Banff Instructor Course, Final week

 
Well its that time of year in Canada, the days are getting longer, the snow is getting softer and the bears are waking up, It must be spring in the mountains. Spring here in Banff is probably my favorite time of year, the resorts still have amazing snow coverage and the weather gets super warm in town. The kokanee cabin bar at the bottom of Louise’s terrain park goes off as do all the patio bars in Banff.
            The down side of this time of year is it means the season is coming to a close for the basecamp course in Canada however we had an amazing send off week. With the level 2 exams out of the way( 100%pass rate from our group by the way) its time to relax and enjoy the last week of skiing. The groups focused on lost of freeriding and park skiing this week and we had amazing weather for it. Most days would start off with a trip to the back bowls as the sun hits there first in the morning. We were able to ride un-crowded steep terrain with almost tropical weather then head back to the frontside in the afternoon for some slushy spring park laps. With the weather being almost 10 degrees some afternoons it was easy to finish things off with a tasty beverage on the patio before heading back into town.
            The group had their interviews with Kevin, the snow school director at lake Louise this week and things were unbelievably positive! Our group now has an intimate knowledge of the resort and has received 11 weeks of training from some of the best in the business so as Kevin put it “ why wouldn’t we want to hire everyone” I expect to see a large group of basecamp alumni in the locker room with me next season!
            Saturday was about 15 degrees in Banff so we decided to finish off the last day with a BBQ in the courtyard of our accommodation right in downtown. Mr. Linley Lewis even came out from London just to cook dinner for the group! After the BBQ Tom and I took everyone for one final night out on the town.
            Its been an amazing year for Basecamp’s return to Banff and it almost could not have gone any smoother. Everyone had the time of their lives and for those hoping to continue on to a career in the snowsports industry things are looking good!
            As I call Banff home I will be here for the remaining 5 weeks of the season so keep your eyes out for more posts from Lake Louise in the spring!
 
-Andrew