The Lake Louise Ski Area is located in Banff National Park, adjacent to the village of Lake Louise, 57 km west of the Town of Banff, near the Continental Divide. Originally called The Temple Ski Area, the first lift was built on the lower slopes of Whitehorn Mountain in 1959. Today, the ski area is one of the biggest in North America and ranks as the largest of the four ski areas in the Rocky Mountain national parks (including Marmot Basin, Mount Norquay and Sunshine Village). The Lake Louise Ski Area plays an important role in the park’s winter tourism offer, and is a major employer in the Bow Valley and contributor to the provincial economy.
As part of the Canadian Rocky Mountain Parks World Heritage Site, Banff National Park, established in 1885, is an important international symbol of the achievement of Canada’s national park system. Banff, like all national parks, is dedicated to protecting and presenting Canada’s natural and cultural heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of present and future generations.
Parks Canada’s Ski Area Management Guidelines
Parks Canada’s policies concerning ski areas were originally developed in 2000, and updated in 2006, to guide the development of ski area planning. The Ski Area Management Guidelines reflect the full scope of Parks Canada’s mandate and were developed with input from national park communities, ski areas, tourism associations, environmental groups, and Canadians at large.
Implementation of the Ski Area Management Guidelines contributes to managing the development and use of ski areas in ways that respect the national park setting and facilitate improvements to ecological integrity, while providing ski area operators with opportunities to respond to changing trends in the ski marketplace. The Ski Area Management Guidelines provide the direction for developing site-specific guidelines and long range planning processes within clear policy boundaries.
Ski Area Planning Process
Parks Canada’s ski area planning process requires collaboration with the ski area; public consultation; and application of the requirements for federal lands under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act (2012). Under the Ski Area Management Guidelines, Parks Canada uses a five step planning process:
Step One: The ski area submits to Parks Canada a Vision Statement that outlines the concepts and initiatives that the ski area would like to pursue in the planning process.
Step Two: Parks Canada prepares, with input from the ski area, Site Guidelines that outline permanent growth limits and provide site-specific direction for development and use consistent with the Ski Area Management Guidelines. A Strategic Environmental Assessment is developed for the site guidelines. These documents are subject to public consultation, then considered for approval by Parks Canada.
Step Three: The ski area prepares a Long-Range Plan and associated Detailed Impact Analysis describing the group of project proposals, consistent with the Site Guidelines direction, that the ski area wishes to advance in a five to 15-year timeframe. These documents are also subject to public consultation, then considered for approval by the Minister of the Environment for decision.
Step Four: The ski area advances individual projects contained in an approved Long-Range Plan through Parks Canada’s development review process to obtain permits for implementation.
Step Five: The ski area implements follow-up and monitoring programs that are set out in the Long Range Plan.
For more information: www.parkscanada.gc.ca/lakelouise2015
