The Loveliest Little Lodge in Lake Louise : Canada’s Luxurious Post Hotel Is Designed to Be the Perfect Reward for a Day on the Slopes in Alberta

You know it’s True Love if you’re willing to strap five-foot boards to your feet and throw yourself down icy cliffs in a blizzard just for the fun of it. Personally, I never would have learned to ski if I hadn’t been hopelessly hooked on someone who was hopelessly hooked on the most addictive white crystal known to man . . . snow.

Any fool can see that skiing is dangerous. Whenever you combine speed and slipperiness you’re in trouble--just ask a poodle on a waxed floor. Throw in gravity and you’re heading for exactly what you’re heading for--fellow skiers, a tree, and most likely an update on the miracles of orthoscopic surgery. To take these kinds of risks on a regular basis, even in the name of love, warrants serious rewards. You deserve massages, Jacuzzis, a room with a view, champagne, poached salmon on a Pinot noir onion compote with plum eau de vie sauce, and as many chocolate truffles as you damn well please.

Unfortunately, you usually get nachos and a hot tub. That is the sad state of most apres -ski situations, a fact I swiftly learned during my first ski season, which included 32 ski trips all over the Pacific Northwest. While my snowman sweetheart searched for the Perfect Ski Slope, I scanned the white horizon for the Perfect Ski Lodge, and found it finally in Alberta, Canada--in an architectural and culinary masterwork called the Post Hotel.

It shouldn’t have been a surprise. The original Post Hotel was built years ago in the mountain village of Lake Louise in Canada’s 100-year-old Banff National Park, which is home to two other hotels of renowned pedigree. The Banff Springs Hotel is the 104-year-old grand dame of Banff, the park’s internationally known ski town. The hotel gets its excellent bones from its excellent progenitors--Scottish baronial castles and the chateaus of the Loire Valley. And 45 minutes up the Trans-Canada Highway, Chateau Lake Louise, in the village of Lake Louise, remains an ivory stone miracle ringed by the exalted peaks of the Canadian Rockies.

On the edge of the village, the Post Hotel claims the same good European root-stock on a much smaller scale. And it manages to avoid the two architectural models regularly erupting in many ski areas today: Row after row of condominium boxes that still manage to fetch unnerving room rates, and high-end cartel-hotels that follow an internationally agreed-upon set of design guidelines--slick, big, new and very urban.

From Aspen to Sun Valley, many of the large new ski hotels could, ambience-wise, as well be in Tokyo or Chicago. Slope-adjacent ski villages across the West are blistering forth with high-tech bubble-domes housing everything from tennis courts to Jacuzzis, and many “lodges” are such a rat’s maze of no-style condos that you can get lost for hours trying to find the one you reserved over the phone.

So you can imagine my delight when we drove around the corner from the barely-there town of Lake Louise, just five minutes from the ski lifts, and saw for the first time the Post Hotel. Even from a distance the architecture was fresh and fine. The lines hummed--like some kind of Swiss/Metropolitan Home hybrid.

And the colors! Natural pine-yellow wood with hunter green trim beneath a red tin roof, all housed under Alberta’s famous turquoise winter sky. Classic colors. Mountain colors.

But the full force of the Post Hotel’s magic didn’t really reveal itself until we parked and walked round to the front, which you cannot see from the road. A long isosceles triangle of a roof spread like the wings of some great yellow bird over the broad chest of a most extraordinary post-modernist balcony fitted in its middle with red-trimmed windows and red flower boxes draped with pine boughs. Now this was a ski lodge.

It was, in fact, skiing that led us to the Post Hotel. We had stayed the night before four miles up the road in haute European luxury at Chateau Lake Louise, and had, in fact, gotten engaged in the snow there. Giddy with wedding plans, we had raced to the Lake Louise Ski Area--whose 3,250-foot vertical drop and 8,750-foot top elevation soon reminded us of our differences--and I dutifully remained on the beginners’ runs while a high-speed quad whisked my husband-to-be away to the summit above my head. It just so happened that he rode up with George Schwarz, who, with his brother, Andre, built the current incarnation of the Post Hotel, which they own and supervise today.

Now, these Swiss brothers had intensely clear ideas about what they wanted in a ski lodge, squarely rooted in the classic Swiss Alpine architecture with which they grew up. After a tug-of-war with their similarly intense post-modernist architect, they got the wondrous structure in front of us. We booked a room (with a view, fireplace, balcony and whirlpool bath) and arranged to meet George later for dinner.

The hotel’s interior is as warm as its exterior, and much of this has to do with scale. The building is only three stories high, and there are only 95 rooms and two log cabins, numbers which provide an intimacy impossible at most American ski resorts--or, for that matter, at the Banff Springs Hotel with its 860 rooms, or the Chateau Lake Louise with its 555. The common rooms are small as well. When you walk into the lobby, its sitting area is to your right and entirely glassed in, giving the feeling of a large window seat. The front desk is about a ski-length long and crafted of wood, unlike the usual cold and endless marble slab that makes waiting guests feel as if they’re stranded in a morgue.

On the other hand, the structural supports of the space are massive. You enter through an arbor of vertical support beams secured by metal trusses painted a rich green. The stairs leading up to the 95 guest rooms are extra wide, the banister carved of thick solid wood. This is very much the tradition in the old skiing countries of Switzerland and Austria, where the heavy infrastructure plays against the intimate room scale, producing an almost palpable sense of protection and comfort. It’s a deep thing, a psychological balm pretty much lost on modern resort design.

The lobby’s remarkable light is enough to make you take a seat. It doesn’t bounce off the snow like it does in most sunlit mountain places, but rolls in, great plumes of it, full and sweet like lamplight, only clearer. It’s got something to do with the direction the window faces and the low clearance of the curved balcony above.

The light illuminates the extravagant fresh flower arrangements and the craftsmanship of the woodwork, which is seriously good. All of it was hand-carved by Bill Weber, one of the finest woodworkers in Western Canada. You can’t miss his signature, a foot-high owl perched on the banister.

An elegant lap pool and a whirlpool bath are housed in the large “pool room” down the hall from the lobby. After a long day on the slopes, my fiance and I weren’t expecting quite the stylish haven that this room turned out to be. It’s tiled in icy apricot and a rich, dark green with matching green wall sconces. The long lap pool is as blue as Alberta’s winter sky, kept clean by something called a “hypo cell water purification system,” which is supposed to be state of the art--all I can say is that it works, and there are no chlorine fumes.

But after skiing all we wanted to do was poach in the adjacent whirlpool, whose waters kept sloshing over onto the tile floor like some sort of generous Roman bath. The whirlpool’s finest quality is that it’s built into a floor-to-ceiling bay window, through which you can watch it snow and snow. And it is to the owners’ credit that they installed not a skin-dehydrating sauna but a big, misty steam room that was so effective against beginning skier’s muscle cramps that I never have lamented the hotel’s lack of a staff masseuse.

Guests tend to be well-dressed but not flashy, and often European, and everyone tends to slow down as soon as they arrive. During four stays in three years I have yet to see anyone frowning or harried in the lobby of the Post Hotel. Everything is just a few steps away so there’s no need to rush, unless you’re under the age of 12 and are obliged to keep dashing outdoors for snowball fights on the 4 1/2-acre property. Children, by the way, are welcome and stay in their parents’ room at no additional charge.

At the same time, one’s privacy is duly respected. I have also never been pestered by an overly attentive staff member inquiring to the point of discomfort about my comfort.

A bus shuttles guests to and from the Lake Louise Ski Area free of charge. Your skis and poles are stowed for you in the adjoining ski-keep room as soon as you step into the lobby. The fireplace in your room is always laid with kindling, and firewood is replenished as if by magic.

So the routine is this: Up early for a serious multi-course Swiss-style skiers’ breakfast, ski until 4--this is the north country and it’s dark in winter by 4:30 or 5 p.m. Have a revitalizing cup of afternoon tea and a bite of the pastry chef’s handiwork in the lobby, soak and steam in the pool room for an hour, nap for another hour, then dress for dinner. It’s during your apres -pool, pre-dinner time that you’ll really appreciate your room.

There are a dozen room layouts to choose from offering various configurations of fireplaces, kitchens, lofts, whirlpool tubs, bed sizes and numbers. All rooms come with a balcony and an accompanying view of the Pipestone River and/or the blue Canadian Rockies. The furniture is solid Canadian pine, the colors are soft, and you get it all for anywhere from about $85 to $250 U.S. per night, less if you book a three-night-or-more ski package through the hotel.

But my favorite rooms are two recently renovated vintage log cabins, built in the 1940s by the second owner of the Post. They’re built right on the banks of the river, with logs cut and fitted Scandinavian-style and stained a rich cognac. Both cabins have stone fireplaces and floors that are kind to ski-boot-weary toes--sage green slate warmed from beneath by hot-water piping.

New architectural archetype that it is, the Post Hotel has good roots. This year, in fact, marks its 50th anniversary. Originally, it was called the Lake Louise Ski Lodge, built next to the railway station by a Banff ski guide who opened for business in the spring of 1942. It was a low-ceilinged, two-story structure made of logs brought in from the nearby Bow River Valley. The old lodge is now the Post Hotel’s dining room.

Then, in 1947, the lodge was purchased by Sir Norman Watson, a British aircraft manufacturer who had inherited more money from his father than you could shake a ski pole at. Shortly after his father’s death in 1930, Sir Norman traveled to Western Canada and built the first two ski lodges in the area. He reportedly had intended to build half a dozen more, to be run by diary-farming families imported from Switzerland and Austria.

Sir Norman’s dreams were soundly ridiculed by the locals (the grizzly bears would have done in the herd in a matter of weeks), and when World War II broke out he returned to Europe. After the war, he returned, bought the original Post Hotel and continued to develop downhill skiing around Lake Louise for the next 40 years. Finally, in 1978, he sold the hotel to the Schwarz brothers, who, being from Switzerland, understood Sir Norman’s dream . . . minus the yodeling dairy farmers.

The Schwarzes spent the better part of the next decade upgrading the place and polishing the restaurant operation. Then, in 1986, a Calgary-based oil company joined financial forces with them to create the peaceful place that it is today.

And so, we peaceably waited for George and Andre in the Sir Norman Watson Lounge off the dining room, a comforting space with a fine river-rock fireplace crowned by a vintage moose head. Then we adjourned to the old log wing for a meal whose excellence was interrupted only when the large group of local skiers seated next to us revealed itself to be inordinately more rowdy than the quietly elegant crowd the Post Hotel usually attracts. In true apres -ski yahoo fashion, they got wilder as the night wore on, and finally ended up shaving off one man’s mustache and drinking tequila out of one woman’s navel. That was three years ago, and like the salmon and the Canadian geese, we have returned to the Post Hotel every year since--a bribe, I suspect, to entice me to hurl myself down black diamond runs. The food gets better every year, and my favorite meal so far took place just over a month ago. George Schwarz was away, so I call it my dinner with Andre. Lucky for us, chef Kenneth Titcomb dined with us that night.

We shared hors d’oeuvres in an endless round of musical plates--heartbreakingly delicate yellowfin tuna, a perfect timbale of salmon with fennel and ginger sauce, spicy duck sausages and mango-lime salsa, escargots with pecans and thyme--while Andre detailed the architectural undertaking that is now the Post Hotel.

Then a lovely set of ginger beetroot won-tons arrived in a pale pool of free range chicken consomme; when you pierced one it bled a lovely magenta. It reminded me to ask Andre about the light in the lobby.

“It’s because the orientation of the room follows the sun and views perfectly,” he said. “We left out air conditioning on purpose to have people open their windows and step out on the balcony into the mountain light.”

The beauty of the meal was not lost in the conversation. There was rack of Alberta lamb with oven-roasted sweet garlic cream, medallions of Canadian venison with roasted pear and red currants, and supreme of free-range Berill duck (low-fat duck raised especially for the hotel on a southern Alberta ranch) with blackberry vinegar and maple syrup sauce, served with wild rice pancakes. By the time the champagne and a tray of virtuoso desserts arrived, it had become the apres -ski supper of my dreams . . . except for one flaw. The dining room lampshades. Compared to the rest of the Post Hotel they’re, well, frumpy. It would be a mistake, however, to dine regularly at the hotel without regular exercise. Fortunately, winter activities abound. There is good cross-country skiing along the river, and the front desk will arrange outdoor ice skating, dog sledding, sleigh rides, ice climbing, heli-skiing, even a game of Canadian broom ball.

Banff National Park is itself a winter wonderland, an inspiring example of what a century of restricted growth can do. Its 2,564 square miles ride most of Alberta’s decked southwestern edge and are home to wolf, coyote, bear, fox and especially elk, which simply take over the town of Banff during the winter.

There is also a healthy population of moose, and when you spot your first one grazing by the side of the road, you will quickly intuit that when God was making the moose face someone came to the door, and by the time He got back to work it was too late.

Banff itself is a fairly grown-up ski town with the usual boutique selection and many excellent eating opportunities. A walk through the Banff Springs Hotel is a must, especially now that it has enjoyed a multimillion-dollar restoration. And there really is a sulfur springs in Banff, called Upper Hot Springs.

Downhill skiing is, of course, the real international draw. There are three ski areas in the vicinity: Mt. Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise. You can see the streets of Banff from Mt. Norquay’s 23 runs; Sunshine Village gets about 30 inches of powder each year, and Canada’s self-proclaimed favorite, Lake Louise, ranks with the world’s best mountains for sheer size. Covering four separate faces, Lake Louise has more than 50 named runs, some more than five miles long, and thousands of acres of open bowls.

Best of all, from my point of view, it was designed to include a green beginner’s run down from every chair, so you will not find yourself accidentally wrapped around some unexpected mogul, unless, of course, Robert Redford happens to show up--Lake Louise and Banff are known celebrity magnets, albeit far more understated than, say, Aspen. Lake Louise, by the way, now has two express quads plus one regular quad, two triples, three doubles, one T-bar, one platter and one children’s tow.

Given that Alberta is known as the Sunshine Province and usually produces about 260 sunny days a year and regular dousings of dry powder snow, you have a fair chance at extravagantly good skiing in absolutely grand scenery. The Canadian Rockies are a powerful bunch. They make you feel as if you’re skiing in the hall of the mountain gods. And they make, I can attest, a most memorable set of witnesses if you’re planing to ask someone to marry you. No matter what, they’ll call you back time after time, so be forewarned.

But we have returned mostly, we admit, and will return again because the Schwarz brothers have crated a new ski tradition from the best of the old ones, an accomplishment excellent enough to win them the prestigious rating of Relais & Chateaux, and one restorative enough to perhaps become a tradition of your own.

GUIDEBOOK

The Post Hotel

Getting there: Air Canada and Delta offer direct service between Los Angeles and Calgary. Current fares average $250-$280 round trip, with 21-day nonrefundable advance purchase.

Two bus lines, Pacific Western and Brewster Gray Line, pick up and deliver passengers between the Calgary airport and the Post Hotel for about $24 U.S. per person, one way. There are three approximately 2 1/2-hour runs per day, Monday through Thursday--at 12:30, 3:30 and 5:45 p.m.--and four daily runs--adding one at 2:30 p.m.--Friday through Sunday.

Or, one can arrange a limousine or rental car at the airport. From Calgary International Airport, head south on Barlow Trail, then turn right on 16th Avenue--the Trans-Canada Highway--which goes through Calgary, into Banff National Park and all the way to Lake Louise. Approaching Lake Louise, take the Lake Louise off-ramp and turn left, which takes you back across the main highway to a four-way stop. Turn right and continue a quarter-mile. On the left is the Post Hotel.

Banff National Park entrance fees are about $3.85 per day, $8 for four days.

The hotel: The Post Hotel is inside the park, about 110 miles from Calgary. Write Post Hotel, Box 69, Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada T0L 1E0, or call (800) 661-1586 or (403) 522-3989. Current high-season rates are about $85 to $250 for a room that may include fireplace, whirlpool and kitchen; river-side cabins are $190-$210. This does not include a 12% tax, 7% of which is refundable. The hotel offers a downhill ski package, requiring a minimum three-night stay, for 10% off the regular room rate.

For more information: Call Alberta Tourism at (800) 661-8888.