The Banff Lake Louise Hospitality Association, Town of Banff and Banff Heritage Tourism are rolling out a free Winter Welcome event for new community members to celebrate all the Bow Valley has to offer at the Fenlands Recreation Centre in Banff on Monday, Nov. 30 from 2-5 p.m.
Aimed at local residents, particularly young adults new to town for the ski season, the afternoon will be full of great activities, experiences and benefits.
“Recognizing that we have young adults from all over the world that come to work in Banff National Park every winter, we wanted to provide them with a fun and friendly way to share in our mountain culture,” said John Bowden of Banff Heritage Tourism.
“In turn, we hope this encourages participants to be great ambassadors for our visitors, sharing their newfound knowledge and excitement for this special place with others.”
With the Bow Valley seeing more and more warmer climate visitors, the Town and associations wanted a new event to show newcomers what the area has to offer right out of the gate.
“Some of them may not have the same extended experience to our winter culture and activities, so that’s really where we want to give them the opportunity to trial and participate in a variety of mountain and outdoor and indoor pursuits,” Bowden said.
“We thought instead of just telling people about what they can do out here, we can give them a chance to actually experience it themselves; so that’s why the event’s going to be totally free for everyone and all the activities will be complimentary.”
Free recreational activities will include ice-skating at Fenlands Arena, with some free skate rentals available as well. There will be a free curling session as well.
“Between the snowshoeing and fat-biking, we’re just trying to offer as many different experiences as we can offer and in addition to that we’re also profiling a number of community resources and some of our partner activities and attractions available here in Banff National Park,” Bowden said.
“We have a good list of participating organizations that includes everything from all three of the ski areas (Lake Louise Ski Resort, Sunshine Village and Banff Norquay) and Ski Banff Lake Louise Sunshine will be there as well.”
Branching off from recreational sports, other local attractions include The Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies and Buffalo Nations Luxton Museum with food and screenings of local ski films.
Highlights of the complimentary event include:
lIce skating from 2:15-3:30 p.m. (a limited number of skates will be available for free; participants are required to bring their own ski/skating/cycling helmet).
lLearn to curl from 3-5 p.m. with instructors from Banff Curling Club.
lScreening of local ski films.
lTry snowshoeing and fat biking.
lPizza and appetizers throughout the afternoon.
lGreat prizes, including lift passes from Ski Banff Lake Louise and Sunshine.
lCommunity resources and attractions booths profiling some of the best things to do this winter.
lFree shuttle service provided by Roam transit between the Fenlands and Banff Avenue/Wolf Street.
Full details of the event are available at www.banffheritagetourism.com/winter-welcome. The Winter Welcome builds on the popular Banff Ambassador orientation program, which helps newcomers learn more about living and working in Banff National Park.
