Purple Mound

Christy Mahon and Rich Burkley near the summit of Purple Mound. — High on Purple Mound. You can see some cut ski runs of Lake Louise in the valley below. It’s close to the ski area.

We’ve skied named peaks, mountains, points, needles, ridges, and hills— and countless translations of these terms in other languages— but we had never skied from the summit of a named mound.

During our visit to Lake Louise, after our day on Fairview Mountain, we had the opportunity to ski the Purple Mound tour. It was a cool loop through beautiful mountains, fun skiing, and a memorable day!

Christy Mahon and Rich Burkley head up towards Purple Mound. — Breaking out of the trees and heading up the valley.

Skinning higher, you can see ski tracks coming off the summit of Purple Mound. — Higher up, you can see ski tracks coming off the summit

The tour starts at the Temple Lodge, located at the backside of Lake Louise ski area, and follows a gentle route up into the valley, with only a short pitch of switchbacks required to reach the summit. Numerous options exist to ski back down, eventually re-entering the ski area, concluding the tour.