Oh God, not more pictures of mountains...

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Over the last six months I’ve been lucky enough to see some of the best mountain ranges in the world. The Swiss Alps with their chocolate box pretty villages, the cactus friendly San Bernadino Mountains in California, Whistler in British Colombia and of course, not forgetting the Himalayas in China. The biggest and wildest range of mountains I’ve ever had the privilege to visit.
But I’m sure if you took a designer or architect and asked them to build a set of mountains, they would take the form of the Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park, the geometry and design of this range of mountains almost seems man-made with their clean lines and horizontal striations, they have to be the most aesthetically pleasing mountains in the world.

Having visited Lake Louise last year for a week’s skiing, I won’t bore you too much with the details of this year’s trip. As ever it’s sleep, board, eat, sleep, board, eat etc. Only difference this year was due to the nasty Credit Crunch this year we had to downgrade to a 3 star in the town from the delightful Chateau hotel on the lake. This actually wasn’t too bad as there was a few more things to do in the town, I even went on a Bear Grills like adventure to find the town station, luckily I managed to survive the Arctic like conditions and made it back to the hot tub.

So instead, I’ll leave you with some photos of my favourite mountain, Mount Temple, complete with its own glacier, the McDonald glacier, and my Canadian Top Ten:

1: Mount Temple, it’s just so pretty, I could stare at it all day. I may start a cult in which I worship Mount Temple, if you have any donations for the new order, send them through.

2: Poutine, food of the Gods. Chips, cheese and gravy, a perfect winter warmer when you are on the slopes at -25C. I think poutine eating will be incorporated in to my cult some how.

3. Survivorman. A true Canadian survival hero whom I first came across a few years ago. I have been much mocked for my enjoyment of the Survivorman series over the years, but a nice cuppa and an hour of watching him survive various perilous situations is the perfect way to relax after a hard day on the piste.

4. Ice hockey. Only North American sport worth watching, especially if there is a good fight going on.

5. Ski resorts. Big, empty, no queues and good snow records. Once you go Canadian, you’re hooked.

6. Kokanee beer, it’s a glacier beer. Not sure if that means it’s brewed by trolls who live in a glacier or it’s just a marketing ploy to pull in gullible tourists like me, who knows? Who cares? It tastes good.

7. Big trucks. 4x4 in Canada - correct. 4x4 in London - wrong!

8. Canadian people. Very nice lot, polite and honest as I found out when my camera was returned after I lost it in Whistler. Talk a bit funny, but good job Canadians!

9. Banff national park and the rest of the Rockies. Stripy mountains are so cool.

10. Mounties. What a ridiculous uniform, it could only work in Canada!

OK, enough travelblogs for the time being. No holidays until at least September so keep your fingers crossed for a long hot summer in the UK.

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Photos

Cool dudes
Check this out, it was -25C and that was without the wind chill factor. I think it has to be the coldest I've ever been. Frostbite was imminant

I've missed you
The beauty of Mount Temple hasn't faded in the last year, it's still stunning

Where Eagles dare
Calgary Olympic Park, where Eddie 'the eagle' Edwards strove for Olympic glory in 1988. You've got to admire his guts, it's high.

High street Banff
Bears shop here in the summer, so I've been told.

Lake Louise ski hill
Big slopes, plenty of room to fall.

If the mountain won't come to Mary
then Mary will come to the mountain

Just resting
Taking photos is always a good excuse to have a 5 minute sit down.

Steeper than it looks
I'm sure this was a black double dimond (honestly)

Designer mountains
And they say horizontal stripes make you look fat.

Big train
I stumbled on to the wrong side of the tracks on my ramblings.

Lake Louise Station
Closed in the winter. And we think we have delays here, at least they don't last a season.

Restaurant car
Literally, the old car has been turned in to a nice restaurant. Think it was closed, as with most things here in the winter.

One for luck
Just one more of Mount Temple, I can't help it...