Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • Stay & Play
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding

Spring in the Rockies Can’t Be Beat

  • March 12, 2020
  • Ben Osborne
Total
6
Shares
6
0
0
0
0
0
Total
6
Shares
Share 6
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

words :: Ben Osborne // cover photo :: Dan Evans / Courtesy Norquay.

It’s kind of backwards, isn’t it? As the snowpack in the mountains out west stacks up and the temperatures get more bearable, people’s interest in the mountains tends to wane. Shoulder season for most represents a time of transition. After a long winter season, people want to do something new—we get it.

In the Rockies, Spring might seem like the time to move away from the mountains and onto the golf course, the bike trails, or the river. But in reality, it’s just the opposite—spring is time to make use of all that the winter-long conditioning you’ve done, whether in the mountains or on the après patio.

Maybe it’s out of necessity—you need to use your Ikon or Mountain Collective Pass to get your last few days. Or, maybe there’s an epic deal—there’s no better time for value when it comes to hotel packages at SkiBig3 than in the spring. However you end up in the Rockies, you’ll notice three things—the events are all-time, après-ski might be the best part of your day, and the backcountry can offer some of the best (and safest conditions) of the year.

All-Time Après 

It’s no secret that sitting on a patio in the sunshine with a beverage is a good time—but doing it after a day on the hill holds a special place in any skier or rider’s heart. With more daylight, it’s easy to pack plenty of activities into your day, and après is one you need to factor into your schedule if you’re visiting the Canadian Rockies this spring.

Is there anything better than après beers on a sunny patio? Photo: courtesy Noel Hendrickson / Banff and Lake Louise Tourism

In Banff, the Banff Ave Brewing Company is celebrating 10 years of serving up tasty microbrews alongside a menu full of delicious food options. Take a tour of the brewery (if your legs still have anything left) and you’ll get six samplers and a 32 oz. growler to take home with you as a souvenir.

Taking the water from six glaciers high in the Rockies, grain from high-altitude Alberta family farms, and adding in a whole lot of love, Park Distillery serves up delicious cocktails and spirits unlike anywhere else in the world. We’d recommend the Glacier Rye, which took home Gold at the International SIP Awards in 2017.

Après with a twist. Photo: Devan Ingraham

If you’re still looking for a bit of friendly competition after your day on the hill, head over to High Rollers for some pins, pizza, and pints. Part bowling alley, part beer hall, this small slice of New York City has something for everyone. 

Fun in the Sun

Go ahead and get more bang for your buck with the Untracked Concert Series in Banff after a day on the hill. Starting on April 4th through May, nothing screams ski trip more than dancing in your boots until the wee hours of the morning—and the Untracked Concert Series is a good place to start.

Live music at the base of the mountain at Lake Louise. Photo: courtesy SkiBig3

On the hill, spring is when a season’s worth of creativity and flow come to fruition—at Sunshine Village, that will take place in the form of the Howly Bowly. Join in on the fun as world-class riders descend upon the Rockies for a competition that doesn’t follow your normal rules, and always delivers in entertainment value.

The most unique event in snowboarding goes down at Sunshine Village on April 20. Photo: courtesy Sunshine Village

The Backyard Battle at Norquay offers another unique competition format with a head-to-head bracket of riders playing “S.N.O.W.” against each other to decide who moves on to the next round. The best part? The winner takes home a brand new Chrysler Daytona Turbo.

As spring goes on and things start to heat up, Shake The Lake at Lake Louise offers the perfect segue into summer with tropical vibes the form of the always-entertaining Pond Skim, the Kokanee Kup, and a party run down Easy Street in support of Bikinis for Breast Cancer.

 Go Deeper

While the party goes on in the valley, in the mountains things remain serious—and for good reason. There’s a special time in any hardcore mountain person’s heart when the snowpack starts to tighten up and the long days mean pushing deeper—and there is perhaps no better place in Canada than the Rockies in the spring for tackling big objectives.

Heaven for a skier, a normal spring day in the Rockies. Photo: courtesy Reuben Krabbe / SkiBig3

Just a short drive away from the liveliness of the town of Banff, a massive slice of iconic Rockies skiing awaits you in Banff National Park. Here you’ll find a huge variety of terrain for all levels of backcountry rider and plenty of options depending on avalanche hazard.

There a whole world out there—you just gotta go out and get it. Photo: courtesy Reuben Krabbe / SkiBig3

Bow Summit’s easy access and variety of terrain makes it most popular, but don’t forget about other options such as the Crowfoot Glacier and Mount Jimmy Simpson which offer excellent options for skiing and more amazing views.

No matter what you’re going for, the Rockies offer a wholesome experience in the spring that you don’t want to miss out on. Put away your golf clubs—ski season doesn’t stop until a long winter’s worth of snow and good vibes have plenty of time to melt away. —ML

Total
6
Shares
Share 6
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • Apres
  • Banff
  • Lake Louise
Ben Osborne

Previous Article
  • The Great Outdoors

Skijoring the Beltline Trail

  • March 11, 2020
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
Next Article
  • The Great Outdoors

The Raven: Friend, Guide, Ancestor, and Trickster

  • March 13, 2020
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
You May Also Like
Explore-the-Bruce-Boating-Paddling
View Post
  • Mountain Biking
  • On The Trail
  • Ontario
  • Paddling
  • Stay & Play
  • Travel

The Artistic River Village: Discovering Paisley

  • Mountain Life Media
  • June 15, 2022
FrenchRiver_FRBridge_EMELEG_6264
View Post
  • Ontario
  • Paddling
  • Stay & Play

Speaking French: Savouring One of Canada’s Most Historic Rivers

  • Mountain Life Media
  • June 6, 2022
View Post
  • Rockies
  • Stay & Play

The All-Canadian Adventure

  • Sarah Bulford
  • June 1, 2022
River-crossing-Cambria-Icefield-ABBY-COOPER
View Post
  • Features
  • Skiing

Kwhlixhoosa’anskw: A River Runs Through

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 19, 2022
Jamie-Mocrazy-portrait
View Post
  • Mountain Lifer
  • Skiing
  • The ML Interview

Jamie MoCrazy: Thriving after Traumatic Brain Injury

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 17, 2022
Dynafit-Sea-to-Summit-Delphi-harbor-revised
View Post
  • Skiing
  • Videos

Friday Flick: Skiing with the Gods of Delphi

  • Mountain Life Media
  • May 13, 2022
View Post
  • Skiing
  • Snowboarding
  • The Great Outdoors

Blower Pow and Disappearing Pants

  • Sarah Bulford
  • April 26, 2022
Blue-Mountain-Film-Festival-group-Ontario-Kristin-Schnelten-Blue-Village
View Post
  • Ontario
  • Stay & Play
  • Videos

Blue Mountain Film Festival Debuts in June

  • Mountain Life Media
  • April 14, 2022

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Featured Posts
  • Diana-Lee-Sunrise-SUP 1
    What SUP: Hardboard or Inflatable?
    • June 27, 2022
  • Nic-Groulx-Sam-Dickie-on-the-Great-Divide-Trail crop 2
    The Legend of Sam Dickie & the Cougar
    • June 23, 2022
  • Mason Mashon Photo - Xaays Canoe Journey ML 3
    The Great Canoe
    • June 21, 2022
  • Mountain-Life-Blue-Mountains-Summer-2022-spreads-cover 4
    ML Blue Mountains Summer 2022 Issue Out Now
    • June 22, 2022
  • The-Yin-and-Yang-of-Gerry-Lopez-still-2 5
    Friday Flick: The Yin & Yang of Gerry Lopez
    • June 17, 2022
RECENT POSTS
  • The-North-Face_SS21_Vectiv_Trail-Run_Saunders-
    Gear Shed: Summer Trail Shoes
    • June 20, 2022
  • Property-Valet-HQ-group-Kristin-Schnelten
    Property Valet: Creating (and Managing) Beautiful Memories
    • June 16, 2022
  • 1970s-dual-suspension-MotoBMX-BRETT-TIPPIE
    Brett Tippie’s Old Bike Day
    • June 16, 2022
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
Morning rip with @jessemunden_ 🫡 #mountainlifer
Who’s having a multi-sport day?! 😆 @timemmett probably is.
Bruce County is much more than the Bruce Peninsula. We’re here to let you in on a secret: a thriving community nestled in Bruce County’s interior region, just waiting to be discovered. The village of Paisley offers something for everyone, and isn’t overrun by summer crowds.
The mere thought of a cougar or any other apex predator in our midst can turn a backcountry adventure into a psychological test of mind over matter. Luckily, our fears are mostly in our heads and few have experienced a negative wildlife encounter. But, for ultramarathoner @samuel.dickie, it got real. #Linkinbio to read more!
MAG DROP! 🤩
Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day (today and every day)!
Together with our partners we’ve picked our favourite summer trail shoes, in alpha order, for your crush-it summer. #linkinbio
Happy Father’s Day to all the RAD DADS out there!! 🙌
Join the Climb for Climate Challenge on @fatmap_official! Whether you’re gaining your vert on the climbing wall, the dirt trail, or the pavement, hashtag #ClimbForClimate in the title of your adventure, and @mountainhardwear will donate $1 to @protectourwinterscanada for every 20m vertical up to $5,000–100,000m. Signing up enters you to win: a 1-month membership to FATMAP premium and a $500 MHW gift card. (Challenge runs June 16-26.)
GIVEAWAY TIME! We've teamed up with @hydroflask.ca to give you a chance to WIN an epic prize pack! The perfect pairing for a SUP expedition or an adventure in the mountains! Prize pack includes:
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

Morning rip with @jessemunden_ 🫡 #mountainlifer
Who’s having a multi-sport day?! 😆 @timemmett probably is.
Bruce County is much more than the Bruce Peninsula. We’re here to let you in on a secret: a thriving community nestled in Bruce County’s interior region, just waiting to be discovered. The village of Paisley offers something for everyone, and isn’t overrun by summer crowds.
The mere thought of a cougar or any other apex predator in our midst can turn a backcountry adventure into a psychological test of mind over matter. Luckily, our fears are mostly in our heads and few have experienced a negative wildlife encounter. But, for ultramarathoner @samuel.dickie, it got real. #Linkinbio to read more!
MAG DROP! 🤩
Happy National Indigenous Peoples Day (today and every day)!
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.