Lake Louise claims best ski conditions in 20 years after 57-cm dump

Things are shaping up to be a great weekend for some Alberta ski resorts after a massive dump of snow this week.

"It's probably been one of the best years we've had in 20 years," Lake Louise Ski Resort spokesperson Dan Markham told The Homestretch on Friday.

"In the storm that lasted just over 24 hours, we had around 57 centimetres come down. We had a pretty solid base. This is actually the snowiest year we have had in 20 years, that we've been recording, and we are not even done February yet. It's looking like we are going to knock it out of the park again."

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CBC meteorologist Johanna Wagstaffe says the Calgary area could be moving into record-breaking territory with two large dumps of snow.

"This second one, with the totals now close to 30 centimetres for parts of the city, will now triple your average totals for February, and we're still only in the first couple of weeks," Wagstaffe told CBCCalgaryon Thursday evening.

"So seeing that much snow at one time is unusual for Calgary. We do see that from time to time, but I imagine we will come out of this breaking a few records, to say the least."

Meanwhile, Markham says the weekend forecast is promising.

"It's clear blue skies, the highways are crystal clean for great driving conditions. It's supposed to be clear and sunny all weekend long," he said.

"Right now we have an inversion of about 10 degrees, so it's 10 degrees warmer to the top of the mountain than at the base area."

But with a Parks Canada avalanche warning over the weekend, Markham recommends staying away from the backcountry.

"Stay in bounds for the next few days."

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With files from The Homestretch and CBCCalgary