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Lake Louise Resort Reviews

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Visitor reviews for Lake Louise Ski Resort

Lake Louise Ratings

Overall: 3.8. Based on 34 votes and 40 reviews. Vote

Snowsure: 3.8

(1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Lake Louise is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.

Variety of pistes: 4.7

(1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Lake Louise has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.

Off-piste: 4.2

(1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.

Scenery: 4.9

(1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.

Access: 3.9

(1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Lake Louise.

Public Transport: 3.8

(1) There are no buses or taxis to Lake Louise, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.

Accommodation: 3.7

(1) No places to stay in/near Lake Louise, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.

Cheap Rooms: 3.2

(1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.

Luxury Hotels: 4.3

(1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Lake Louise.

Ski in/Ski out: 2.7

(1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.

Childcare: 4.0

(1) There are no child care facilities at Lake Louise, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.

Snowmaking: 3.8

(1) Lake Louise relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.

Snow Grooming: 3.9

(1) There are no snow groomers at Lake Louise, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Lake Louise are groomed daily.

Shelter: 3.9

(1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Lake Louise is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.

Nearby options: 3.5

(1) If snow conditions are poor at Lake Louise, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.

Regional rating: 3.7

(1) Lake Louise usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.

Lift Staff: 4.2

(1) The staff at Lake Louise are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Lake Louise are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.

Crowds/Queues: 3.6

(1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.

Ski Schools: 4.4

(1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.

Hire and Repairs: 4.4

(1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.

Beginners: 4.0

(1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.

Intermediates: 4.4

(1) No intermediate terrain at Lake Louise, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.

Advanced: 4.8

(1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.

Snow Park: 3.9

(1) Not even a kicker at Lake Louise, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.

Cross-country: 4.0

(1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Lake Louise, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.

Luge/Toboggan: 2.2

(1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Lake Louise has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.

Mountain Dining: 3.6

(1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.

Eating: 3.4

(1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.

Apres-Ski: 3.2

(1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.

Other Sports: 2.2

(1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.

Entertainment: 3.2

(1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.

Winter Walks: 3.8

(1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.

Ski Pass Value: 3.7

(1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.

Value (National): 3.7

(1) Overall, Lake Louise is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.

Value (Global): 3.9

(1) Overall, Lake Louise is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

Show all 35 ratings

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February 13, 2022
Esmonde Holowaty from Ski Canada Canada
Amazing ski hill! Lots of amazing runs for every level of expertise. Also, the view from the top of the new Summit chair is a must see. Staff are very friendly. Just an approximate 5 min drive from Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. An absolute must experience.
December 07, 2021
mike delorme from Ski Canada Canada
Much overrated hill. Too much grooming. Most of the runs are groomed which make skiing very boring. The front side is only for beginners. Snow report is misleading at best. Don't waste your time on this hill. For my money Norquay has much better skiing, especially the runs serviced by the North America chair.
March 07, 2020
Lifeincabo from Ski Canada Canada
I had purchased 3 Lake Louise Plus Cards for me and my 2 daughters. You pay $99 and it gets you 1st, 4th & 7th lift tickets free. I was looking at taking the Lake Louis ski bus from Calgary. It's advertised on the Lake Louise web page. I had used our plus cards once already, which was our 1st free pass. When I contacted the bus company they informed me that they have a deal with the lift tickets. If you purchase a lift ticket from the bus company your bus fare is included round trip from Calgary. Good deal I thought. So I phone Lake Louise Information to ask if I purchase the lift ticket from the bus company will it count as my second lift pass on my plus card. The person working had to ask a manager about it. He came back and informed me that, yes, it would go towards my plus card. I'm thinking great. Two days later I phone back and talk to a different person and ask same question because I'm not sure where I go to get my lift ticket put on my plus card. The person tells me to go to customer service and produce the lift ticket and they will put it towards my second lift pass on my plus card. Today we go to Lake Louise by bus and show up at customer service only to be told no that does not happen. I ask for the manager only to be told I am mistaken (twice) and don't know where I heard this, loud enough to be heard in front of lots of people. Basically the manager is trying to make me look stupid. She had no intention of trying to resolve this. She just wanted me to go away. I don't know how Lake Louise trains their management but I can attest that it is done poorly. Well Lake Louise management I will not go away and this will not be the last time you heard from me.
January 18, 2020
Mike Johnson from Ski Canada Canada
Always take the snowfall they report and divide by two. I've been burned too many times by their snow reports to take them seriously anymore. If the hill does get a big dump of snow and it's a weekend, expect it to be skied off of the runs about an hour after the hill opens. The exception to this is on the backside of Whitehorn, which gets less traffic. Otherwise, runs tend to be icy, food is overpriced, and it gets crowded and the lines long on weekends. If you get a big snowfall mid-week, you're in heaven. Big snowfalls don't happen that often compared to resorts like Castle Mountain or Revelstoke, however.
November 03, 2019
Christopher from Ski Canada Canada
Alberta Rockies local. Obviously biased but I’ve been riding these local mountains for over 20 years. Granted lake louise doesn’t get the dumps the interior gets but fit and finish Lake Louise is one of the best overal resort experiences in North America. Long steep accessible runs are everywhere and if you’re lucky enough to ride here on even a 15-20cm day it will blow any other resort out of the water. If want to test your fitness in Alberta Rockies the lake is it. Can’t find the stat but I’ve been told 3 of the top 10 steepest inbound runs reside at Lake Louise. Only 9 lifts but they access nearly every skiable/rideable acre. Buy a local a beer and they’ll show you the goods. *unpopular opinion * Lake Louise is better than Whistler
April 16, 2018
Charlie & George from Ski Canada Canada
All I can say is wow. This resort way overcame expectations in every way. The steep lift-accessible terrain way exhilarating and exactly what I came to the rockies for. Lots of medium sized cliffs to jump off with beautiful landings and no worry about rocks underneath the snow since they've got a base of 247cm! The groomers were very well taken care of for my wife who normally skis blues but I boosted her confidence and she really excelled all over the mountain. After riding Sunshine Village and having to rent a beacon to ride what they call a 'freeride zone' was a joke compared to what Lake Louise has open daily. I'm glad I at least went so I can forward people over to Louise instead! My wife was bored of their short flat runs after two hours. We are off to Kicking Horse to see what they have to offer and I hope it is half as good as Louise and we will be having another amazing day! Thanks for the best three days of skiing we've ever had! Special mention to the Northface Bistro for a delicious buffet at a great price and the snowmakers that confirmed my directions to the awesome skiing.
April 10, 2018
Rob from Ski Canada Canada
Whitehorn Mtn has great terrain but poor lift access on the backside. A Poma and a slow boat triple, really!? A backside lap has two traverses. However, the tree skiing is extensive but not gladed as it is after all a National Park. The main south side runs are skied off promptly but the slack-country is almost never skied out. Deep pow is rare and the temps can be cold but come with blue sky days. Mind bogglingly beautiful views all 'round you and 360 degree skiing. I have skied +500days here and love this park as rocky as it can be. 2017/2018 has been an awesome season. If you like fast lifts and short boring runs go to Sunshine which, with the exception of DD, does not compare. Snow is a little better than LL though.
January 19, 2017
Gavin Taylor from Ski Australia Australia
We skied Lake Louise for two weeks at the start of January 2017. The temp was never above -18c during the day which was very chilly but the snow condition was great. It is a big mountain with great vertical and long runs. The back side has some excellent Double Black runs and if you like that then there is plenty to keep you interested. If you are and advanced skier there are plenty of runs and terrain to keep you adrenaline pumping. We found the mountain to be very uncrowded; ski down and straight up, no lines. Good time of the year to get here. Great place. We will be back.
April 09, 2015
Paul from Ski United Kingdom United Kingdom
We had a fantastic powder day on Monday; much needed this April but what an awesome day it was with our friends out of Calgary for the day. Went back for a glorious sunshine day on Wednesday; could see more of where we were skiing and the views were just amazing.
March 31, 2015
John from Canmore from Ski Canada Canada
Lake Louise is big and great for everyone, but not everyone makes the most of their visit. The front runs are long. If it's not crowded and there is fresh snow and it hasn't been too warm these are legendary, with beautiful pitch and fantastic views. Unfortunately, a lot of the time they are crowded and icy, especially on weekends, or if the spring sun has been beating them down. The Larch area can also be fantastic, but the last several times I've been to Lake Louise Larch has been scrapy moguls, same problem as the front side: too many people and too much sun. So, stay high. And if you can handle the steep back bowls stay on them as much as possible. When the winds are right they deposit snow into the bowls. If you can't handle the black runs, there are intermediate runs on the back that should work for you. Go high, stay high if it's warm, focus on the backside if it's been windy, and you'll have a great time. Any tourist visiting Alberta should ski Sunshine Village one day and Lake Louise another day. They are two quite different experiences. Ask for advice from a local, or take a free tour, so you don't end up in the icy moguls at Lake Louise or on the flat boring bits at Sunshine Village.

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