Jamie was enjoying the great conditions on Moraine lake road
Nov 15, 2019
It’s going to be a zoo in Lake Louise tomorrow. I’ll give you some parking suggestions later in this post.
Conditions on Moraine Lake road were fabulous this afternoon. Although the temperature reached zero, the snow has not deteriorated. I met Chip and Elaine at the MLR trailhead as they were finishing and they gave me excellent waxing advice. Swix VR50(0/-4) was their recommendation and it worked well.
Moraine Lake road is triple trackset. Two tracks going up, one coming back.
There was about 2-3 cm of fresh snow over yesterday’s tracksetting but the tracks are still well-defined and the skating lane looked to be in nice shape.
I also skied the entire length of Tramline from the Chateau/Lake parking lot to the train station and didn’t encounter any hazards. The final 100 metres near the train station can often have rocks at this time of year, but it was clear sailing. There are a few thin spots along the way, but nothing serious.
As the sign says, it was paradise for cross country skiers
It was starting to snow in late afternoon so I expect there will be some trail breaking for tomorrow’s early skiers.
I met Sean near Paradise creek as he was returning
It won’t take long for the MLR parking lot to fill up in the morning. As always at this time of year, vehicles will be lined up for 500 metres along Lake Louise drive from skiers accessing MLR, but you have some other choices for parking. If you start at the top of Tramline, you’ll have parking at the huge Chateau/Lake parking lot. It’s a 1.7K ski downhill to the Moraine Lake road trailhead.
Winter wonderland on Tramline
You could also park at the train station and climb 3K to the MLR trailhead. You’ll end your day with a pleasant downhill.
I expect conditions on the Great Divide will also attract hordes of skiers and cars will be spilling out onto the road. You could do like Chuck and drive to the Lake O’Hara end of the trail and start from there.
Happy skiers who just finished Moraine Lake road
Moraine Lake road’s distance is 8.9K to the end of the tracksetting with a net elevation gain of 230 metres.
I met a young couple from Florida who were walking on MLR. They had proceeded 1K when I encountered them and had a nice conversation. It was 3:30 pm, and they were heading for the lake. After hearing how far it was to the lake, they decided to turn around.
Beginner Skiers
If you’re new to this activity, no doubt you’re looking for some easy terrain to start your love affair with this wonderful sport. The first 2.6K of Moraine Lake road doesn’t have any big hills and would be a good trail for novice skiers. There are some gentle, short hills where you may get a chance to practice your snowplowing technique. Upon crossing Paradise Creek at 2.6K, there’s a long, big hill that would be challenging for new skiers.
The Great Divide is the ultimate easy trail for new skiers. It’s wide, and there are no significant hills for 6.6K. The fast downhill to the divide at 6.6K would require good snowplowing ability.
Canmore Nordic Centre official opening
Further to Tanya’s update on CNC, I was sent this information from Canmore Nordic Centre regarding what will be open and ready for skiing tomorrow:
- Frozen thunder
- Biathlon stadium
- Lesson grid in the penalty loop
- A section of the XC stadium(side closest to the daylodge, snowmaking will continue on the other side), that will connect with Frozen Thunder.
Peter Lougheed Provincial Park(PLPP)
The PLPP Live Grooming Report shows the trails which have been snowmobile packed. Take note, skiing is not recommended.
