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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

It's Official! 2011 Telus World Skins Game coming to Banff July 25 & 26



Media Release provided today by our Banff Lake Louise Tourism Bureau:

TELUS WORLD SKINS GAME TO FEATURE NIKE GOLF STARS AT FAIRMONT BANFF SPRINGS
Anthony Kim, Paul Casey and Stephen Ames first players named to field for 2011 edition of popular summer Canadian golf tradition.

Five Nike Golf athletes representing the world’s largest sport brand will tee it up this summer when the TELUS World Skins Game returns to The Fairmont Banff Springs with Nike Golf as a premier partner.

The five-man field competing in the two-day event on July 25 and 26 features Nike Golf athletes on the PGA Tour including Anthony Kim, Paul Casey and Stephen Ames of Calgary. Kim and Casey will be first time participants in the popular Canadian golf tradition, while Ames will be competing in the event for the fourth time, including in 2006, the last time the TELUS World Skins Game was held in Banff. Two other players will be announced soon.

“Nike Golf has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with the TELUS World Skins Game, and 2011 represents a great opportunity to expand our involvement and feature a field of Nike Golf athletes who star on the PGA Tour,” said Vitalis Gomes, director of marketing for Nike Golf Canada. “With the return of the event to The Fairmont Banff Springs, we’re thrilled to be a part of one of Canada’s top annual sporting events.” “I’ve heard so many great things over the years about the TELUS World Skins Game and look forward to the chance to visit Banff to be a part of it this summer,” said Kim. “I know that the event has always attracted top fields, but the chance
to be a part of an all-Nike Golf field this year will make it especially exciting for Paul, Stephen and me.”

The TELUS World Skins Game is always a highlight of the Canadian summer sporting schedule for the country's most passionate golf fans, as well as the community that hosts it. Fulfilling its promise to “give where we live,” the TELUS World
Skins Game has raised more than $10 million since 2001 for a wide variety of important causes across Canada.
“We are most certainly pleased to be bringing the TELUS World Skins back to Banff, and equally excited to bring some of Nike Golf’s biggest names to Alberta,” said Monty Carter, senior vice-president, TELUS Enterprise Solutions. “The outstanding field of players against the backdrop of the majestic Rocky Mountains, coupled with the TELUS World Skins’ annual support of causes important to the community, will make for an unforgettable event.”

It’s an especially exciting year for Nike Golf which is riding a wave of momentum with global tournament wins and gamechanging products such as the Lunar Control shoe, worn by Masters champion Charl Schwartzel; the METHOD putter
that has won 19 championships including three majors; and the revolutionary new 20XI premium ball with an innovative resin core that provides more distance off the tee and more spin around greens. Nike Golf, the No. 1 apparel brand in golf,
is also celebrating the 20th anniversary of its DRI-Fit technology which modernized golf apparel with its moisture-wicking properties.
“Nike Golf has not only been an outstanding supporter of the TELUS World Skins Game, but of golf at all levels in Canada, and they play a crucial role in helping us bring this popular event to the country’s best golf destinations each year,” said Danny Fritz, vice-president and co-managing director of IMG Canada. “We look forward to an even more successful event in 2011 as Banff National Park celebrates the 100th
Anniversary of organized golf in Banff.”
Designed in 1928 by Canada’s world-renowned golf course architect, Stanley Thompson, The Fairmont Banff Springs Golf Course is famous for its panoramic beauty and challenging layout set in the heart of Banff National Park. The course
winds along the Bow River under the snow-capped peaks of Sulphur Mountain and Mount Rundle.Owned and operated by IMG in Canada for 19 years, the TELUS World Skins Game has included many of the biggest names in the game including Jack Nicklaus, Sergio Garcia, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples and Greg Norman. Players for the 2011 tournament will be announced in the coming weeks and regular updates will be posted on www.telusskins.com.

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Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Third Banff National Park Commitment Award

Congratulations to Peggy Sciber, our Chinook Restaurant Supervisor on receiving the Outstanding Performance Award!

As posted in The Banff Crag & Canyon:

"An avid hiker, backcountry skier and mountain biker, Peggy has lived in Banff permanently for a year and half now. Originally from Chemnitz, Germany, she travelled to Canada after six years of studies in English, French and Adult Education. Having worked part time in the service industry for many years, she landed a job at the Chinook Restaurant at the Banff Park Lodge, where she is now the Restaurant Supervisor. Peggy said she was drawn to the Banff Park Lodge because it is a renowned hotel with a superb location.

Peggy was nominated for her outstanding customer service by a guest of the Banff Park Lodge. "She gives exceptional service." said Peter Sumbler, Chinook Restaurant Manager. Sumbler also commented on Peggy's reliability in going above and beyond the ordinary with her guests. Peggy explained that she enjoys giving advise to tourists about what to do in Banff and will even print off the snow report and bring it to their table to help them choose a ski hill for the day.

This is the third nomination for Banff Park Lodge and their sister properties. Sumbler said that his staff members are not doing anything differently to gain nominations. They are simply offering the exceptional service they would all the time."

Congratulations Peggy!

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Sunday, April 24, 2011

Globus Family of Brands

This past week we received a wonderful letter and award from our partner Globus Family of Brands, expressing their thanks and appreciation for a job well done in 2010 in welcoming their clients to our Banff Park Lodge, Bow View Lodge and Homestead Inn.

Dated March 18, 2011...

"Our team wanted to recognize the terrific work your team does to welcome and ensure our guests have a memorable experience. This award is the result of a vote by our Tour Directors and office team to acknowledge the best of the best in various categories! We selected the top 3 based on the high quality of service provided, the team attitude when working with Tour Directors and the overall commitment to delivering a quality experience every time you welcome our passengers.

Our carefully selected partners are a key element of delivering the experience that our guests have come to expect while they are on a Globus or Cosmos Tour. In essence our partners are extensions of our business, and therefore a critical component of every tour we offer. This commitment to delivering a quality experience every tour ensures that our travelers return year after year to travel, somewhere in the world, with the Globus family of brands.

We are pleased to recognzie you as one of our three "Favorite Hotel Partners"! Again, our thanks for a job well done. We look forward to successful 2011 and beyond."

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Thursday, April 21, 2011

Banff Park Lodge Voted as Top 20 Canada Resorts by Conde Nast Traveler

Thank you Conde Naste Readers for voting Banff Park Lodge as your 2010 Top 20 Canada Resorts.

As from Conde Naste, they recommend the following:

Early winter (December and January) offers sufficient reliable snow cover that the World Cup of Skiing frequently stages season-opening races here. But those with little tolerance for cold might want to wait till late February, March, or April. The daytime average temperature in January in Banff is 19° F. Summer is actually Banff/Lake Louise's high season. Count on long, sunny days from July through September, when the average temperature is 68°.

HOW TO GET THERE

Banff is a 90-minute drive to the west from Calgary International Airport and Lake Louise is about 30 miles farther west on Trans-Canada Highway 1. Banff Airporter offers many transfers a day between the airport and Banff (888-449-2901; www.banffairporter.com). Although free shuttle buses connect several attractions and town sites, Banff/Lake Louise rewards those who rent cars, simply because activities are spread across the park, between three different ski areas and two different towns.

GETTING AROUND

Driving is, by far, the most popular way to travel in the Rockies. Visitors may also consider taking a Rocky Mountain railroad tour; however, there are no trains that connect Jasper to Banff. Rocky Mountaineer Vacations runs trains from Banff or Jasper to Vancouver and Whistler—and since the dining car and restrooms are on board, there's no worry about finding the next rest stop (www.rockymountaineer.com).

TOURIST INFO

Start with Travel Alberta (800-252-3782; www.TravelAlberta.com), a comprehensive source of Banff/Lake Louise information. Skiers and snowboarders should check with Ski Big 3 (www.skibig3.com) for details regarding the slopes of Sunshine Village, Lake Louise, and Ski Norquay. For park specifics, call Banff National Park at 403-522-3833 or Jasper National Park at 780 852 6176.

Banff Information Centre
224 Banff Avenue
Banff
Banff National Park
Alberta T1L 1C3
Tel: 403 762 1550

Banff/Lake Louise Tourism
Tel: 403 762 8421

Jasper Tourism & Commerce
Tel: 780 852 3858

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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Anyone thinking of Golf?

As the snow keeps coming down this weekend, the start of the golf season gets pushed back a little further.

But there is hope that the season will change from winter to summer very soon and the golf season can get underway. For Banff this article featured in the Toronto Star on April 15th by Wes Gilbertson gives us hope:

"It won’t be announced until some of this snow melts, but multiple sources have confirmed the 2011 Telus World Skins Game will be contested at Stanley Thompson’s award-winning golf course in Banff National Park.

The five-man field hasn’t been finalized, but it’s a safe bet Calgary’s Stephen Ames will be among the world-class competitors. The two-day exhibition event is scheduled for July 25-26, immediately after the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open at Vancouver’s Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club.

It’s no secret Fairmont Banff Springs officials have craved a second shot at hosting the Telus World Skins Game after Ames, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman, John Daly and Sergio Garcia treated spectators to an entertaining show — and a hefty helping of birdies — in 2006.

Apparently, the feeling was mutual.

As a result, it’ll soon be made official that sun-starved golf enthusiasts in our snowy city have something to look forward to.

The skins game will undoubtedly showcase the biggest names to tee it up in the Calgary area this summer and, if history is any indication, even casual golf fans will recognize all of them.

The 2010 Telus World Skins Game at Bear Mountain in Victoria featured Canada’s Mike Weir, plus fan favourite Fred Couples and PGA Tour regulars Retief Goosen, Ian Poulter and Camilo Villegas.

Other past participants include Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Colin Montgomerie, Geoff Ogilvy and Vijay Singh.

The picturesque golf course will also assume a starring role in the nationally-televised skins game, which featured a $365,000 purse last summer.

The Fairmont Banff Springs has been consistently ranked among the finest tracks in Canada. When SCOREGolf Magazine unveiled its latest list of the top 100 courses in the country last fall, the 6,938-yard setup in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains was ranked at No. 5.

The fourth hole — a picturesque par-3 that’s known as Devil’s Cauldron — found itself in exclusive company in 2000, when it cracked Golf Digest’s list of the 18 best holes in the world.

And if the pros want to try a virtual practice round, Banff Springs was the only Canadian course included on EA Sports’ Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters video game, which was released last month.

The 2006 Telus World Skins Game featured a heritage theme, with the Golden Bear, the Great White Shark and the three others using hickory-shafted clubs for their tee-shots at Devil’s Cauldron.

Turns out, this summer marks the 100th anniversary of golf in Banff, a rich tradition that dates back to a nine-hole course built by railway workers and eventually scrapped so the legendary Thompson could create his masterpiece. By the time that project was completed in 1928, it became the first golf course with a construction tab of more than $1 million.

For two days in July, five guys that have made millions with their golf clubs in tow will grace those same greens.

What better way to celebrate?"

twitter.com/WesGilbertson

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Sunday, April 10, 2011

A Night for Japan raises $270, 000!

A Night for Japan raises $270K by Corrie DiManno featured in the Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Banff Crag & Canyon:

Locals rallied for relief efforts in Japan for the Japanese Soceity of Banff and Banff Rotary Club's A Night for Japan on March 29, raising $135,000, which the Rotary World Fund is matching, making it $270,000 donation from Bow Valley residents to the Rotary Japan and Pacific Island 2011 Disaster Recovery Fund.

About 400 supporters of the evening's cause packed Wild Bill's: giving donations, bidding on live and silent action items, playing the 50/50 draw - and at the beginning of the fundraiser - clapping as the Banff Park Lodge wrote a cheque for $100,000 cheque to Rotary Foundation Canada.

"This is part of our responsibility," BPL Assistant General Manager, Masataka Horiguchi said. "We have tourists, friends, and family in Japan who need our help."

The BPL has close ties to Japan - Fuji Starlight Express, the owners for the past 25 years, are Japanese - and General Manager Frank Denouden said the hotel been in the Japanese market since the 1970's hosting "great business relations and tens of thousands of guests."

Horiguchi, from Japan said watching the news covering the destruction of his home country was heartbreaking. "It hurts, especially to see the children who have lost their parents," he said. "We wanted to express our feelings with this donation, and we want to help Japan."

Denouden said the BPL was excited to donate to Rotary because of the matching funds available.

"We wanted to do something, and we wanted it to be through Banff, so this was a natural tie-in -- everything fit together nicely," he said. "Rotary is a great organization, and the fundraiser reflects the strong community we have in Banff."

Mayor Karen Sorensen became emotional watching the BPL donation because she said it was a reminder of how Banff comes together during times of need.

"Understanding we have challenges and issues in Banff, when you attend a function like this, you are very quickly reminded of what a great community we are," Sorensen said. She added that Japanese businesses and tourists have been very good to Banff, significantly contributing to the local economy, but more importantly, Banff's Japanese residents are part of the fibre of the town.

"Our locals and their extended families need help," she said. "The contribution from Banff Park Lodge is so generous and the many, many people in the attendance to raise funds is amazing. I am quite simply, overwhelmed and could not be prouder to be a Banffite."

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