Tripping the white fantastic

By Hugo Duncan

"Since we can’t export the scenery, we’ll have to import the tourists," declared Canadian Pacific Railway’s William Cornelius Van Horne more than a century ago.

These visionary words gave birth to tourism in the Rockies and in doing so created one of the world’s great playgrounds: the ski slopes of Canada’s west. Spectacular resorts sprung up across the Albertan wilderness offering mile upon mile of skiing on what locals claim is the best powder snow in the world.

Indeed, only the luckiest of skiers will find any better. But despite the esteem in which the slopes are held both far and wide, the pistes are rarely busy.

At the heart of skiing in the Rockies is Banff National Park, a World Heritage Site bristling with rugged alpine beauty and abundant wildlife, although novice skiers in particular will be glad to hear that bears seldom appear during the winter months.

Within the national park stand three outstanding ski resorts – Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise – which offer some 240 trails in more than 7,700 acres of pristine mountain snow.

And while these resorts are rightly celebrated for their stunning beauty and exhilarating skiing, it is perhaps a trip to Skoki Lodge which should form the centrepiece of any visit to Banff National Park.

Skoki lies isolated from the modern world high in the Rockies and takes lodgers back to the early days of skiing in Canada when pioneers blazed a trail years before the chairlifts turned up.

Built in 1930, it was the first backcountry skiing lodge in the Canadian Rockies and still adheres to the old traditions with no running water, no electricity, and definitely no use for mobile phones, laptops or BlackBerries.

If that sounds like a step back in time too far, then Skoki is definitely not for you. For everyone else, however, it is sheer bliss.

The warmth and camaraderie of a night at Skoki with fellow guests is a highlight of the Canadian skiing experience, where strangers become friends over a sumptuous three-course meal.

The lodge is licensed to sell beer and wine, and with up to 24 guests eating together on one long, candlelit table in front of a roaring log fire, supper at Skoki is legendary throughout the Rockies. Breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea aren’t bad either.

While the bedrooms do not offer quite the same level of comfort as the lodge’s main area (and the primitive outhouses make for a chilly walk in the middle of the night) the wood-fired sauna certainly offers some form of luxury after a hard day exploring the ridges which tower over the lodge.

It is particularly welcoming on arrival after the tough 11-kilometre trek to Skoki from Lake Louise.

Whether on cross-country skis or snow shoes, the journey up Boulder Pass, across Ptarmigan Lake and to the top of Deception Pass is as exhilarating as it is tiring, and as breathtaking as it is wild.

From there it is a gentle ski into the tranquil Skoki Valley and the splendour of Skoki Lodge.

As ever when off the beaten track, the right equipment is essential as glorious sunshine can give way to driving blizzards in a matter of minutes.

But do not let the length of the trek put you off – it can take up to five hours – nor the difficulty of getting used to the new kit. Skoki offers a truly authentic taste of life in the Rockies nearly a century ago.

However, with so much fantastic skiing on offer in Alberta, not to mention the dog-sledding, snowmobiling and canyon icewalks, Skoki should only provide part of a winter escape in the Rockies.

Lake Louise is the likely starting and finishing point of a trip to Skoki. One of the most popular ski resorts in the Rockies, it’s also among the biggest and best in North America.

It is a perfect resort for all levels of skier from total beginners to experts. Careful design means that there are novice, intermediate and advanced runs off every chair allowing all skiers to explore the entire mountain. Its top elevation is 2,637 metres and its longest run five miles from start to finish.

Lake Louise is blessed with excellent skiing conditions throughout its six-month season from November to May. The huge and varied array of runs – 113 in total off four mountain faces – give visitors ample opportunity to explore.

Because it is in a national park there are few places to stay in the ski resort itself, so visitors should expect a short drive or bus ride from town to the slopes each day.

This can lead to small delays at chairlifts early in the morning, but with such a vast area to ski the queues disappear almost as soon as they form.

Among the most spectacular places to stay is Chateau Lake Louise, which rests on the shore of the lake itself below the towering peaks and forests of the Rockies.

• Hugo Duncan was a guest of Inghams Travel, which offers a range of accommodation from three to five star in Lake Louise, Banff and Jasper.

*  Seven nights room-only starts at £703 per person (two sharing) at Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, from £693 at Fairmont Banff Springs, and from £585 per person at Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge - all five star properties. Prices include direct flights ex-Gatwick/Manchester to Calgary, and transfers.

*  Six-day local lift passes range from £125 to £221 per person, six days’ ski and boot hire starts at £48 and three days’ ski school (three hours a day) starts at £75.

*  At Skoki Lodge, prices start at 110 dollars per person per night for a lodge room. For info/bookings, see www.skoki.com

*  For local details, contact Travel Alberta on www.travelalberta.com

*  Inghams reservations: 020 8780 4433, or view Inghams e-brochure and book online at www.inghams.co.uk