following link. Histoically (recent years) April has seen the greater accumulated snow measurement.
http://www.igluski.com/canada/lake-louise-snow-history_432
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I would say (based on previous two seasons) that you should be okay but earlier would be better.
Your unlikely to get lots of fresh powder but you will certainly get the odd snow fall.
The XC will be in pretty good condition although waxing can prove interesting in April (I never seem to get the wax right once the temperatures approach zero, give me -10C anyday).
How many days would you be planning on spending there? Can you XC ski already? In terms of instruction Banff (and the obvious Canmore nordic center) provides more Nordic potential.
A lot of the XC trail heads are slightly away from Lake Louise so for best flexibility i would recommend a car...
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In our experience the Canadian resorts don't close due to lack or snow, but due to lack of customers: we were in Silver Star a few years ago on the last day of the season and the snow depth was the most it had been all season! Check with the resort(s) you are interested in as to when they are closing and you are just about guaranteed excellent (by Europe standards) skiing up until then.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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There's a difference in "snow sure" and "decent snow". April in Banff should be snow sure alright. But that may or may not mean the snow is actually good to ski on.
Unfortunately, x-c and alpine have different requirement of snow QUALITY. The best temperature to x-c is below -10C in the valley and the best alpine is above -10C up high. (kick waxing at 0C is a perfect recipe for frustration!) Fresh powder is great for alpine but hard work on x-c, etc.
So, the month you choose is likely to be better for alpine than for x-c. Still, there should not be shortage of snow for either. You'll just have to pick which day to x-c and which day to alpine based on conditions.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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we were there for the last 2 weeks in april/beginning of may this year. Had a fantastic time - had to wait for the snow plough on one day as the 18inches of snow stopped us getting the car out of the accommodation, and had several days with a decent layer of fresh powder!
On the other days, some slopes very icyand rattly, and lower down it got a bit slushy in the afternoon - but as long as you picked the slopes it was fine - particularly if you went over to the runs on the far slopes (sorry, can't remember the names apart from the rock garden!) or stayed high.
No queues at all either, despite it being easter - and a national holiday the following week - apparently all the canadians had seen enough snow for the year and were looking for sunshine instead....
Be prepared for temps that change hugely through the day - we had swings from -10 first thing in the morning to +10 in the aftenoon
I think that it was a particularly good year for snow - lake louise had extended the season by a week as there was still so much snow.
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