Posts Tagged ‘Alberta’
Top 5 Stops on the Icefields Parkway
Looking for that extra adventure on your next ski holiday? The Icefields Parkway in Alberta, stretching over 144 miles (232 km) from Lake Louise to Jasper, might be just the ticket. This iconic road is ever-changing and you will find yourself glued to the window of your car as the views take your breath away.
The scheduled drive time according to Google Maps is just over 3 hours, however it will most likely will take you longer with various stops to take in the incredible views. With viewpoints dotted along the route, you can safely pull in to admire the views and take photos. It’s likely there will be wildlife sighting opportunities too, so remember to keep a look out!
Our top 5 stops on the Icefields Parkway are:
Athabasca Glacier
Credit: Pursuit Collection / Mike Seehagel
Our Top 5 Places to Instagram in Alberta
Alberta is filled with picturesque viewpoints and photogenic vantage points. A few members of the Ski Independence team were away on a fam trip to Alberta a few weeks ago and visited a few of these amazing places. Magda has given us a shortlist of her top 5 places that’ll look great on any Instagram feed.
#1 Sky Bistro on top of Sulphur Mountain
Credit: Brewster
Alberta’s Top 10 Restaurants: Hotspots & Hidden Gems
Alberta is full of hotspots and hidden gems that offer good food and have that all important welcoming & warm atmosphere. The Ski Independence team have spent many hours in the Canadian Rockies, and between us we’ve compiled a guide to our favourite restaurants. Perfect after a day in the mountains working up an appetite.
Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria – Jasper
Famoso imports its ovens and key ingredients from Naples, & Campania in a bid to serve the best Pizza outside of Italy. The restaurant has a fun & lively atmosphere – perfect for relaxing after a long day on the slopes. From Pizzas to Pasta, there’s something for all at this restaurant. This family friendly restaurant has a great reputation with locals and regular visitors alike, and we can see why.
The 10 Best Winter Activities in Alberta
With such world-class ski resorts, you’d be forgiven for thinking skiing and snowboarding were the only winter activities on the menu in Alberta. But this beautiful Canadian province is packed with opportunity.
Whether you’re stargazing in Jasper, treating yourself to spa day in Banff or dog sledding in Lake Louise, Alberta offers up the chance for adventure and indulgence in equal measure.
Whet your appetite with a sneak peek at our choice of the best winter activities away from the slopes:
Go stargazing
Jasper National Park – Dark Sky Preserve
Alberta boasts some of the largest dark sky preserves in the world. Protected from artificial light pollution, Jasper’s vast national park is the perfect place to gaze at the constellations. During the winter months, there’s also a good chance you may witness one of the most breath-taking phenomena in the world: the Northern Lights.
The Jasper Dark Sky Festival is held every autumn. It’s a fantastic celebration of stargazing, hosting informative workshops and events for all ages. Read the rest of this entry »
Ski Alberta; the recipe for a Perfect Ski Holiday
What’s the recipe for the perfect ski holiday? Maybe a sprinkle of snow, a big heap of terrain, a soupcon of sunshine, a pinch of stunning scenery, and a dollop of après-ski? Alberta has all the ingredients to make the skiing equivalent of a Michelin star meal!
Pristine Mount Norquay Powder (photo by Dan Evans)
The Perfect Ski Holiday ingredient #1: Powder
Top 5 expert runs in North America
We had a heated argument in the pub the other night about the top 5 epic expert ski runs in North America. The debate was fierce – what makes a ski run ‘epic’ – pitch, scale, snow, exposure, elevation, scary terrain features, fear factor, what?
Pitch can be conquered with bullet-proof technique. Scale means stamina. Runs always change their character in different snow conditions, weather, light and time of day. Exposure makes you feel alive. Elevation – no pain, no gain. Scary terrain features? I laugh in the face of ‘mandatory air’! Fear factor – beats the crap out of the X-factor. What should be included, and what criteria should we use? Does Snowbird have better terrain than Kicking Horse? Is the snow depth and quality in Fernie better than Crested Butte? Who can say, but in my opinion a truly epic ski run needs five qualities – (1) a degree of difficulty that keeps you thinking and working hard the whole way down. (2) a fear factor. (3) a tick-the-box factor. (4) an aura. (5) a scale that’s off the dial.
