Lake Louise Torchlight Dinner & Ski

Start with après refreshments and live music mid-mountain, followed by first tracks on a freshly groomed run, and then finish off with dinner and entertainment in the Sitzmark Lounge. Book in advance.
4:00 PM | Lake Louise Ski Area | $65 | Lake Louise Torchlight Dinner & Ski Details

NYE 2011
Bubbles flowing, campfire roaring, taste buds exploding: it must be NYE at The Bison!
5PM ($85) & 6:30PM ($125) Seatings | Bison Restaurant & Terrace, 211 Bear St.

New Years Eve 2011 with Cronic
Dinner buffet with live entertainment, two seatings.
6:30 PM | St. James Gate Olde Irish Pub | $75

New Year’s Gala
Enjoy a four course meal while Barry Shaw and The Fairmont Banff Springs Orchestra play in the back- ground.
7:00 PM | Fairmont Banff Springs, Van Horne Ballroom | $295

Torchlight Parade
Join us to ring in the New Year with our Torchlight Parade down North American Chair, which can be seen from the town of Banff.
7:00 PM | Banff Mt. Norquay

The Rocky Mountain New Year’s Eve Experience
Live DJ, all party favours and champagne included.
8:00 PM | Dancing Sasquatch | $99

Masquerade Ball
Banff’s best party with DJ Strength
9:00 PM | HooDoo Lounge | $69.99

Banff New Year’s Party, Greek Style
Enjoy a fantastic 3 course Greek feast, Banff’s only live dinner show (belly dancing, Greek dancing & plate smashing), party favours and a glass of champagne to ring in the New Year! Reservations required.
9:30 PM | Balkan Restaurant, 120 Banff Ave. | $75

Masquerade Ball New Year’s Party
Featuring the music stylings of Project Mayhem, enjoy the ball with or without dinner.
10 PM | Rose & Crown | $110 Dinner & Ball, $60 Ball

Banff’s Biggest & Best New Year’s Party
Amazing light show, 3 drinks and delicious appetizer.
10:00 PM | Aurora Night Club | $99

Matt Beatty and the Second String Cowboys
Enjoy live country music, balloon drop, champagne toast, party favours and a late night appetizer buffet.
10:00 PM | Wild Bill’s Legendary Saloon | $40

ONGOING EVENTS

Christmas Social Printings & Drawings
With works by John Snow, Margaret Shelton, George Weber, D. Helen Mackie, Dwayne Harty, Peter von Tiesen- hausen, Jean Sheppard, James Agrell Smith, Harry Wohlfarth, Illingworth Kerr, Kenojuak Ashevak, Chris Stoffel Overvoorde, Kananginak Pootoogook, Tom Willock, Napachie Pootoogook, John Topelko and others.
December 1—30 | Open daily 10 AM—6 PM | Willock & Sax Gallery, 211 Bear St.

Christmas at the Castle
Join the parade of Christmas characters as they wind their way through the grand hallways of the hotel, led by San- ta. The majestic mountains beckon all to experience a Christmas holiday filled with laughter and lasting memories. Throughout the holiday season we blend new and old world traditions together with activities designed to intrigue, spoil and inspire you.
December 19—January 2 | The Fairmont Banff Springs | Reservations – 1-866-540-4406

Current exhibits at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies, 111 Bear Street Bow Valley Fibrearts
Whether revealed through fabric, yarn or other materials, the artistic ambitions of the Bow Valley are explored in this exhibition. A selection of quilting, knitted soft sculpture and painting on silk are just some of the examples fea- tured in this informal survey.

Small Treasures Art Show & Sale
Good things come in small packages! A favourite tradition of locals and visitors, the Museum hosts its annual holi- day season Art Show and Sale. Choose from individual works of art or handcrafted artisan-made gift items.

Women of Fibre & Bow Valley Fibrearts
Whether revealed through fabric, yarn or other materials, the artistic ambitions of the Bow Valley are explored in this exhibition. A selection of quilting, knitted soft sculpture and painting on silk are just some of the examples fea- tured in this informal survey.

UPCOMING EVENTS

SnowDays | January 14—February 12, 2012
New events such as the Mountain Adventure Weekend and “Take it to the Street” hockey tournament on Banff Ave, combined with the ever popular Ice Magic Festival, now two weekends of fun, will add to the excitement of the season. Throw in a new outdoor skating rink decked out with lights, festive atmosphere and new programming by Parks Canada and Banff Heritage Tourism, we’ll all have something to celebrate and share. Full details coming soon…

Watermedia in the Rockies | January 21 through March 20, 2012 | Whyte Museum Watermedia has been a traditional medium for artists in the Rocky Mountains. Keeping with tradition this show will feature the work of watermedia artists who have portrayed their love and respect for the Rocky Mountains and areas nearby.

Click to enlarge:

Meanwhile, the ski resorts in Banff National Park are in incredible shape. Below are a couple of webcam snapshots from today. Fresh powder and cooler temperatures are creating some of the best spring skiing seen for years!

Lake Louise [Banff National Park] snapshot from today:

Sunshine Village [Banff National Park] snapshot from today:

Sunshine Village ski resort, in Banff National Park received 12cm in past 24 hours. That’s 47cm in the past 72 hours and the snow has been coming down hard all day. Can’t wait to see tomorrow’s report!

The highway cameras in Alberta give you a good idea of the current driving conditions in Banff National Park – if you must drive, please drive safe or take one of the ski shuttles instead. The locals who drive these buses know the roads better than anyone!

Here is the current weather conditions for Banff:

SNOWFALL WARNING IN EFFECT, Banff

Posted: April 2nd, 2011 05:46 PM

Persons in or near this area should be on the lookout for adverse weather conditions and take necessary safety precautions. Issued: 3:46 PM MDT Saturday 02 April 2011

Current Conditions: -2.7°C

Posted: April 2nd, 2011 06:00 PM

Observed at: Banff 4:00 PM MDT Saturday 02 April 2011
Temperature: -2.7°C
Pressure / Tendency: 100.8 kPa rising
Humidity: 82 %
Wind Chill: -7
Dewpoint: -5.4°C
Wind: E 9 km/h
Air Quality Health Index: N/A

Saturday night: Snow. Low minus 4.

Posted: April 2nd, 2011 06:00 PM

Snow ending this evening then cloudy. Amount 2 to 4 cm. Low minus 4. Forecast issued 4:00 PM MDT Saturday 02 April 2011

Banff Current Weather Source: Rocky Mountain Holidays

Thanks for reading and be sure to share your experiences in Banff National Park with us below. When this storm blows through, the ski conditions will be incredible tomorrow.

Will spring ever arrive in Banff National Park?!

There are two types of bears here: the black bear and the grizzly (or brown) bear. Don’t let the names fool you, you may see a brown or cinnamon coloured “black bear” like the cub with her mother photographed below:

Black Bear

Grizzly Bear

The grizzly bear can be identified by it’s distinctive hump on the back of it’s neck.

A grizzly bear is also larger than a black bear.

Each year, people get too close to wildlife especially bears. I personally have seen families stand in front of a bear cub on the side of the road to take pictures. This is not fair for the bear, especially the mother who is watching and may decide to protect her cub at anytime.

Please don’t put bears, or any other wildlife, in this position, it simply isn’t fair.

The bear safety information below has been sourced through Parks Canada:

If you are driving: stay in your car, and consider not stopping.

If you are not in a vehicle:

• Stay calm. If a bear rears on its hind legs and waves its nose about, it is trying to identify you. Remain still and talk calmly so that it knows you are human and not a prey animal. Bears may also bluff charge: run toward you and turn away at the last moment. A scream or sudden movement may trigger an attack.
• Pick up children, stay in a group.
• Back away slowly, don’t run.
• Leave the area. If this is impossible, wait until the bear leaves; make sure it has an escape route.

To reduce your risk of a surprise encounter:

• Make noise. Clap, sing or yell to announce your presence, especially where a bear might not otherwise smell, hear or see you coming. (Bear bells are not very effective.)
• Travel in groups, on established trails, and during daylight hours.
• Minimize odours by proper storage of food, garbage and toiletries.
• Leave the area if you see a bear or fresh tracks, droppings, diggings; or if you come across a large dead animal (a bear may be nearby).

If you surprise a bear and it defends itself:

Use bear spray if you have it. PLAY DEAD, let it know you are not a threat: lie on stomach with legs apart, cover back of head and neck with hands, keep pack on to protect your back.

If a bear stalks you and then attacks, or attacks at night:

Try to escape, use bear spray if you have it. FIGHT BACK, let it know that you are not easy prey. (This kind of predatory attack is very rare.)

Guides are easily available so if you are not comfortable hiking in the wilderness then local experts can certainly take good care of you.

rocky-peak Holidays is a local company based in Canmore, just 5 minutes outside of Banff National Park and can help you find a suitable guide. There are also group hiking tours available.

Have you had a bear encounter you would like to share with us and our readers? Please post it below!

The Town of Banff-FCSS, The Town of Canmore-FCSS and the Canadian Rockies Public Schools are partners that provide bus service between Banff and Canmore for all seniors in our communities and for low-income clients (under $24,000) with an agency referral.

The service is free but registration is required and the Banff YWCA, Town of Banff –FCSS or Town of Canmore FCSS must issue tickets. Banff seniors can use their taxi passes.

Clients must be able to get up/down the bus stairs. No oxygen or flammable items are allowed. Animals (unless used as aides) or children under 4 cannot be accommodated on the bus. Items that you bring must be able to fit in the bus seats; the aisles must be kept clear for safety purposes.

Please be ready and waiting for the buses.

BUS SCHEDULE
The bus will arrive at its destination approximately ½ hr after the last departure site.

Morning Departures from Banff:
Mount Edith House 8:25 am
Banff Park Lodge 8:30
Banff Seniors Centre 8:35
YWCA 8:40

Drop off locations in Canmore:
Sobeys, Canmore Seniors Centre, Miners Union Lodge

Afternoon Departures from Canmore:
Sobeys 2:00 pm
Miners Union Lodge 2:05
Bow River Seniors Lodge 2:10
Victory Thrift Store 2:15

Drop off locations in Banff:
Mount Edith House, Banff Park Lodge, Banff Seniors Centre, YWCA

Afternoon Departures from Banff:
Mount Edith Lodge 4:30 pm
Banff Park Lodge 4:35
Banff Seniors Centre 4:40
Banff YWCA 4:45

Drop off locations in Canmore:
Sobeys, Canmore Seniors Centre, Miners Union Lodge

***NO RETURN BUSES TO BANFF AFTER 2:15 p.m.***

If you have any questions please contact Nancy Lewis, Town of Banff FCSS at 403-762-1254 or Mavis Sautner, Town of Canmore FCSS at 403-678-7129.