I go to Elevation Place fitness classes all the time and I usually enjoy them, except for…read moreWednesdays. I find Sandy condescending and her workouts lack rigour. Her physique is hardly inspiring and her workouts reflect her energy level. Maybe it's time you reconsider her role. I guess I'll do groceries on Wednesday because that is a better workout.

I dropped in to see their facilities and inquire about fees. A beautiful designed community…read moregathering location with very high climbing walls, swimming pool, hot tubs, lockers, showers, steam bath, exercise room, activity rooms for arts and crafts, yoga, etc. The Canmore Library is located inside along with the The Canmore Art Guild Gallery. Lots of parking.

I had a blast doing the Via Ferrata here at Norquay. My running group company booked this adventure…read moreas an excursion on our trip to Banff. The Via Ferrata (Italian for the Iron Path) has five different types of adventure tours: Explorer, Ridgewalker, Alpinist, Skyline and Summiteer. Each of these trails cater to all different types of skill levels. My travel company booked the Explorer package for our group which is 1 km (3,280 feet) in distance and lasts just over 2 hours. The views are breathtaking and I really enjoyed doing my first Via Ferrata. You can see one of the coolest looking mountains Mount Rundle in the distance while on the trail. Mount Norquay has a rich ski culture that goes back to the early 1900s. It lies directly northwest of the Town of Banff and is one of Banff National Park's three major ski resorts. The mountain has a top elevation of 6,998 feet. The main chair lift is one of the oldest lifts in North America and has been providing riders with views of the Bow Valley since 1948. Mount Norquay Ski Resort is operated by Norquay Mystic Ridge Ltd. Norquay has a total of 60 runs and is a huge supporter of alpine ski racing. The Mount Norquay Via Ferrata is located in Banff National Park. We had a great guide that took us up the sheer rock wall and across the suspension bridge. I initially was a little nervous, but felt safe the whole time with the harness that attaches to the mountain's steel cable pathway. Those cables can hold a ton of weight. Anyone without rock climbing experience can do this. Before we started our climb, our guide went over all of the safety rules and let us do a practice run on a short wall before we headed up the chair lift. Norquay Via Ferrata offers complimentary hiking boots if you forgot to bring some and has a bistro and snack bar if you are hungry. The Norquay Via Ferrata is a must if visiting Banff National Park.

The best experience we have ever gone into blindly. Very well curated guided experience, great…read morecondition equipment, amazing and funniest guide. We had lot of fun with the Ridgewalker hike/climbing we did. Worth every dollar we spent on it. It was safe and the instructions were clear, concise and easy to follow. The work that goes into maintaining those trails is very much unknown and underappreciated. So thank you!

Since we came to Canada with a commercial group we were expected to use Canadian guides for our…read morehikes in Banff. We were assigned 2 female guides for the trail hikes and 2 male guides for the glacial trekking portions of our trip. When using guides, my only requirement is that they keep us safe and help us along our routes that are unfamiliar. Our female guides were friendly and helpful. When they couldn't keep us together due to the varied skill levels of our group, they offered to split us up so that everyone could have an enjoyable and challenging time. One group went on a trail run while the other continued on a hike. The guides' knowledge of the area was great and were learned a lot. Our male guides, though we spent 3 days together, did not take the time to get to know us or understand our expectations. Though they were knowledgeable about the route and trained us well on using our equipment, we were discouraged to ask questions. There were many times during our hikes that I was hiking alone and was unsure of the trail, especially during difficult portions. Communication could have been better overall. Had a great time on our trip despite the latter portion and I'm sure this isn't indicative of all Yam's guides.

I tried to book crevasse rescue with Yam and they cancelled it at the last minute as they did not…read morehave enough participants. I emailed to ask why they didn't advertise the trip on their social media. I thought it would be prudent for them to post a spot was left in the course on their FB or insta to try to get enough people. They never did this and I booked with another guiding company. I would have thought this was a risk Yam was taking and actually makes it harder for their guides to make a living.

My partner and I did a private lesson with Ridgeline Guiding, and having climbed with many guides…read moreover the years I can say that Patrick was hands down one of the best instructors I have had. I left the day with way more than I expected to learn, and his feedback was tailored and focused on helping each of us climb more efficiently and in the end safer. Even if I knew more experienced partners to climb with in Banff, I'd still enjoy starting the season off climbing with Patrick. His coaching on movement and technique have made it easier to climb steeper objectives with less pump. Thanks!! Because this matters too, the booking process, communication and overall experience with Ridgeline couldn't have been easier. They are super professional and organized without feeling corporate.

Ridgeline Guiding Service was awesome! I had contacted Patrick a couple of months in advance…read moreregarding a surprise multipitch climb for my boyfriend in May. He immediately responded and openly discussed the potential of not being able to make it due to the delivery date of his son in that general timeframe (which ended up being on the exact day we climbed). He made alternate arrangements in the scenario that he couldn't take us, which worked out great! Throughout the weeks leading up to the climb he was communicative, organized, and reassured me that everything would work out. This was our first time multipitch climbing, so I wanted it to be great. The day of the climb ended up being a wash because of unforeseen rain, but Patrick contacted me in advance to move the trip so that we wouldn't be miserably climbing in the cold and rain. We really appreciated that because the actual climbing day ended up being one of the most beautiful days! Ben was the one who ended up taking us out on our trip and he was amazing! He made us feel at ease and was super down to earth. He taught us the ropes (literally) and explained everything in detail. Despite my panic attacks and uneasiness, Ben was patient and encouraging the entire time. We felt incredibly safe in his hands and would definitely go with him again. It was one of the most memorable days to date and I am SO glad that I contacted Patrick. He was accommodating, transparent, honest, and organized and it was worth every penny!

We just returned from 6 days of hiking in the most beautiful mountains imaginable. The Heli-hiking…read moreis fabulous. We were able to go to out of the way places unreachable without a helicopter. We felt we were on top of the world. The guides were exceptional. They were so sensitive to our ability and needs. Plus they all knew so much about the environment. They all seemed like well educated naturalists, informing us about rock structures, flowers and the animals we were lucky enough to see. The food at both lodes was fantastic. We felt so lucky to be able to have such a great experience.

It doesn't get any better than this!!! I never knew that HeliHiking existed until my husband…read moresurprised me with this trip. The staff are knowledgeable, fun, and will show you a great time. They separate you into hiking groups according to your abilities so everyone is happy. If you do go helihiking you definitely have to do the Via Ferrata. We stayed at the Bobbie Burns Lodge and loved it! How can you not have a great time flying in a helicopter daily around beautiful mountains and landing on incredible peaks and glaciers where you hike and explore for the day. If you have the opportunity to do this it is definitely worth the money!

Cougar Creek has a great selection of trails for walking, hiking, biking, and horse riding…read more There's a small parking lot with toilet facilities. There's also a pub across the street with a patio for post-hike drinks. From the Trans Canada Highway to the base of Grotto and Lady Macdonald there is a flat and perfectly maintained trail on either side of the creek, with three bridges over the span. You can walk up the creek itself, including to popular rock climbing spots. This is also the trailhead for Mount Lady Macdonald and Grotto Mountain if you're ready for a bit of a challenge. If you'd like a nice hike with some inclines and nice views without being too challenging, there's the Montane Traverse trail on the Macdonald side and the Horseshoe Trail on Grotto. Both climb high enough for a great view and a little bit of a workout and then are mostly flat. The Horseshoe trail ends at a lovely river spot and connects to another nice, relatively easy loop trail. The Mount Lady Macdonald trail can get pretty crowded on nice days. The area near Horseshoe Trail is pretty busy with mountain bikers. The cyclists all seem like a friendly bunch and are pretty determined to avoid running me over, so while it's good to keep an eye out, it doesn't detract from the experience. These trails aren't as well marked as those on the other side of the highway. You might end up on a different trail than intended, but you won't get lost, since the side trails spit you back out onto the main trail and the mountain views keep you oriented.

Ernie Antonchuk It is with regret that i am posting this…read morereview as I see that customers loved them in the past but I feel that something has changed and am concerned this company is behaving like they will not be around much longer. When i signed up for their AST1 course, it took them over a week to get back to me with answers to my questions. I even ended up calling their guides at home to help me. And then at the AST1 course, we were not given any hard copies of the course - the presenter just read everything off the screen to us. And two weeks later, I have left several email and voice mail messages as I need to present my AST1 certificate to my hiking club in order to hike/snowshoe/ski in avalanche terrain. And they are not answering any of these. Please be wary with this company as times are tough in Alberta and they might be another casualty.

From the owner: Cloud Nine Guides is a Mountain School & Internationally (IFMGA) Certified Guide Service located in…read moreCanmore, Alberta, in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. We offer guiding and instruction in ice climbing, rock climbing, mountaineering, backcountry skiing / split boarding and (AST) avalanche education courses.

This past summer, I was a member at the Sally Borden Centre. I was really impressed with the…read morefacility. The gym and the weight room are both accessible to members. There are weights in each space, so with these two spaces, there was little to no waiting for any machines or weights at any time. The change rooms were also very tidy and clean. But the best part was the staff. Every time I went in, they were kind, courteous and always professional. A special shout out to Liam, David and Sarah for your enthusiasm and smiles. I would highly recommend the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation centre to anyone looking for a great place to work out while staying in Banff. Keep up the great work Sally B staff!!! Peter Ashworth Innisfil ON

Paid for a day pass as I am visiting from the UK for 2 weeks, good way of ensuring I get some…read moretraining in in-between skiing. I only went in to use the free weights, they had everything I need. Also saw that they had plenty of machines for those that prefer to train that way as well as a nice looking pool and a range of classes which the day pass also allows you to use. The day pass costs $15 for the full day. Lockers are available. Would definitely recommend the gym to fellow tourists.