Banff Sunshine‘s summer gondola runs until Saturday, Sept. 23 this year. Once you’re up at the resort base area you can hike from there or take the Standish chair lift to the lookout area where you can see Mount Assiniboine in the distance.
Golf the Mount Kidd Back Nine
The Kananaskis Country Golf Course re-opened this past spring following a five-year hiatus on account of catastrophic damage from the 2013 floods. The 18-hole Mount Lorette course was the first of the two K-Country courses to open with the Mount Kidd course opening in two stages throughout the summer. With the back nine of Mount Kidd now open, the course restoration is complete. Book a tee time before the snow falls at kananaskisgolf.com.
Get Scottish at the Canmore Highland Games
The Highland Games are a well-loved Scottish sporting tradition that dates back to the 11th Century. Canmore’s annual Highland Games date back to 1991 and take place this year on Saturday, Sept. 1 and Sunday, Sept. 2 at Centennial Park. Things kick off with Taste of the Highlands, a wine-beer-Scotch and food event, and wrap up with a Ceilidh on Sunday evening with music by the Mudmen. The sporting events are during the day on Sunday. Festival passes range from $30 to $60 (single tickets are also available) at canmorehighlandgames.ca.
Enter a SUP Race in Canmore
Stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is one of the most mellow sporting activities out there, so it seems somewhat counterintuitive to turn it into a race. But if you’re among those who ever found themselves thinking, “I wonder how fast this baby could go,” then you’re likely a good candidate for the 2nd annual Bow Valley Logjam. The downriver race is presented by Bow Valley SUP and takes place Saturday, Sept. 8 in Canmore. Visit bowvalleysup.ca to sign up.
Do a Painting Workshop on the Mountain at Lake Louise
Art in the Park is an afternoon painting workshop on the patio of the Whitehorn Bistro at Lake Louise Ski Resort. Participants take the Lake Louise gondola up to the mid-mountain restaurant where an art instructor provides guidance on how to paint a canvas shaped like a grizzly-bear silhouette with acrylics. Art in the Park takes place Saturday, Sept. 8 with gondola upload at 1:30 p.m. No art experience is necessary and the $45 fee includes the gondola sightseeing pass.
Experience the Fernie Chautauqua and Fall Fair
The big fall to-do in Fernie is the Chautauqua and Fall Fair, a four-day festival of art, heritage, music and food. This year’s fair runs Thursday, Sept. 13 through Sunday, Sept. 16 and features a range of family-friendly and adults-only activities. Among the events in this year’s lineup are a Chinese cultural dinner, a vintage/antique market and a “Back Alley Speakeasy Tour” that draws on Fernie’s Prohibition rum-running past and features performances by Johnny Summers and the Heavy Petal Burlesque troupe. For a full schedule of events visit ferniechautauqua.com.
Watch the Best of the VIMFF in Bragg Creek
The Best of the Fest selections from the 2018 Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival are screening on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 15 at the Bragg Creek Community Centre. The screening is being presented by Bragg Creek & Kananaskis Outdoor Recreation.
Support the Disabled Skiing Community in Kimberley
The Kimberley Disabled Skiing Association is hosting a charity-fundraiser prime-rib dinner on Sunday, Sept. 16 at the Kimberley Conference Centre with a performance by Dueling Pianos. Dinner-and-show tickets are $69.95, or take advantage of a package deal that gives you two tickets to the fundraiser and one night at Trickle Creek Lodge for $219.
Settle in for a Fireside Chat at the Whyte Museum
The popular Fireside Chats series hosted by author/adventurer Chic Scott at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies in Banff returns on Thursday, Sept. 20. The featured guest this time around will be Renate Belczyk, who will be sharing her tales of mountain climbing and adventuring all over the world. Admission is $5, payable at the door.
Celebrate Oktoberfest at Panorama
It’s one of life’s great ironies that Oktoberfest actually happens in September. But there you have it. You can celebrate this beloved Bavarian tradition of sausage, beer and song at Panorama Resort‘s first-ever Oktoberfest on the evening of Saturday, Sept. 22 at the T-Bar & Grill. Offerings include locally made sausages, beer from Fernie Brewing Co. and soft pretzels with a variety of mustards for dipping. Tickets are $30 for adults (kids $15-$22).