5 Ways to Make the Most of Winter in the Canadian Rockies

by Devlin Kenny January 26, 2016

Sure, winter is coming and with just one look at those Sorels and negative temperatures all your instincts are telling you to huddle inside and not emerge until March, but instead of hibernating surviving off Uber Eats and leftover NYE booze, why not make some Canadian travel plans this winter?

Revelstoke | Canalien & Co. | Canada | Travel | Clothing

Chillin' out maxin' relaxin' all cool

Chase the fresh pow and bluebird days and head west! Take advantage of one of Canada's coolest (coldest?) areas - the Rockies.

Make it happen by using Hopper to find a cheap flight west to Calgary and make your way up into the mountains to Banff National Park.

Lake Louise | Rockies | Canalien & Co.

Lake Louise, Banff National Park

1. Shred the Gnar

Hit the slops and have your pick of some spectacular spots: Lake Louise, Sunshine or Mt. Norquay. Not sure which to choose? Check out this awesome infographic from Fairmont Resorts. From my experience, Mt Norquay is the quietest with more local skiers, Lake Louise is the largest and easiest to ski, with Sunshine your best option for the fresh fluffy white stuff.

Lake Louise | Canalien & Co.

Bluebird day at Lake Louise

2. Take a Road Trip

If you're a serious pow chaser, head back into the mountains and hit the (slightly treacherous) trail to Revelstoke Resort and/or Kicking Horse in BC's interior. While there was no fresh snow when I was there, emerging from the cloud inversion into a beautiful bluebird day was more than worth the drive!

Bottom of Revelstoke Mountain Resort | Canalien & Co.

Base of Revy, under the clouds

Quick ride up the lift....

Revelstoke Ski Resort | Canalien & Co.

And voila!

3. Eat

Banff has some amazing restaurants specializing in locally sourced cuisine, but my favourite was The Bison. A prime example of the farm-to-table movement, there's a map on the back of your menu that shows you where all your food (and wine and beer!) came from.

Bison Carpaccio, The Bison, Banff | Canalien & Co.

Bison Carpaccio

Escargot in Bone Marrow, Banff, The Bison | Canalien & Co.

Escargot in Bone Marrow

4. Explore

If you're one of those Canadians that aren't into skiing or boarding (what's your thing, then? Hockey?) you can hike Johnston Canyon, and see it's beautiful rock walls and frozen waterfalls, or walk out into the middle of frozen Lake Minnewanka.

Johnston Canyon, Banff, Rockies | Canalien & Co.

Johnston Canyon, Banff National Park

Lake Minnewanka

5. Don't pet the wildlife

Elk in Banff | Canalien & Co.

Trust me on this one.

Stay cool, Canaliens!

Devlin Kenny

Author

Devlin is a born and raised Canadian with dual Irish citizenship. She left Canada in 2017 for the white sand beaches and turquoise waters of the Cayman Islands. When she's not running her marketing agency, Blue House Marketing, she's travelling, taking photos and living that Canalien life abroad.