CONTACT: info@cdnalpine.com Box 40087 Canmore, AB T1W 3H9 [About our Guides] [Prices & Booking] <--Back to Home Page This page is meant to help you plan and prepare for your climbing trip to Alberta with Canadian Rockies Alpine Guides. Climbing Equipment & Clothing Alberta and the Canadian Rockies have numerous places where you can purchase and rent climbing equipment, here are some of the local favourites: Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) - Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver - Canada's biggest gear store with everything you need for the outdoors. MEC also has a large selection of rental items including boots. A $5 lifetime membership is required to buy anything from MEC. Gear Up Sports - Canmore - Climbing and outdoor rentals, including ice climbing boots, mountaineering boots, rock shoes, and much more. Located in downtown Canmore. Switching Gear - Canmore - An excellent used/consignment gear store with lots of climbing equipment and clothing. Located at 718 - 10th Street, Canmore, Alberta. Vertical Addictions - Canmore - This locally owned shop is the best place to buy climbing gear in Canmore. Located near the Sobeys on Railway Avenue. Gravity Gear - Jasper - A great climbing shop just off main street in Jasper. The staff are always friendly and knowledgable. They have a large selection of climbing gear for sale as well as rental gear. This is the place to go if coming into the Rockies from Edmonton or further north. Mountain Magic - Banff - Banff's premier mountain shop with a good selection of climbing gear upstairs and rental equipment as well. Places to Stay All of the mountain towns in the Rockies have numerous options for places to stay including campgrounds, low-priced hostels, moderately priced hotels, and lots of luxury suites, hotels, and cabins. HI Hostels - There are numerous hostels located throughout the Rockies. The Alpine Club's HI Hostel is the closest to Canmore, there is also one in Banff, Lake Louise, Nordegg, and bunch along the Icefields Parkway and around Jasper. The hostels on the Icefields Parkway are an excellent place to base out of for ice climbing trips to areas like the Weeping Wall and Polar Circus. Cost is about $20 - $40 per person per night. Reservations may be needed, especially if you want to be there on a weekend. Hostel Bear (Canmore) - a nice hostel in downtown Canmore, a good location if you want to be able to walk to the restaurants & bars in town. It's usually not to busy and is always nice & clean. Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge (Canmore) - a popular motel with climbers & skiers. Nice rooms & good rates. Rooms with kitchenettes are available. Hotels - The Canmore/Banff area has an endless supply of hotels for all price-ranges, an internet search will reveal tons of options. Campgrounds - There are dozens, if not hundreds, of campgrounds in the Canadian Rockies. In mid-summer the Canmore/Banff area ones can fill up on weekends but the rest of the time it is usually easy to find a site. Groceries & Services Canmore: Two large supermarkets, Safeway & Sobeys, are located side by side along Railway Avenue. As well, there are numerous smaller stores, meat shops and bakeries scattered around the small downtown area. If you prefer to go out, the selection of pubs, restaurants, bars, and fine dining is enormous for such a small town. Banff: Banff has a Safeway and other smaller grocery stores offering everything you could need. As with Canmore, Banff has an endless selection of places to eat out. Jasper: Although smaller than Banff or Canmore, Jasper still has all services including two grocery stores, specialty shops, and lots of places to eat out or have a drink. Lake Louise: Although quite small, it does have gas, a small selection of over-priced groceries, accomodations, and a few really nice pubs and restaurants. Our personal favourite eating & drinking establishment is Explorer's Lounge below the Lake Louise Inn.