Non-skier companion guide
You are here, they are skiing, here is how to have a genuinely good day
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The non-skier companion is one of the most underserved visitors at Lake Louise. Every guide is written for skiers or for summer hikers. This page is for you: the partner, the parent, the friend who does not ski but still wants a worthwhile day while the rest of the group is on the hill.
The honest news: there is a lot to do. The less honest version of this answer would stop there. The honest continuation: some of it requires planning, the cold matters more when you are not generating heat, and coordinating with the skiing group takes a clear plan or someone ends up waiting in a cold parking lot.
Option 1: Sightseeing gondola
The resort runs a sightseeing gondola in both summer and winter, accessible without a ski ticket. In winter this means riding much higher than the summer sightseeing access, up to the top of the east side of Eagle Ridge, with broad views across the Bow Valley and the ski terrain around you. In summer the sightseeing ride stops at mid-mountain. It is one of the best ways to reach elevation without a long hike, and one of the best places in the Bow Valley to see wildlife, including grizzly bears (not guaranteed, but sightings from the gondola are not uncommon in summer).
Book at Sightseeing Gondola on skilouise.com. Dress warmly, the gondola base is at 1,645 m, the summer stop is colder still, and the winter upper stop is colder again. A warm jacket, gloves, and a hat are not optional.
Option 2: Lake Louise lakeshore in winter
The winter lakeshore is genuinely one of the most underrated visits at Lake Louise. It is busy compared to a random Tuesday in February, but "busy" in winter is a different magnitude entirely from summer. The busiest winter day is significantly quieter than a quiet summer day. You will share the path with other visitors, but not the kind of crowding that defines the summer visit.
What it looks like: the lake is typically frozen and snow-covered. The Chateau sits at one end, the blue-green ice of the frozen surface in front of it. The Victoria Glacier at the far end. Quiet, cold, genuinely beautiful.
What you need: ice cleats (microspikes), the path is packed and icy. These are available to rent at the Chateau or buy at Wilson Mountain Sports in the village. Dress for standing around at altitude in winter, not for skiing, you will not be generating the same heat.
Getting there: the resort shuttle does not go to the lakeshore, it goes to the ski resort. Use Roam Transit Route 8X from Banff, or drive to the lakeshore parking lot (free in winter, fills by 8am on busy days).
Option 3: XC skiing
The Lake Louise XC ski network is track-set and genuinely good. Classic and skate lanes on most routes. No prior downhill visit required, XC skiing has its own technique but is approachable for most people with a short lesson or some patience.
Rentals available at Wilson Mountain Sports in the village or at the Chateau. See XC ski trails for the full network.
Option 4: Snowshoeing
The easier entry point if XC skiing feels like too much to figure out. Snowshoes on most terrain beyond the packed lakeshore path. Several routes from the village and from the lakeshore safe zone.
Note: on the lakeshore itself, the path is so packed that ice cleats are more useful than snowshoes. Go into the forest for proper snowshoeing. See snowshoe trails.
Option 5: Village day
Lake Louise Village is small but has genuine character. Coffee and food at the Samson Mall cluster. Gear shops, a bookshop, grocery. Good base for a morning if you want to get warm between outings.
The Bow River Loop is a beautiful, quiet trail accessible from the village, one of the more underrated trails in the area. Short enough to do before or after anything else. Note that the west side is seasonally closed in summer for wildlife activity; in winter it is typically open.
Coordinating with the skiing group
This is where most mixed-group days fall apart. Sort this out before anyone gets on a lift or a bus:
- Where you are each starting the day, the ski resort and the lakeshore are not the same place. The resort shuttle does not go to the lake.
- When and where you are meeting, name a specific place and a specific time, not "around 3pm-ish."
- How each person is getting back, if the skiers drive to the resort, the non-skier who went to the lakeshore needs their own return plan.
- Cell coverage, it is spotty in the valley. Arrange a backup plan for if you cannot reach each other.
The cleanest version of a mixed day: non-skier does the lakeshore in the morning, meets the skiing group at the resort base area for lunch, or at Lodge of the Ten Peaks or Whiskeyjack if everyone is planning around the winter sightseeing gondola, then village or gondola in the afternoon together. In summer, Whitehorn Lodge becomes part of the sightseeing side of the mountain again.
What to wear
The critical difference between a skier's layers and a non-skier's layers: you are not generating the same body heat. Dress one layer warmer than you think you need. Wind-proof outer layer is important, even a still day on the lakeshore can feel raw at altitude. Keep electronics in an inner pocket; cold drains batteries fast.