When your knees start to give
out, it’ll be time to switch hotels and
activities and head for the ultraquaint Paint Box Lodge. Owned by
Olympic cross-country skier Sara
Renner and husband Thomas Grandi,
this boutique hotel is located in the
heart of downtown Canmore. You’ll
remember Sara when you meet her.
She’s the cross-country skier who
lost her pole during her 2006 Olympic
race, was handed a replacement by
the Norwegian coach, and went on
to win a silver medal. Ask Sara to
tell you the funny story about how
she later arranged to give that same
coach a case of Canadian maple
syrup as a thank you. He smiled
graciously for the cameras but later
whispered that…he really preferred
jam. You’ll have a chance to hear all
of Sara’s stories if, when you book
your rooms or suites (many with
cozy fireplaces and all with great,
big soaker tubs) you ask her to go
cross-country skiing with you. Yup…
Sara and/or Thomas will ski with
you at the Canmore Nordic Centre
Provincial Park, where Olympians
from around the world come to train
on snow that’s saved all summer (no
kidding) by burying it in deep holes,
under sawdust. Come late fall, they
scoop it out, and spread it on the
training track so athletes can get
as early a start as possible. Be sure
to ask about a cooking class in the
Paint Box’s well-appointed kitchen.
Talented local chefs entertain as
they teach in the airy kitchen, while
guests sit at the counter, chopping,
noshing and learning – it’s a great
u
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ski with
way for a group of friends and family
to have a healthy meal and expand
their brains at the same time.
If you ever get your fill of the ski
hills and want a little indoor exercise, you’ll be delighted to discover
that Canmore’s ready for you. The
tiny town of fewer than 13,000 has
half a dozen yoga studios, Pilates
and barre studios, and a couple of
gyms offering everything from step
classes to TRX. Solara has a great
in-house spa, and there are a number
of other day spas in town where
you can let the talented therapists
work out all those kinks you developed, crashing down the ski hills.
For those with a more serious interest in health issues, Canmore offers
a truly unique facility - Gaia Collaborative Medicine. A cross between
a clinic and a destination health spa,
Gaia is run by Dr. Tracy Thompson,
a medical doctor who has brought
together a group of health care specialists with expertise in everything
from nutrition, to chiropractic care
to psychology – all of whom work
together to provide a 360 degree service that’s nothing short of amazing.
While the best way to use the centre
is to check in for a thorough evaluation and personalized treatment program (this can take up to a week or
more and is, admittedly, pricey) you
can also visit Gaia on a less wholehog basis, to take yoga classes, have
a single treatment or eat in their
healthy-but-incredibly delicious café.