Pros: Comped soup, and lift tickets. Cons: They got rid of the soup
“Sleep at the Fairmont Banff Springs” has been item #34 on my bucket list for quite a long time. As we looked to conclude the year of milestone birthday trips, Marisa and I decided we would make ours a combined ski trip (and invite Colleen and Sasha to tag along). SkiBig3 had some good sales after Thanksgiving, so we picked the week between our two birthdays and made reservations. Airfare between MSP and Calgary wasn’t too terrible on the Delta nonstops and I reserved my normal Emerald Aisle rental with National.
We planned to fly on Monday and Friday, with ski days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The drive from the airport to downtown Banff only takes about 90 minutes and we purchased the required park passes ahead of time, so we didn’t have to stop at the park entrance. Sasha and Marisa brought their own skis with, so we had one large ski bag, four large suitcases and a bunch of carry-ons. Thankfully, National had a Mazda SUV for us that really held up all week with the extreme winter conditions (heated steering wheels are awesome).
Speaking of conditions, the Canadian equivalent of the National Weather Service warned: “Temperatures will plummet to values not seen in years.” Air temp was -30C (-22F) during the early part of the week, closing two of the three ski areas completely on Tuesday. That was the day Marisa and I got to experience the Canadian health system with a morning visit to Banff Mineral Springs Hospital. She had flu symptoms the night before and they did a great job helping get her back in shape for skiing the last two days. Everything was pre-pay for service, so we are now working with our regular insurance to get reimbursed for the hospital and doctor fees (which weren’t outrageous).
What can I say about the hotel? The Fairmont Banff Springs is one of the most iconic hotels in the world, built as part of the Canadian Pacific Railway network in 1888. The “Castle in the Rockies” was just perfect – historic, great amenities and flawless customer service. It’s not cheap, but in the overall scheme of world-class hotels, very competitive. Tipping was included for most services, so that was different (and convenient, since I didn’t exchange for any Canadian currency this time). The valet was wonderful all week – we’d just call down to the concierge (“How is the Kingsbury Family doing today?”) and they would pull our warmed up car to the front entrance. The bellmen were great – somehow loading up everything at the end of the trip back into the SUV. Maid service also went the extra mile to line up shoes, organize things on the desk and generally pick up after our daily mess.
The hotel has at least three known ghost stories. Our favorite was the Ghost Bride, who was commemorated with a postage stamp and coin by the Canadian government in 2014. Sasha and I spent one night searching for the staircase, where the hotel has a picture hanging (along with the stamp and coin). The ghost of Sam the Bellman and the alleged murder-suicide in room 873 are tales that added an extra element of suspense every time the lights by the elevator would flicker when the doors opened. There was a cool museum-style area off of the lobby that was loaded with historical pictures and artifacts. The old pictures of the golf course and visits from Queen Elizabeth and Marilyn Monroe were highlights for me.
We ate at two of the twelve hotel restaurants: Castello Italiana and the Swiss-themed Waldhaus Pub & Biergarten. Both were high quality with great service. I think the Waldhaus might have been the original golf course clubhouse, as it was set down a hill from the main hotel along the river (and near the current 15th hole). Colleen and Sasha both enjoyed time in the Willow Stream Spa, which included the semi-spooky indoor pool. There were also outdoor pools that amazingly had people in them, despite the extremely frigid temperatures (how exactly did they get out there?). The hotel also had several very nice stores, a free ski storage room (with overnight boot heaters) and a uniquely Canadian five pin bowling alley (which is really difficult to master).
The actual town of Banff is a short ride or walk from the hotel, across the Bow River. It was a wonderful little mountain town, full of shops and restaurants and surrounded by the most amazing mountain vistas. On our arrival on Monday, we picked up my rental skis at the SkiBig3 Adventure Hub and had lunch at Tommy’s Neighbourhood Pub. Other stops over the course of the week included a great dinner at the Maple Leaf Grill (with the bison tenderloin recommended by my friend Chuck), poutine at the local McDonald’s, shopping at Roots and Hudson’s Bay and a visit to the largest rock store I’ve ever seen in my life. I also wanted to try out the famous Beaver Tails, but they didn’t really have any indoor seating and it was just too cold to stand around outside for any length of time.
As far as skiing goes, there are three different resorts near Banff: Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise Ski Resort. Norquay is the closest to town, but we elected to skip that one when we found out we could only ski two days. We decided to go to Sunshine Village on Wednesday, as several people told us that Sunshine sometimes gets temperature inversions that make it warmer there compared to town. The other unique thing about Sunshine is that the base area is just a parking lot in front of a building with a gondola. A long ride takes you up to the actual resort (with one stop in the middle for Goat’s Eye Mountain). We didn’t have great visibility that day and had difficulty finding easier, groomed runs to ease back into skiing shape. Groomed runs don’t seem to be as big a thing in the Canadian Rockies as they are at home, so we were initially a little uncomfortable (and I was extra cautious this trip anyways, for obvious reasons). We did find a few runs off the Strawberry Express chair, which is marketed as their beginner chair (sigh). We also skied the Wawa lift, but that was about it. I would love to try it again with warmer temps, clear skies and more confidence in my skiing ability.
On Thursday, we went to Lake Louise. By the second day, we were more comfortable with the bus shuttle system: all three resorts have nice coach-style busses that pick up right in front of the hotel. Schedules varied, but there were usually 5-6 departures and returns each day to each one. The Fairmont was the first stop in the mornings and the last to drop off on the return, with 2-3 stops at various spots in town. Lake Louise is the farthest resort from Banff, but it took less than an hour to get there on the Trans-Canada Highway. The town of Lake Louise is a few minutes away from the ski resort and is home to a couple of other cool hotels, including the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise and the Post Hotel. I thought about the hotel package that let you split your time between the castle and the chateau, but I’m glad we did what we did. It would’ve been cool (literally) to see the ice sculptures on the lake for their Ice Magic competition, but that just wasn’t in the cards this time.
We loved the skiing and atmosphere at Lake Louise. The bus dropped us off right in front of the Lodge of the Ten Peaks and one of the friendly information guides told us that the breakfast buffet at the Northface Bistro was the spot to go for pre-skiing food. After a great meal, we discovered there are only two choices from that spot: the Glacier Express chair and the Grizzly Express gondola. We started with the chair and took two great runs on nice intermediate cruisers that really tired us out. After another stop in the chalet (and a visit to the nice ski shop), we tried the gondola. It’s not the highest lift there, but I felt like I was on the top of the world when we exited (and honestly, a little frightened at how everything dropped off from that point). Lake Louise prides itself on having green, blue and black runs from every lift, but the cat track we took down from there was scary just for the fact that the runs that crossed it were very steep. But once we got down below the tree line, it turned into our favorite run of the trip.
One of the things that I still find magical about skiing in the big mountains are the moments of complete silence you sometimes find among the trees in the back country. Since our week was so cold, none of the locals really wanted to be out, so it was nice and uncrowded all over. I let the girls ski ahead of me on that long, green cruiser and at one point I just stopped and soaked in the silence. That trail crossed in front of another favorite thing of mine, the mid-mountain chalet with sun deck and greasy mountain cafeteria food. The Temple Lodge made me think of the great times I used to have with my Uncle Greg at the Outback Inn in Idaho. He would’ve loved this trip… ❤️
- My mom (and her dad and brother)
- 20/20 vision
- Prince, Petty and Bowie
- Running (and My People)
- Marathon-level fitness
- Mountain skiing
- Warm weather
- Disneyland (and World)
- Happy Hour (with no happy)
Keeping a positive outlook and all, but this is still truth…
I’ve never been big on year-end lists or goal summaries here, but I’ve always done a fair amount of goal-setting privately. This past year has put a different spin on my perspective, so I thought it might be useful to share a few things as 2019 gets started. In hindsight, a lot of my previous health goals seem rather vain compared to plain old recovery. And how fortunate was I in the past to just want to run faster, bike farther or finish another marathon? Now, regaining my normal vision (without prism lenses) is goal #1, followed closely by getting cleared to resume driving and riding a bike. I’m very thankful that the outlook for all of these things is good – much of this might happen by the middle of March.
Since Dr. Tummala gave me the OK to resume treadmill running, I’ve felt good the past week, with three slowish runs totaling 7.1 miles. I also did one nine mile ride on a stationary bike and resumed doing light dumbbell repeats. Not really sure what workout goals to set for 2019 – the only race I’m registered for is the Get in Gear 10K in April and I’d really like to participate in the Bike to Work challenge again in May. Beyond that, I just want to stay consistent all year and not have any big gaps in my charts (which happened twice in 2018). It would be nice to return to regular weekly runs with WeRunMpls once the ice melts and I’d love to reschedule a ski trip for next season (Banff, Colorado or Schweitzer). Lots of golf outings to schedule with people too.
The doctors cleared a return to air travel already, but money and time will be limited. The original plan was to give each person in our family a trip for their respective milestone birthday in 2019, but all of those plans are on hold for the time being. Most likely options? A quick Las Vegas trip after the Final Four and maybe a work trip to the annual Cisco conference, which is in San Diego this year (June 9-13). And of course Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens in both Florida and California this year, but that will likely fall in the Tokyo/Lanai/Switzerland dream trip category for the time being.
With the Vikings season over, my job shifts focus to the Final Four on April 6th and 8th. We have four large events before then (two trade shows and two dirt shows), but there is a lot to do before “the road ends” in Minneapolis. Then we get to break down that setup for Garth Brooks and his sold-out stadium tour before prepping for Summer X Games (version 3.0). Since X Games moves to early August, there won’t be a lot of time between that and football pre-season. With all that work to do, maybe I should start daydreaming again about building a tiny cabin on the North Shore to escape to with the family…
Wow, how lucky am I to be writing this post? Happy New Year to all of you – may 2019 be full of love, health and prosperity!
I sign up for online contests all the time (which is probably why I get so much junk mail), but it seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve won anything. Last month, though, I got a call from City Pages and the nice marketing person said I won a ski trip to Michigan. I picked up the certificate from their offices near Ford Center and called Indianhead Mountain Resort reservations. The prize was good for two free nights in the main lodge, with two sets of “BIG” lift tickets (good at both Indianhead and Blackjack Ski Resort). Kid one had a speech tournament, so kid two and I left on Friday and headed to the U.P.
We took our time on Friday, stopping at Tobies in Hinckley before driving to Duluth and across to Superior. I wanted to check out Legendary Waters Resort and Casino, so we drove to Ashland and took the left turn up to Bayfield. I’ve been through Ashland before, but the whole Bayfield area was new to me. I’ve always read about concerts at Big Top Chautauqua, but have never made it to one. Bayfield was like a southern Grand Marais, with a marina and lots of touristy shops and restaurants. Washburn was also a nice small town with some very pretty architecture.
Legendary Waters is a new(ish) casino right on the big lake, but was much smaller than I expected. We had lunch in their restaurant and overall I thought it was a very nice property. Our server said they had been open three years and I later found out that Shakopee financed most of it. I signed up for their players club, got extra free play for my birthday (and for providing my email address) and won around $35 without risking any of my own money. I also stopped briefly at Bad River Casino on the way to Hurley and Ironwood, signed up for their club and basically won the same amount there. That floor was a little larger and had a nice selection of new games.
We drove through Ironwood and on to the ski resort area around Bessemer and Wakefield. There are several ski resorts in this area, but this was my first time to any of them (I’d been to Hurley and Ironwood twice in the past for consulting gigs). We found the Indianhead access road and pulled in to a dark parking lot in front of the main lodge (which brought to mind images of The Shining). We entered the lobby, which was aglow in candle light, and was told Xcel Power was in the middle of a regional power outage. They were still able to check us in, though, since everything had already been printed out (they had old-school room keys instead of key cards).
With no power for lights in the room or the restaurant, we drove back to Ironwood for dinner and ate at the Golden Dragon. I’d been to most of the restaurants in Ironwood and remembered liking all of them, but our experience this time was awful. The service at Golden Dragon was fine, but the food was terrible. I can tolerate most things, but this was honestly the worst Chinese food I’ve ever had.
We returned back to the lodge after dinner and found they still had no power. We waited in our running car for a few hours, but MK needed a bathroom and didn’t want to use one in the dark. I drove her back to the Ironwood Walmart, thinking we could waste some time walking around. We walked in the first set of doors and, I kid you not, the power went out! Their generators kicked on long enough for MK to use the facilities before they announced the store was closing and everybody needed to get out. We returned to the lodge and the lights finally came on a few hours later.
We got all our gear to the room and finally got to sleep around midnight. The rooms at the main lodge were what I would call “ski area rustic,” with lots of 70s-era wood paneling, pink bathtub and toilet, a small tube TV and no open electrical outlets anywhere but the bathroom. I also thought it was funny that the light switches were also connected to the primary outlets, so *everything* went off when you flipped the switch. We could hear other people through the thin walls, but thankfully it wasn’t bad most of the time. Slept fine in the beds and there was hot water in the shower too.
The main lodge is located away from the upper chalet, so you either have a very long walk, take a shuttle or drive your car over to the ski area parking lot (which is what we did). The weather the first day was so-so: cloudy, with a little wind, some light snow and a bit colder than we would’ve liked. We rented some nice gear for MK from the ski shop (two day junior fee for everything: $59). Lift tickets would’ve cost us $206, so that was a nice prize to win (the lodging was worth another $400 or so). We ate lunch at the lower chalet (very basic ski area food) and later stopped for some hot chocolate at the upper chalet.
That night we decided to drive back into Ironwood to try a different restaurant, Maple Steakhouse. We struck out again and had the manager give us a discount off the bill. This time it was both service and food quality – our server just plain disappeared after bringing us our main course and the meat they served me in my sandwich was awful (surprising for a steakhouse).
On Sunday we decided to check out of our room and drive over to the other ski area, Blackjack. It’s only a few miles away and just recently merged with Indianhead – they even run a shuttle bus between the two resorts. The weather was nicer, but I freaked out at first, as I couldn’t get my boots on in the parking lot. I sent MK off to take a run on her own while I went inside to try in a warmer setting (which worked). We took a few runs together in front of the chalet, then decided to try a run farther over called Spillway.
That was a mistake.
Spillway was a steep run that hadn’t been groomed and was very icy. I had gone first to check it out, but MK quickly picked up speed and passed me. The run got steeper towards the bottom, then leveled out and curved to the left to get back to the lift. There were also several open patches of water on that runout area and unfortunately MK ended up crashing into one of them, where she sat in about a foot of icy water. I caught up to her as fast as I could, popped off my skis, jumped in and got her out of the water. The lift attendant came running over and he radioed for the ski patrol.
While waiting for the ski patrol snowmobile, we walked MK over to the lift shack to warm up. The sled arrived and they drove her over to the patrol office in the chalet. I took the lift up and found my way back over there too. The woman in the office had her under blankets and warmers and there was an awesome patrol dog watching over her too. I went to the car to get dry clothes and also ordered her some hot food from the cafeteria.
I liked the Blackjack chalet more than the other ones and we hung out there for a while until she felt recovered. Thankfully nothing was broken – just the thin ice on top of the pond she fell in. The ski shop in the building was selling ski patrol shirts as a fundraiser, so we bought one (and gave an additional donation in the jar). Thanks to everyone at Blackjack who helped us out that day – you rocked. They even took care of returning her rental gear for us so we didn’t have to drive that stuff back to Indianhead.
We basically drove straight back to Duluth from Blackjack and met my sister Lynn for dinner at Grandma’s in Canal Park. Much, much better food and service there. We also stopped at the Electric Fetus on Superior Street, which is always a fun store to shop.
Not exactly the trip I thought we’d have, but still a fun adventure. Plus, MK says she is willing to try skiing again this year.
Watch out Afton!