Banf Beyond the Slopes

By Tim Johnson

You don’t have to ski to find thrills in Canada’s most famous mountain town.

Every winter, the legendary slopes of Banff beckon skiers from around the world. Covered in deep, natural powder and curving through a panorama of Rocky Mountain splendour, each of the “Big Three” ski resorts offers their own version of an alpinist’s paradise – Lake Louise with its Olympic and world championship runs; Sunshine Village, where they whisk you on a gondola ride, up the mountain and away from reality; and Mount Norquay, the local favourite, with challenging trails and inviting glades.

But I’m here for none of it. A slightly wobbly skier at the best of times, I arrive to taste and experience everything else Banff, encompassed by a national park and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has to offer. And it turns out, you’ll find plenty to see and do, beyond the slopes.

FAIRMONT BANFF SPRINGS

For example, there's hunting for ghosts, at one of Canada’s grandest hotels. Canadian Pacific built what’s now called the Fairmont Banff Springs in 1888 as one of Canada’s first railway hotels. Perched above Banff’s main town site, its windows inside the turrets and towers offer sweeping views out over the Bow Valley to the jagged ridgelines of Mount Rundle.

To prepare for the tough task of chasing down spirits, I take a relaxing soak in the hotel’s natural hot springs, contemplating my next moves in the mineral pools and waterfalls. My research continues with a massage, where the therapist recounts bizarre and fascinating stories of items being moved around her spa suite by an unseen hand.

OUTDOOR POOL, FAIRMONT BANFF SPRINGS

© FAIRMONT BANFF SPRINGS

If you’re not up for a massage, the hotel has an excellent, small but very informative, museum. It recounts the many lives this luxurious hotel has had. The staff historian will gladly give you more details and share ghostly stories. For example, he tells me about Sam the Bellman, a long-time hotel employee who passed away in 1975, but still comes from beyond the grave to help guests with their bags on occasion. Meanwhile, the Dancing Bride continues to dance eternally in the ballroom after an ill-fated wedding day.

A little spooked and ready for a different kind of spirit, I walk into the main village to Park Distillery. Fashioned as a sort of faux ski lodge, it has fast become a favourite for the après-ski crowd and for some who don’t ski at all. Sitting down for a chat, the young founders recount what makes their beverages better. The water they use in their various concoctions, fresh and cold, flows from six different mountain glaciers.

TASTING EXPERIENCE AT PARK DISTILLERY

© PAUL ZIZKA, BANFF & LAKE LOUISE TOURISM

The botanicals in the gin, including spruce tips, are foraged by the owners themselves. I sample a series of spirits, learn about their barrel-aged cocktails and rye whisky, and tuck into some campfireinspired cooking. The menu offers steaks and salmon and even smoked brie, and most of the cuisine is kissed by an open flame.

Sated, I browse some boutiques and appreciate the artwork at a number of local galleries, which line the downtown streets next to the busy ski shops. Canada House is one of the best, reflecting back familiar images and colourful expressions of the natural marvels in this corner of Western Canada and beyond, including Indigenous and Inuit voices. The collection ranges from sculpture and jewellery, to contemporary splashes on canvas.

WALKING IN THE BOW VALLEY

And boasting mountains, forest and national park, the surrounding wilds have so much to offer. A visit to Cave and Basin National Historic Site takes me back to where all of the hubbub here got its start. On this site, Canada’s first national park was born, by accident, when local railway workers started using the thermal hot springs for relaxation after a long day on the job. Next, nearby, it’s time for a short but challenging hike up Tunnel Mountain.

Walking right from the town site, the 4.3-kilometre trail – unlike skiing – requires no prior training and is accessible to most levels of fitness. While the winding switchbacks climbing up more than 300 metres definitely get my heart pumping, the views out over Banff and the surrounding valley are well worth the effort. Finally, I take a drive. Rolling north, I explore the Icefields Parkway, skirting trailheads and waterfalls, passing through three national parks, and curling around the base of some of the nation’s tallest mountains.

COLUMBIA ICEFIELD SKYWALK

Up here, I have options: dogsledding, or maybe a skate on the blue expanse of Lake Louise. I’m tempted to keep driving with the charms of Jasper just a couple hundred kilometres up the road. But I turn back to Banff, where a hearty dinner and a cushy bed and so many more adventures await tomorrow.

DRIVING ON THE ICEFIELDS PARKWAY