A snowboarder had a wild experience at Lake Louise ski resort in more ways than one when he encountered a grizzly bear last week.
A British snowboarder, who could not be reached for comment, posted a video on Saturday (April 26) showing his surprise as he went by a big bruin meandering along the side of the ski run. “Oh, it’s a griz – f…,” he exclaimed.
Leigha Stankewich, marketing and communications manager for Lake Louise ski resort, said staff first spotted the grizzly on the Ski Out, which was already closed, on Wednesday (April 24) at about 1 p.m.
The bear was also seen again on Pine Cone Way, which is now also closed.
“At this time, both Larch and frontside access were closed as our team monitored the situation closely,” she said.
“We were able to manage lifts and terrain closures to keep guests separate without the need to force the bear anywhere. As soon as it was off the leasehold, we resumed normal operations.”
Stankewich said no further sightings have been reported since.
“Parks Canada was notified but no further action taken,” she said.
Kim Titchener, founder of Bear Safety & More who has worked on wildlife conflict reduction programs with government agencies, communities and industry for close to 20 years, said this is a tough time of year for bears coming out of hibernation.
“I’m sure that was a very stressful experience for that grizzly bear to come out onto that landscape and see those people,” she said.
“We can’t always suppose that this is a bear that has been here before and knows the area.”
Titchener said she was pleased the ski resort acted quickly to close areas to give the bear space and security.
She said greater awareness will be needed moving forward as climate change may mean bears start emerging earlier and earlier from their winter dens.
“You have this weird in between season with this spring skiing and bears waking up,” she said.
“It’s a stark reminder that our world is changing and it’s definitely starting to impact the bears as well.”
In addition, ski resorts may need to be thinking about bear management plans earlier in the year, said Titchener.
“I think it would be wise of the ski industry to consider their management plans not just in the summer months,” she said.
“Even in the shoulder parts of that bear hibernation period, we have to be prepared that we could have bears on the hill and come up with some bear safety messaging for spring skiing.”
In mid-December, a black bear darted across a busy ski run at California’s Heavenly Mountain Resort in South Lake Tahoe in front of skiers and snowboarders, almost taking out one of the skiers. It was reportedly running to its mother on the other side of the ski run.
In Banff, Canmore and Kananaskis Country, bears are slowly emerging from their dens.
According to the April 18-25 bear report provided by Bow Valley WildSmart covering an area from Banff National Park's east gate to Bow Valley Provincial Park, bear activity continues to increase as reports of tracks and bears in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country continue to roll in.
In Banff, bear No. 122, aka The Boss, was the first out of his den this year on March 18.
In 2020, he was out of the den as early as Feb. 28 – then the earliest a grizzly had been recorded out of the den in Banff in the previous decade – while he was out as late as March 29 in 2021, the latest he has been seen.
Parks Canada was not immediately available for comment.