Although we would much rather have dumps of snow it has sure put a damper on our efforts when it comes to track setting. We were quite proud of our dual track/skating lanes we laid down on Thursday night only to have 30 cm of snow obliterate the 5 hours of work. Oh well!

This past weekend was our second annual Sunday night wine event. The plans for one of our friends down in the Okanagan to join us and share some of his wine was thwarted when the the Trans Canada Highway east of Golden was closed and he and the wine couldn’t make it through. With a cellar full of lots of BC gems and the exceptional talents of our Chef Henry we had a wonderful evening around the table. We sampled wines from Pentage, Road 13, Fort Berens, Herder and Young & Wyse. People are already talking about next year. We might just have to add a second Sunday night event!

Photos by P. Jenks

This past off season we were fortunate enough to acquire a new grooming/track setting machine from the Estate of the late Bob Freeze, who was the man behind Hawkridge, a private cross country ski facility south of Calgary. The equipment is a few years old however its age is hardly noticeable after the tender care it received over the years. What does this mean for O’Hara? Well the machine does a masterful job of creating great classic ski tracks on the O’Hara road while leaving a strip of corduroy in the middle for people on fatter skies, people skating and for us to haul groceries and laundry behind our ski doo. It has been a learning curve working with the new equipment and each time we get better; thanks to advice from many, hours of driving by some of our staff and a few muscles to dig things out when we get bogged down. Anyway I think you will notice a difference.

With the great network of trails at Lake Louise which link up with the O’Hara fire road you can enjoy kilometers of well groomed skiing. And of course on Saturdays and Sundays you can culminate your trip to O’Hara with Soup, Salad and Dessert at the lodge between noon and 1:45 pm.

Get out and enjoy the snow! Hope to see you at the Lodge.

I trust that everyone rang in the New Year in a fitting and personal fashion. Ours was centred around skiing as they usually do. The mountains around the divide, where O’Hara is located, have seen plenty of white stuff falling. We are excited about our upcoming winter season and will be opening up the doors for our first guests on January 26th. If you are thinking about a winter excursion or escape we still have some openings. Call our office and we can let you know what we have available.

As usual we will be offering a light lunch, Saturdays and Sundays only, of soup, salad and dessert to those skiers coming in for the day. This will commence on Saturday January 28th and will end on the 25th of March.  We serve lunch between noon and 2 PM so plan accordingly. Otherwise the Day Shelter is always open for you to light a fire and enjoy your lunch.

Hope to see you up at the lake!

While the backcountry is getting primed for skiing, places like the Moraine Lake road, Great divide and Canmore Nordic Centre all have some great cross country skiing trails open for action. National Parks Staff have been grooming and Track Setting in Lake Louise  for weeks creating what are likely some of the best early season track set cross country skiing trails in North America. The Canmore Nordic Centre starts their season off with a kilometre or so of man made snow saved from last winter called the “Frozen Thunder”. National and Club Teams have been skiing on this track since October. I might get a little dizzy doing the laps and laps that many of the elite athletes do! Anyway, with the “Thunder” as the starting point the staff at the Nordic Centre have been cranking up their snowmaking and laying down more km’s of trail each week. It is a great place for the family to come out for a ski, they even have a lit loop for night skiing.

All the downhill ski resorts in the area are open, however if you have an old pair of skis those are the best to bring as your bases will meet up with plenty of early season hazards, Rocks!

As you can see winter is here. Enjoy the season!

Bruce

Have a wonderful fall.

In all its moods O’Hara is a wonderful place, however with clear blue skies and warm temperatures it has allowed everyone to savour the views, complete the “Alpine Circuit”, and linger over lunch all while sunning themselves like a Marmot at their favourite viewpoint. We know the weather will change with the first sign being the emergence of the Golden larches. There are a few Golden sentinels starting to appear with the peak still a week or so away. When is the best time for the larches? The larch trees begin their transformation as the days of summer fade into fall with the onset of shorter days. Since the change is tied to day length and not temperature, almost like clockwork, the peak time for the show is the third week of September. A walk out to Opabin Prospect with the forest full of Golden larches is like walking in some sort of surreal Zen garden. Hard to explain but worth the experience.

With 2011 now on our calendars we are gearing up for our winter season. Starting at the end of the month the lodge will be up and running again welcoming our winter guests. There are only a few empty nights  available if you are interested, so give us a call. For those looking for a day trip you can join us on Saturdays and Sundays, starting January 29th until March 20th, from noon to 1:45 PM for Soup, Salad and Dessert. It is only $20 for this welcome treat at the end of the trail. Just a reminder we only accept cash at the lodge.

Thinking ahead to June ! We will start our summer season off again with our annual wine event. Each year for the past 10 years we have had the privilege of introducing one of  BC’s small wineries to our guests. This year Laughing Stock Vineyards will be joining us for this event. We are very excited about them coming and sharing their wonderful wines and having our chef create a menu to compliment them.

In the past these wine weekends have filled up quickly so please give us a call if you are interested.

Dates: June  17th and 18th, 2011

www.laughingstock.ca

In the meantime we are already preparing for next summers season; answering phones, booking folks in and getting organized. Part of that “getting organized” portion is selecting wines to add to our all BC wine list. A chore, which admittedly involves a significant amount of sampling! The BC wine scene has evolved dramatically over the past 10 years earning a respect from both Canadians and International oenophiles. As the number of wineries and award winning wines increases the “chore” of selecting wines has actually become easier as the number of varietals and styles to choose from has grown exponentially. Looking back over the past season I thought it would be fun to share with you a sampling of some of the wineries and the wines, which our guests found particularly appealing.

Whites

• Dunham and Froese              Amicitia White
• Blasted Church                        Hatfields Fuse
• Joie                                             Noble Blend
• Laughing Stock                      Blind Trust White
• Cassini Cellars                       Viogner

Reds

• Dunham and Froese             MDC
• Howling Bluff                         Pinot Noir
• Herder                                      Josephine
• Seven Stones                          Meritage
• 8^th Generation                      Merlot
• Stoneboat                               Pinotage
• La Frenz                                 Syrah
• Road 13                                  5^th Element
• Perseus                                   Synergy Syrah
• See Ya Later Ranche          Rover Syrah
• Road 13                                  Jackpot

This is only a small sampling of the multitude of labels we have carried. Keep looking back for more suggestions.

Regardless of where you are get out and enjoy the outdoors. I know that I am very privileged to call this my home and have a backyard like this.

Elusive, a glutton, a demon of destruction; all terms used to describe the beautiful wolverine. Despite its elusive moniker, this summer there has been a perfusion of sightings in the area. Frolicking on glaciers, charging up steep alpine passes, scampering across meadows and hunting marmots in the boulder fields, reports have come in. It has been a real treat for all of us who have had the opportunity to glimpse them in their habitat. If you are interested in more information on this amazing animal Patagonia press has recently released a book called “The Wolverine Way” by Douglas Chadwick. It is an engaging read which takes you into the ways of the wolverine as a team of biologists track them in Glacier National Park.

Cheers,

September 22, 2010, Golden Larches O'Hara