Lake Louise Run Names

The naming of ski runs at Lake Louise Ski Resort follows three traditions: geographical description, Indigenous and geological roots, and a mountain culture of “shame and fame” that immortalises both local legends and operational mishaps.

Shame and fame. Many of the resort’s most challenging lines are named after individuals who pioneered them or suffered a notable incident; creating a map of cautionary tales. Leap Frog (formerly Pascal’s Jump; a feature, not a run) honours Pascal, a French-Canadian volunteer patroller known for “hucking” the jump and joking that he was the “famous frog.” Instructors Gully and Instructors Bowl recall a 1989 incident when a ski instructor led a group into a closed area and triggered an avalanche. Kernahan’s Folly honours a snowcat operator who attempted to drive his machine down a steep pitch. Brown Cow (formerly Brown Shirt) nods to a volunteer patroller who “poached” the run while it was closed; and to the Park Wardens and Sir Norman Watson’s Brown Swiss cow ideas. Wounded Knee is a double entendre: it acknowledges the knee-wrenching moguls of the Back Bowls and the 1973 Wounded Knee Occupation; a landmark Indigenous rights event that resonated with 1970s ski patrol and management.

Honouring influential figures. Charlie’s Choice is named after Charlie Locke; who saved the mountain from receivership in 2008; and offers his favourite views of Mount Temple and the Victoria Glacier. Lake Lindsey Way honours Lindsey Vonn’s 18 World Cup wins at the resort. Rodney’s Ridge honours Rodney Touche, who oversaw the 1970s expansion and the opening of the Back Bowls.

Indigenous and geological roots. Wiwaxy takes its name from the Stoney Nakoda word for “windy” and Wiwaxy Gap at Lake O’Hara; geologists used it to name the fossil Wiwaxia corrugata. Lipalian Chutes refer to the “Lipalian unconformity” between Precambrian and Cambrian rock; the mountain was named by Arthur Coleman in 1884. The Alphabet Gullies (A–I) were originally avalanche control targets labelled by Parks Canada; Charlie Locke reverted a 2007 marketing rebrand to their “plain and simple” letters. Wapta derives from the Stoney Nakoda word for “river” or “running water”; the same root as Wapta Falls, Wapta Lake, and the Wapta Icefield, whose meltwater feeds the Bow and Kicking Horse rivers. The run is named for the icefield, not the elk (Wapiti); the fossil Waptia fieldensis (Burgess Shale, Walcott 1912) shares the same linguistic origin.

Descriptive and humorous. Split Rock is named for a prominent glacial erratic in the sector. Kiddies’ Corner is skier’s humour; steep expert cliffs with no easy way out. Boomerang describes the long loop that returns skiers toward the Paradise Chair. White Rabbit (Run #162, West Bowl) is named for the snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus).

Patroller vernacular and commercial transition. Upper Grouse and Lower Grouse were formerly “Shoot the Muscle” (STM); a patroller-developed term acknowledging the severe leg fatigue from skiing the steep, un-groomed mogul field. The transition to “Grouse” (Ruffed Grouse, Spruce Grouse) aligned with Parks Canada ecological awareness and SkiBig3 thematic branding. Veterans still call it “the STM”; the dual identity; commercial “Grouse” for tourists, historical “STM” for locals; adds depth to the mountain experience. Meadowlark was historically the “Z-run” or “Z-Run”; the “Z” likely referring to the zigzagging descent pattern; patrol manuals still use “Z-Run (Meadowlark).” Named for the Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), a grassland bird whose song is synonymous with the North American West.

The World Cup downhill tracks. The Men’s Downhill and Lake Lindsey Way (formerly Ladies’ Downhill) on the southwest face of Mount Whitehorn are the product of mid-century Olympic ambition and European-influenced design. The “Olympic Downhill” name reflects unrealised dreams; the course was designed for failed 1964 and 1968 Winter Games bids by the Calgary Olympic Development Association (CODA), yet it endures as one of the “classics” of the FIS World Cup circuit, alongside Kitzbühel and Wengen.

Design and construction. Willy Schaeffler; Director of Skiing at the 1960 Squaw Valley Olympics; toured Mount Whitehorn by helicopter and on foot in the early 1960s, planning the lines that would become the men’s track. Schaeffler’s design utilised the natural fall line: Lone Pine and Tickety Chutes for momentum, Upper Wiwaxy for gliding, Coaches’ Corner for the critical turn, “The Fall Away” (a cambered section that tests racers at 120 km/h), Double Trouble (twin steep pitches), and the Waterfall into the Timing Flat. Parks Canada trail crews cleared timber by hand and small machinery to preserve the natural character required within Banff National Park. The Olympic Chair (1964) and Eagle Poma (1960) were built to service the race courses.

Bernhard Russi and the women’s track. The ladies first raced at Lake Louise in 1989. Bernhard Russi; Swiss Olympic champion and FIS downhill architect; influenced the women’s course design: a modified version of the men’s with a lower start and different gate placements. Russi’s philosophy of “listening to the mountain” and using natural contours for banks and rollers shaped the gate settings through the Fall Away and the finish.

Winterstart and the volunteer culture. Lake Louise hosts the first speed events of the season (“Winterstart”), often before significant natural snowfall; making track preparation a logistical feat. The Sled Dogs (400+ volunteers, 34,000 cumulative hours) build snow-farming structures and manage snowmaking along the racecourse. The Net Monkeys install kilometres of B-nets, willy bags, and air fences. Helicopters transport safety nets, start-area infrastructure, and propane. Bill Wearmouth, a former race chair, famously handmade the original A-nets in his basement.

1980 debut. The first World Cup at Lake Louise (4 March 1980) was a make-up race arranged on four weeks’ notice after events elsewhere were cancelled. CBC broadcast using fibre-optic cable strung manually down the mountain. The Crazy Canucks; Steve Podborski (4th), Ken Read (8th), Dave Irwin (12th); provided the credibility that helped Calgary win the 1988 Games bid. The venue has since produced champions including Lindsey Vonn (18 wins at the venue) and Manny Osborne-Paradis.