Hitting The Slopes, Eating Weird Things, And Other Goodness

Some months back, Mike’s mom, Ruth, and his sister, Michelle, came out to Alberta for a visit!

It was so great to see them, and the four of us headed out to the mountains for a two-day ski vacation in Banff. I hadn’t been on skis in almost a decade, and it had been quite a few years for Mike as well, but we managed to keep up with Michelle and Mum the whole first day at Lake Louise.

The snow was fantastic, and the weather couldn’t have been better! We had an amazing time.

Mike And Cal

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Michelle And Mom

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After a beautiful day of skiing, we drove back to Banff, and checked into our hotel. We had a great room, with an awesome view!

Our Hotel Room

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We all got cleaned up before going out for supper at Grizzly House. I’ve always wanted to try it, so I was really looking forward to eating there.

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We ordered cheese fondue, the exotic meat fondue, and then a chocolate with fruit fondue for dessert. The food was really fantastic.

Cheese Fondue

Sauces!

At The Grizzly House

Exotic Meat Fondue

Chocolate

All of the strange meat was delicious, except for the alligator, which I’ve tried before and didn’t really like the first time either. The ostrich was especially awesome! It’s more like steak than typical bird-meat. So good. I would definitely go back again and try some of their other fondue.

After much good wine, good food, and great company, we went back to the hotel and straight to the hot tub! It was so nice to soak and relax after a perfect day. We went to bed tired, but excited for skiing at Sunshine Village the following day!

We were up early, and after breakfast at Phil’s (one of our favorite places in Banff) we headed out to Sunshine.

The sky was totally clear, the sun was shining, it was one of the best ski days I’ve ever seen!

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We couldn’t get over the view, and the weather, and the conditions, which were great. I was rather sore from the day before, but after quite a few runs, I warmed up and it was easier going.

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Mike had one really good wipe-out, towards the end of the day, which resulted in a pretty good sized bruise on his leg, but that aside, everything was spectacular!

Mike's Bruise

Far too soon, it was time to go home. Mike and I did the ski-out to the bottom of the hill, while Ruth and Michelle took in a few more runs before calling it a day. We got back home just in time to pick up the kids and make some dinner.

The rest of the visit was spent hanging out with the younglings, celebrating Mike and Michelle’s birthdays, more good food and good wine, and of course catching up. It was sad to see them leave when the visit was over, but hopefully it won’t be long before we can see them again.

About the author

Mike & Cal have been backpacking around Alberta for the past decade. This site is where they share trip reports, photos, and tips and tricks for getting outside.

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