Lazy mountaineers

What's the point of coming to the Rockies unless you go up to the top of a mountain?  But no one wants to actually put in the effort of climbing one, which is why we found ourselves in Banff at the foot of Sulphur Mountain, ready to jump on a cable car and be pulled up to the 8,041ft peak.

Cable cars have never seemed the safest of things to me, and that view wasn't helped by a one-year-old running around crazily inside, but we were soon at the top where a quick trip around the gift shop calmed my nerves.  Outside, handy wooden walkways helped you wander to the best viewpoints.

The complete lack of physical effort was well worth it as we looked down onto Banff and around the 360 degree view of forests and glacial valleys.  For the fit/crazy there is a trail that you can walk from bottom to peak, and they used to give you a free trip down if you managed it.  Not any more!  Further proof that we made the right choice.



Up they go.

Our chariot awaits!

Hannah restrains a bouncy child.

Looking down on the way up.

Pete comes face-to-face with Canadian law.

This is what it's all about.

King of the mountain.

I discovered my camera's panorama mode!  I remember when you had to glue several 6x4 prints together to do this.

Hannah was the only one of us who actually did put in some physical effort today.

This is a cosmic ray measuring station at the summit.  If I stay here for long enough, will I develop superpowers?

It's a personal snow plough!  And now I want one.

Another panorama.  I like this setting.

One of very few mountain-dwellers that we saw up there, puffing himself up against the cold.

Picnic time.  Unsurprisingly, only the Brits were hardy enough to attempt this.

That's all that's holding me up?!

Did I mention that Pete rather enjoyed being in a cable car?

The view on the way back down.

I'm not sure I'd enjoy that up my gondola...