André Schwarz

Swiss-born ski instructor and hotelier who shaped both Lake Louise’s ski culture and modern Canadian ski technique. He ran the Lake Louise ski school from 1973 to 1978, succeeding Mike Wiegele; he later co-owned and operated the Post Hotel & Spa in Lake Louise with his brother George for more than four decades. Within the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance (CSIA), he is regarded as a key architect of the “modern” Canadian technique and was inducted into the CSIA Hall of Fame in 1999.

Arrival and ski school directorship: André arrived in Lake Louise in 1969 intending to spend one winter as a ski instructor. By his fourth winter he was running the ski school. He joined CSIA in 1970, served on the Canadian Interski Team (1975, 1979), and became its coach in 1983. Ski Canada has described him as “a genuine visionary who drove major technique and style changes in CSIA doctrine; such as purging upper-body over-rotation in favour of a quiet upper body facing down the fall line.” He is often credited as “the father of modern ski technique” in Canada.

Movement in Motion: Under André’s direction as head of the CSIA demo team, Don Bilodeau co-wrote the technical manual Movement in Motion, which revolutionized Canadian skiing. Schwarz drove the conceptual framework; a quiet upper body, dynamic continuous movement through the turn; that became the foundation of Canadian ski instruction and teaching methodology to this day.

Post Hotel: In 1978 André and George purchased the historic Lake Louise Ski Lodge (later the Post Hotel) from Sir Norman Watson; the British baronet who had founded the Lake Louise ski area and brought Brown Swiss cows to the alpine. André left the ski hill to become a full-time hotelier. Over four decades the brothers expanded the property from 14 rooms to roughly 100 rooms, suites, and riverside cabins; joined Relais & Châteaux in 1990; built a 25,000-bottle wine cellar (repeated Wine Spectator Grand Award); and established the Post as one of North America’s leading ski hotels. André was known for visiting with guests at breakfast and joining them on the occasional ski run. In 2011 the brothers were named “Pinnacles Hoteliers of the Year” by Hotelier magazine.

Sale and legacy: In 2021 the Schwarz brothers sold the Post Hotel & Spa to Canadian Rocky Mountain Resorts after 43 years of ownership. André is remembered as a technically demanding visionary, a teacher’s teacher, and a warm host whose one-winter adventure in 1969 turned him into one of the defining personalities of Lake Louise ski culture.