Two of my highschool friends, Brianne and Michelle relocated to Edmonton, Alberta for work. I was invited with Tania to visit them and go snowboarding in Banff. Snowboarding the Rockies!? Hell yes! I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

Day 1 – Wednesday March 5, 2014

After a two hour delay, I arrived in Edmonton at 1am and was graciously picked up by Brianne and Justin. I got to intimately know Macy, Bri and Justin’s dog, in the backseat. She was so friendly and well behaved. We then picked up Tania and Michelle and slept at Brianne’s place.

We started our venture with a light breakfast made by Brianne and a morning of shopping at West Edmonton Mall, the largest mall in North America. The layout and design of the mall is similar to any other Canadian mall. It’s just bigger because there is a waterpark, an amusement park, a hotel, an ice rink, a movie theatre and lots of large department stores (eg. The Bay, Target, T&T Supermarket etc.)

We started our drive to Banff soon after a quick lunch and grabbing lift tickets at Costco. Majority of the ride was not scenic but once we passed Calgary we started seeing the mountains.

During our drive, we were trying to spot wildlife but only saw cows and horses. As soon as we arrived in the little town of Banff, we spotted an animal. At first, we thought it was a statue because it so close to the road and posing on the corner of a busy intersection. Michelle took a double-take and then yelled “It’s real! It’s moving!” We had to u-turn to get a closer look. It was an Elk, just roaming around.

After that excitement, we check into Brewster Lodge and went to the ‘Elks and Oarsman’ for dinner. Ironically, it was Elk Wednesday and I had the Elk Burger. We return to our room and went to bed.

Day 2 – Thursday March 6, 2014

We were up early and ready to head out to Sunshine Village. It was snowing like crazy! The roads were a mess and cars were getting stuck in the snow. Luckily, we were in a truck and had no issues.

We geared up and when for our first few runs. The first run from the summit was tough because the snow was TOO fresh and powdery. I fell down and was struggling to get up for at least 15 minutes.

I wanted to head to the summit for the mountain peak views but it was just WAY too snowy with poor visibility. It was a complete whiteout. I couldn’t see where I was boarding. We decided to go have lunch instead. After filling up, we explored most of the runs and the sun started to clear the fog. Our last few runs were on Goat’s Eye mountain and from here, we could start to see the mountain peaks. It was beautiful and I was excited for more.

After a day of snowboarding/skiing, we agreed on driving out to the Banff Hot Springs. It’s not a glamorous spa but a hot 40°C outdoor pool. It was soothing after a long day of riding.

Day 3 – Friday March 7, 2014

We were up early for another day on the mountains. This time we went to Lake Louise, the mountain with the highest vertical drop in Alberta. The skies were clearer and the sun was peaking through the clouds. The view was fantastic and just what I pictured snowboarding down the Rockies. The snow conditions were not as good as Sunshine but still better than Ontario or Vermont. Since it was a weekday, the runs were pretty empty and there were minimal lift lines.

I was keen on taking the “Top of the World” lift because with a name like that, it must be scenic! The view at the top was unlike any other summit I’ve seen. It was quite bare without trees and I felt like I was in Iceland again. It was very cool.

After a few more runs, Tania and I were returning to the main base to head back to the lodge. We had to take the “Ski Out 155” run. We knew it would be flat but didn’t realize how flat and long it would be. It was brutal… I had to release my boots at least 5 times. Cross-country snowboarding sucks! On the plus side, it was very scenic and beautiful. The run started with an amazing mountain view and then it ended with a narrow path with trees lined left and right.

I was EXHAUSTED by the time we finished this run. We must have been stuck for 30 mins. We didn’t want to end the day with such a shitty run so we decided to do one more. We knew this run. We’ve been on it twice today. But somehow, I picked the wrong one and got stuck on a small flat part. It got worst… I was stuck in the soft snow and started sliding off the sides! It was getting dangerous. I carefully took my board off and held onto with my life. If it slid down… It’s a goner. Tania came to my rescue and held onto my board as I slowly I crawled out. Oh man, it was a hilarious situation. We still had our boards and we survived the rest of the run, even though my binding started to slip off. Regardless, it was an incredible day and we were ready for one more at Lake Louise.

We returned to Banff and along the way, we saw our friendly Elk again! The conversation went down like this “Hey, I wonder if we’re going to see another Elk?” *Elk crosses the road in front of us* “OMG! There he is!”. We named him “Frank”.

We warmed up in the lodge’s hot tub followed with dinner at Tommy’s Pub. The other girls were ready to go out and party but I was way to dehydrated and exhausted from earlier events.

Day 4 – Friday March 7, 2014

Boy was I sore today! My body felt heavy but I was eager to snowboard once more. Tania and I took the shuttle to Lake Louise while Brianne and Michelle went cross-country skiing in Canmore. It was a snowy and busy Saturday.

The line ups tripled from the day before and we had tons of human pylons to avoid. Clearly, we had been spoiled by the empty weekday runs and minimal lift lines. It was still an amazing day! It was foggy but it was snowing.

We left Lake Louise around 3:30 —our bodies were feeling it! Back in town, I roamed the village and explored the shops until dinner at Coyote’s Grill with Michelle’s boyfriend, Pat and two of his friends. After a lovely dinner with good company, we got dressed for the club.

Without our jackets, we ran across the street to a lounge but it was dead so we ran back to our lodge. As Brianne were running, Tania made a quick right and totally collided into her. I saw it through the corner of my eye but according to Michelle, it was hilarious.

Now with jackets, we walked to the Dancing Sasquatch and Tania schmoozed us in without waiting in line. The party was happening here! Lots of people dancing and having a fun time. We joined in and danced the night away.

Day 5 – Saturday March 8, 2014

We woke up, packed, ate breakfast and headed for Calgary. It was a nice short drive back with a glimpse of the city. Tania and I flew out of Calgary’s airport and got back to Toronto that evening. It was one of the best snow conditions I’ve ever had on my snowboarding trips. The views were amazing and incomparable to the east. I cannot wait to go back out west… Whistler 2015…?