66 W e s t W o r l d a l b e r t a | w i n t e r 2 0 1 4
roadside
Home Ice Advantage
by Kevin Brooker
|
photo by Kevin Light
"Keep your head on a swivel" may be every hockey coach's mantra, but at frozen Lake Louise,
the most scenic, photographed "pond" in touristdom, keeping your eye on the puck is by far the greater challenge.
Scraping off two informal rinks – one for hockey, one for skating – is an old tradition at the iconic Fairmont
Chateau Lake Louise. It got slightly more serious in 2010 with the launch of the annual Lake Louise Pond Hockey
Classic. e February tournament is one of many semi-serious pond hockey competitions that have sprung to life
this century, owing to the codification of what was traditionally a free-for-all: four skaters, no goalies and a
comically squat net – with final scores like 27-14. Winners earn a berth in the Alberta Pond Hockey Championships
on Lac Cardinal, outside Grimshaw, and a chance to qualify for the World Championships in Plaster Rock, New
Brunswick. Sure, there are more historic places to play, like Windsor, Nova Scotia's Long Pond, which may
or may not be the birthplace of hockey itself. But nothing can match the fierce joy of playing
shinny under awe-inspiring Victoria Glacier. And nothing ever will. W
See the beauty yourself.
Save 30% on rooms* at the
Fairmont Chateau Lake
Louise when you book
online at AMATravel.ca/
AlbertaHotels.
*Subject to change and availability.
Blackout dates may apply.
