Resort skiing and snowboarding is the reason that Banff is open for the winter. On the busiest days, therecan be 10 000 people skiing the three resorts in Banff National Park.
Banff Ski Resorts Overview
- There are three resorts in Banff National Park. Lake Louise and Sunshine Village are Larger and popular. Locals are quite divided as to which is their favourite of the two. Norquay is a smaller, more economical option. If you plan to visit all the resorts or want seasons passes, Ski Banff Lake Louise is the place to visit.
- Why Ski Banff?
- The two things that give Banff an advantage over resorts in British Columbia are the consistently good conditions and the length of the season. The Banff resorts have more elevation making them colder than other resorts. Therefore you do not get the melts and freezes that can turn the snow into ice. Heavy, wet snow is almost unheard of – even in April and May. Banff has great service and friendly people.
- Why not Banff?
- If you want to ski to your hotel, Banff doesn't have much to offer. The Sunshine Mountain Loge is the only option. Banff has become expensive when compaired to many resorts in British Columbia. If you are expecting a standard National Park experience, you will be surprised by the number people and amount of development in the Bow Valley. Some less expensive and less developed resorts can be found in British Columbia.
- Mount Norquay
- Known as a Banff's family resort, Mount Norquay is a 10 minute drive from Banff and overlooks the town. If you like groomed runs, Norquay is for you. It has some gentle runs for beginners and lots of steeps for more advanced skiers. Take your carving board or skinny skis to rip groves in the hard snow. Snow Report
Pros: great grooming, close to Banff, pay by the hour, good park, no crowds, terrain park
Cons: shorter season, south facing(sun baked snow), not much natural snow, smaller area Orientation - As it only includes one face, it is hard to get lost at Norquay.
- Sunshine Village
- A 15 minute drive from Banff and then a 15 minute gondola ride will take you to Sunshine Village. The village has the only ski in hotel in the area and offers some great deals. Sunshine boasts the best quality snow in Canada and this may very well be true. Sunshine consists of 3 mountains and
offers great backcountry access. Snow Report
- Recommended - The Sunshine Mountain Lodge has packages that include 1 night in the hotel and 2 days of skiing. This doesn’t cost much more than 2 days of skiing alone.
Warning – if you are a hard core ripper, bring an avalanche beacon, shovel and partner. There is some really juicy terrain that you will not want to miss which requires avalanche equipment.
Warning - Parking is a big issue on Saturdays and Sundays from mid-December until just after Easter. to get a resonable spot, get there early or take a bus
Recommended – Slush Cup is the best party in the Rockies is on the Monday of the May long weekend. Skiers and boarders get remarkably drunk and ski into a pool of water trying to get across.
Pros: great quality snow, beautiful alpine setting, hotel deals, always open until the May long weekend (May 21-24), great backcountry access, fun bar (Trappers) fantastic expert terrain.
Cons: poor environmental record, expensive, many flat sections, shorter runs, some runs require avalanche beacons, nasty crowds on weekends, they advertise “wide open until .....” but always close sections early to save operation costs. Often cold and windy, smaller terrain park, poor 
parking (on busy days, take a bus from Banff), no long haired staff
- Lake Louise
- A 50 minute drive west of Banff will take you to Lake Louise Ski Resort. It consists of 2 mountains and is enjoyable for beginners and experts alike. It has nice long gentle runs and some challenging steeps on the backside. The front side and Larch have lots of fake snow which many people complain about but it does ride nicer in April and May during the warmest days. Lake Louise experiences some periods with little snowfall, you can often find nice wind groomed aspects in the steeps that let you go fast and rip hard turns.
The Resort's large size and backcountry access means that you can find untracked snow long after it has fallen. For the more advanced skiers, Lake Louise has some great opportunities to reach high speeds relatively safely. Snow Report
Recommended - Check out the World Cup Downhill races at the beginning of the season. The Lake Louise downhill course tends to be the fastest on the circuit.
Recommended - Check out the free ski comp in February. Watch the best huck cliffs and get into gnarly places that seem insane
Pros: Long runs, varied terrain, better in white outs than Sunshine, lots of competitions, no avalanche beacon owners only areas, good parking, few flat sections
Cons: poor environmental record, hard snow, expensive, shallow base (rocks), don’t hire long hair, some outdated lifts
