The Big Arctic Chill
Powder Day at Lake Louise
We woke up to a few fresh inches of snow and beat Josh and Monika to the lot for once! Despite being a Tuesday, the mountain was bustling. Clearly the locals know a rare powder day when they see one. The conditions were stellar, with only a few hard patches peeking through the freshies. We spent the day diving into tree runs and exploring the different areas of the mountain.
-18 Degrees and Olympic Fever
The honeymoon phase with the weather ended abruptly that night. An arctic cold front swept in overnight and we woke up to a bone-chilling -18°F outside, and 8°F inside the van. While we were cozy under a mountain of blankets, getting out of bed was another story.
Josh and Monika were bold enough to get up on the mountain, but Rose and I retreated to the lodge to thaw out and caught the end of the Canada vs. Czech Republic Olympic hockey game. The atmosphere was tense. When Canada tied it up in the third and then snatched the win in overtime, the folks in the lodge erupted. Rose and I attempted one run afterward, but with numb fingers and toes, we decided it wasn’t worth the trouble and retreated to the warmth of the van.
The Icefields Parkway and Banff
While waiting for Josh and Monika to finish their day, we drove a stretch of the Icefields Parkway, one of the most scenic drives in the country, flanked by massive glacial peaks and frozen lakes.
Our next stop was Banff, and between the even colder temps ahead and the total lack of places to camp around town, we all decided to split a hotel room. We got to the room, showered, went out for Alberta beef burgers and poutine, and thawed out in the hotel hot tub afterwards.
Overnight, the cold still took its toll. Not only did Josh and Monika discover that their sparkling water and beer had frozen and exploded inside their van, but our van refused to start. On top of that, Josh was feeling under the weather! After they cleaned up their mess and gave us a jump, we decided to skip the rigmarole of skiing at Banff Sunshine and instead caravaned to Radium Hot Springs and our next ski resort.
The Great Battery Swap
After the van died again at a gas station, we finally bit the bullet and bought a new battery. The shop was kind enough to lend us tools so we could do the swap right there in the parking lot.
With the van finally running smooth again, we pushed on to Radium. We found a quirky motel with a sauna and capped the night with a massive Austrian feast: half-liters of beer, schnitzel, and cheesecake. We’re hopeful that the new battery (and the schnitzel) will power us through a day or two of skiing at Panorama starting tomorrow!
