"Spiff" wrote in message
...

Good job Joe...my only bit of advice would have been to buy the best
boots you could afford and either rent a board or buy at the end of
the season when they tend to blow out gear for a lot cheaper...
Chances are you wont outgrow the boots, but will the bindings and
board...
Its awesome out here in Alberta...Since you are going in the winter
time, its alot cheaper for accomodations (its considered the
off-season..haha).
I was out at Lk Louise last weekend...not bad conditions...a base of
only about 3ft but enough to keep things buried...Dont count on being
able to board some of the black diamond runs due to the thin snow
cover...

And then there's the problem of not being able to board them due to a thin
skill set. g

Banff Springs and Chateau Lk Louise...you must be royalty...

Far from it ... the ski shop appears to be getting an excellent group rate
for the package, and as you say, these places are cheaper in the winter. In
fact, the region is being promoted as a budget travel destination. See
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3752015/
That's one of the reasons this trip is so attractive. We've talked about
returning to Banff since we were there in the summer of 1993, but I think
we've always assumed that if we did go back, it would be summer again, when
the majestic resort hotels are priced sky-high and we'd probably avoid them
again.

Joe Ramirez