Après Ski at the Juniper Bistro

I had a wicked day skiing at Sunshine Village on Monday...the snow was great, the sun was shining and it was definitely spring skiing temperatures. After a couple hours of skiing, we had a nice little snack in the Chimney Corner Lounge inside the main lodge for a quick break and then went back to the hill. The warm temperatures meant really soft snow and great skiing conditions in the afternoon.

After leaving Sunshine Village we headed to the Juniper Bistro, located just outside the town of Banff at the bottom of Mount Norquay (right off the Trans Canada Highway). We sat on the patio and enjoyed some delicious après ski. This restaurant has $5 appetizers available from 5 - 9pm and an amazing view...in my opinion, the Juniper Bistro has one of the best patios in Banff! We ordered a lot of chicken wings and the cheese plate; all food was really delicious. And if you enjoy a Caesar; theirs are quite tasty :)

Banff's Littlest Cheerleader~

Check out Banff's mini-est cheerleader:



I was back in Ontario this week to visit my family and brought my niece this adorable hoodie from Roots Canada. Roots is located at 227 Banff Avenue and has some great Banff Hoodies. The quality of their sweatshirts is amazing; they can last for a long time and are a great reminder of your time spent in Banff.

Valentine's Contest

Help us celebrate Valentine's Day by guessing the number of cinnamon hearts in the Banff Aspen Lodge Jar to win a free night at the hotel! (FYI the jar can hold 16 liquid ounces).



Please send me an email at sales@banffaspenlodge.com with your guess by Sunday February 14th, 2010 to qualify to win the free night. I will contact the winner by Friday February 19th.

Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Festival

The third annual Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival is returning to Banff on Friday May 7th and Saturday May 8th, 2010. Enjoy some fantastic wine, port, scotch, beer and other premium spirits, along with delicious food samples prepared by Banff restaurants and hotels. My favourite part of this festival are the cheese samples that The Bison has given out at past festivals....loves their old Cheddar :)

The hotel has a Rocky Mountain Food and Wine Package that includes two night’s accommodation, a Canadian Rockies Continental Breakfast daily, passes to relax in the Banff Hot Springs and entry to either the afternoon or evening tasting sessions at the Banff Rocky Mountain Food & Wine Festival. This year the tasting sessions take place Friday May 7th from 7-10pm, Saturday May 8th from 2-5pm and Saturday May 8th from 7-10pm. Please call the Banff Aspen Lodge at 1-877-886-8857 to make your reservation: tickets to the tasting sessions are limited.

FYI that the Food and Wine tickets included in our package give admission to the tasting hall. You do have to purchase the Festival Sampling Coupons separately at the Grand Tasting Hall for the actual food and wine samples.

Looking forward to seeing all the foodies and wine lovers at the Festival :)

Guest Comments~

Here are some comments from Mr. D MacNeil who stayed at the hotel this January:

"All of the employees were helpful and courteous all of the time....can't think of anything at the hotel to change...thank you very much for a wonderful holiday."

Thanks for staying with us and hope to have you stay with us when you are in Banff again~

Emerald Lake Lodge

I had a wicked two day mini vacation to Emerald Lake Lodge last week. It is just over a one hour drive from Banff, located past Field British Columbia and is a true winter wonderland!

The food and wine are delicious and staff can be outstanding. We had one staff member build us a snowman one night after we made a jokingly comment about wanting one :)



We ate in the Mount Burgess Dining Room the first night and in the Lounge the second night...both places were awesome. I recommend the Ranch Elk Ribeye Steak and Roast Pumpkin Seed Crusted Lamb Rack.

There are some great cross country ski trails in the area, we did the beginner trail that goes along the lake and around the Alluvial Fan Loop. The scenery is gorgeous and the trail is flat for the most part...so perfect for beginners :)



If you are looking for a secluded winter getaway, check out www.crmr.com/emerald-lake-lodge.php for more information ~

Olympic Torch in Banff

I was in Banff's Central Park last night for the Olympic Torch Celebration. I got all decked out in my red and white gear to show my Canadian Pride:



It was a fabulous night with a great turnout. Performers included acrobats and drummers (kind of like Blue Man Group), Bomba (a Canadian Latin-Jazz Group) and the Canadian Tenors who sounded just awesome. I was standing in front of the line and was able to see Banff skier and Olympic medalist Karen Percy Lowe run by me with the flame...it was really an incredible experience.

Travelocity Gnome is Coming to Banff!

The results are in...the Travelocity Roaming Gnome is coming to Banff this weekend to cure his cabin fever! The people have spoken and feel that Banff is the better choice for the gnome for his first winter ski trip of the season and I couldn't agree more.



Enjoy your time in beautiful Banff National Park Roaming Gnome and please stop by the Banff Aspen Lodge for our delicious homemade granola if you have time :)

Ski Card for Banff and Lake Louise

I am going to be buying the Sunshine Marmot Ski Card and Louise Ski Card for this ski season. The Sunshine Marmot Card costs $79.95 and gives me seven days of skiing; with three free days and discounted tickets for the other four days. The card provides a savings of almost $300 for seven ski days - check out http://www.skibanff.com/ for more information. The Louise Card costs $99 and gives me two free ski days at any time and all other ski days cost just $50 per ticket - a savings of $25 per ticket. Visit http://www.skilouise.com/ for details.


I plan on going up to Sunshine Village on December 7th and cannot wait! The conditions have been wicked for early season with crazy amounts of snow so far...it is going to rock :)

This photo was taken on Thursday at Lake Louise...it looks incredible!

Walking to Work...

One of the things that I love most about living in Banff is that we get to see deer walking on the sidewalk. I always wonder...do they know the sidewalk is the "safe" place for them to walk to keep clear of cars? I took this photo on my way to work today...
Where is the coolest place you've ever seen a deer? Let me know~

WinterStart in Banff National Park

WinterStart begins Saturday November 28th and Sunday November 29th with the World Cup Alpine Ski Races in Lake Louise. If you can't make it to the Lake, check out the races from Banff Avenue on a big screen Jumbotron. The Men's Downhill and Super G races will be shown live from 10am - 8pm on the 200 block of Banff Avenue in Banff Avenue Square.

The Banff Aspen Lodge is offering a special WinterStart Package giving you the opportunity to "Naturally Indulge in the Rockies." This is a one night package that includes breakfast daily, passes to relax in the Banff Upper Hot Springs and a gift certificate to the Rocky Mountain Soap Company. Visit www.banffaspenlodge.com/u/specials.phtml for more information.

Free Hotel Stay in Banff National Park

Enter to win a two-night getaway at the Banff Aspen Lodge:

~Write a letter to me saying why you deserve a two-night stay at the Banff Aspen Lodge in beautiful Banff National Park. Whoever appeals to me as being the "most deserving" of this mini vacation will win two nights at the hotel. (*The letter must be a minimum of 50 words and a maximum of 150 words).

Send your letter to sales@banffaspenlodge.com by December 15th, 2009 to qualify. Good luck and I look forward to reading your letters!