Banff, Alberta is ideal spot for all seasons

Former Maine hockey star and now defenseman with the Montreal Canadians, Eric Weinrich, liked the place so much he honeymooned there. Summer or winter, the beauty of Banff, Alberta, never fades.

So, snow skiers, here’s a tip: go to Banff. This violates an unwritten code of never revealing your favorite fishing hole, restaurant or holy spot on Earth. However, USA Today blabbed the news on Banff a couple of weeks ago in a travel section that screamed “Ski Canada,” and held Banff on high.

Banff is a picture-perfect town in the Canadian Rockies of about eight square blocks. It rests in Banff National Park, which is hundreds of square miles of God’s background. Elk and deer walk down a main street overseen by locals whose warmth and kindness would fit right into a Maine general store.

It’s an hour-and-a-half drive from the Calgary, Alberta, airport to one of the world’s great coffee shops, Evelyn’s, located just a couple of doors down from the center of town. She makes a strawberry-rhubarb pie that even challenges the one my mom made, and scones to get up at 6 a.m. (Eating in Banff will come up again.)

Ah, yes, the skiing. You can get a week’s pass to three different areas for some ridiculous price of about $25 U.S. a day. Sunshine ski area is about 20 minutes from downtown Banff – all natural snow, about 14 lifts.

Lake Louise, a world class ski resort, is about 40 minutes from Banff. Bowls, cat walks, double diamonds and cruising trails with a view that leaves you breathless rise above one of the world’s most beautiful lodges.

The third area is in Banff, Mount Horguay. This is a small, night skiing area, great for a few runs at night or a quick day visit. It’s a great place to begin a ski year or end a day.

Speaking of ending the day – what food. Buffalo Mountain Lodge has a restaurant featuring venison, elk and caribou. Its wine list is a yearly award winner from Wine Spectator Magazine.

Coyotes is a deli-cafe with Southwestern dishes second to none. Their salmon cakes are unrivaled and their corn-tortilla soup warms every ski bruise imaginable. (Eating is a sport, isn’t it?)

Here’s the part that can really put you over the top. The Canadian dollar remains worth 40 percent more when exchanged for the U.S. dollar. One U.S. dollar buys you $1.40 worth of Canadian money, goods and services.

You can secure a one bedroom condo with kitchen, a week-long ski pass, and a rental car for less than $1,500 U.S. for two. A $50 meal for two costs $30 U.S.

The Ski Banff/Lake Louise center will help you book the works and send information. Call 800-661-1431. The same friendly people from Banff’s main street work there.

Want more? Canada has a tax on goods and services called the GST. If you are a non-resident of Canada, you can apply for a GST refund when your trip is over. In fact, there are booths at the airport and in downtown Banff where they’ll give you the refund in cash.

Support Maine ski areas, it’s great for our state. When it’s time to really get away, to treat yourself to a ski vacation and a trip, think about Banff.

You’ll love the people, the skiing, the deals and the food. What you will not love are those who spread the word on this now not-so-secret heaven.

I’m not so sure I even like me anymore.

NEWS columnist Gary Thorne, an Old Town native, is an ESPN and CBS broadcaster.