Banff is a mountain town as well as Canada’s first national park. The town is situated along the Trans-Canada Highway in Alberta, just east of the border with British Columbia and about two hours west of Calgary. Lake Louise is a tiny village known for its picture-perfect lake about 58km northwest of Banff.
There are three nearby ski areas all on a joint “Ski Big 3” pass: Banff Sunshine, Lake Louise, and Mt. Norquay. They offer a 3-out-of-5 day joint pass that’s a pretty good deal. I visited on the Mountain Collective pass, which included two days each at Sunshine and Lake Louise.
Out of the three ski areas, Mt. Norquay is the closest to the town of Banff, but also the smallest (it does offer tubing however). Sunshine is about 25 minutes down the highway towards Lake Louise, and the Louise ski area is about 45 minutes away. Fortunately, there are complimentary ski shuttles between all three!
Banff Sunshine is the largest ski area, with panoramic views from the top into British Columbia and the Assiniboine wilderness area. When you arrive, the parking area is primarily just a gondola station which takes you to the proper ‘village’ higher up on the mountain, which feels like it’s in the center of an amphitheater with chairlifts going up to the ridge line in multiple directions.
My first day at Sunshine lived up to the name with clear blue skies to take in the epic views across the backcountry. I spent some time on the Angel Express and Great Divide lifts, although the more interesting trails were a bit rocky and exposed since the tide was a bit low. After lunch, I worked my way over to the Standish quad and ended up enjoying some lesser-touched stashes around Paris Basin and the boundary.
It was on day two that I really found my groove lapping Goat’s Eye Mountain over and over. To access Goat’s Eye, get off the gondola at the mid-station (or ski down from above). This area served more advanced runs, especially by exiting the chairlift to the right and heading to the chutes on the flank facing Delirium Dive. I loved the open and exposed upper portion followed by choosing your adventure as you approach the tree line and make your way through the winding glades and trails back to the lift. The area felt remote enough that lots of snow was untouched, and it didn’t hurt that on my second day the flakes started falling increasingly faster.
On my first day at Lake Louise I was lucky enough to wake up to 42cm of new snow that continued to come down over my time there. Even though it isn’t quite as large as Sunshine, Lake Louise was probably my favorite mountain, largely due to the straight forward setup. The front side has a good mix of beginner to advanced terrain, but I spent 90% of my time on the backside, which featured open bowls and chutes.
I had a blast dropping off Paradise Cornice and sampling each chute into Paradise Bowl. The Summit Chair provides access to a number of gated entrances off the backside which were deep and steep (although skiing them in near whiteout conditions was disorienting!). All of these backside trails funnel into the same gladed valley around back (and keep your eyes open for a planned expansion including new chairlift in this area for 25/26).
Being on the backside also means you can take a lunch or espresso break in the The Temple Lodge, which is a scenic little eatery away from the larger crowds at the main frontside lodge. Speaking of lodges, the log cabin aesthetic for all of Louise’s buildings is beautiful.
One of the things that makes Banff a great winter destination is that there’s plenty to do for non-skiers or to round out your ski days. Plus, downtown Banff is so walkable that it’s really not necessary to have a car to enjoy these activities. Below are a few of my favorites:
The Banff Gondola is a great way to take in the epic vistas of the Bow Valley, especially for someone who won’t be riding the ski gondolas. From downtown Banff, the local Roam shuttle will take you to the base of Sulphur Mountain only a few minutes up the road along Mountain Avenue. At the top there’s a restaurant, cafe, but also fairly extensive boardwalks and trails for exploring.
While you may not see the iconic turquoise water in winter, the upshot is you can get out on it! Guests staying at the super luxe Fairmont Château Lake Louise hotel will have everything taken care of for them, but us vagabonds can enjoy the ice as well. The hotel regularly plows a section of the lake in winter and legend has it they even bring a Zamboni machine out periodically.
Roam Transit buses take you from downtown Banff to Lake Louise waterfront, with a stop in Lake Louise village as well. The village stop is basically outside a parking lot for the sole shopping plaza in town. This is your ticket to rent gear - Wilson Sports has super affordable skate rentals (at time of writing, $19cad/day) and I’d highly recommend renting a hockey stick as well so you don’t fall on your face. If you aren’t staying in LL and want to pick up your rentals in Banff to avoid the extra stop, Banff Adventures has similar prices.
We had a great time on a backcountry snowshoe tour through White Mountain Adventures. They pick you up in town and take you to Banff Sunshine with an included ride up the gondola and chairlift so their guide can lead you into the backcountry to the untouched powder past the ski area boundary. Even for someone already up in the mountains on skis, the snowshoeing provided a unique experience (hot cocoa too) and their guides gave a great introduction to the area and wilderness.
Down the road between Banff and Sunshine, this boardwalk through a tight canyon is especially captivating during winter due to the frozen waterfalls.
And don’t miss out on the fine Canadian delicacy called “Beavertails!” I found them an especially tasty pow-day treat while taking a break on the mountain.
The closest major airport is Calgary, which is about 2 hours east of Banff. I hate renting a car when I travel to ski (since I plan to ski all day), and fortunately, it’s really not necessary in Banff! Downtown Banff is easily walkable - the core is handful of blocks densely filled with restaurants and shops - and there is both a complimentary ski shuttle with routes to all three resorts as well as a regional bus that can take you to the village of Lake Louise and a few stops in between (Johnston Canyon, for instance).
To get from Calgary to Banff, I chose the Banff Airporter, which had nice service, ample room for ski bags, and a number of departures each day.
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