Banff is far away and close enough.
Think of Denver. Medium-sized city of around three million people, perched just shy of a massive mountain range on flat, brown plains. A major highway connects an international airport west to the mountains, the main vein of transportation for goods, travelers, and…skiers.
Now—flatten the highway to mellow grades, subtract a lion-share of the traffic, add some prominence to the mountains, and douse the whole thing in cheese curds and gravy. You’ve arrived in Calgary, Alberta. From here, it’s an hour and a half to the idyllic and international mountain town of Banff. Best known around the world for its namesake film festival, Banff is also one of Canada’s premiere ski towns—and all three of its resorts happen to be on your Ikon Pass.
I know what you’re thinking. Sure, the grass is always greener, and it’s easy to pick on I-70. Don’t get me wrong—I, as a skier with a Colorado birth certificate, and Powder7, a homegrown Front Range ski shop, will swear allegiance to these mountains until winter dies or the Eisenhower Tunnel caves. But, hey, we like vacations too.
Treat Yourself to a Canadian Ski Adventure
So if your usual haunts feel a bit stale and the age of the mega ski pass has awakened your sense of adventure—or if you’re staying home and pining for normalcy during the coronavirus shutdown—sketch out a trip to Canada as part of your skiing future.
For one, it could actually take you less time to fly from Denver to Calgary, rent a car, and drive to Banff than to head up to Vail on a weekend. And between an often-favorable exchange rate, zero language barrier, and a relaxed vibe (God, how can they be so polite?), traveling in Canada rocks.
But you want to know about the skiing. Because if you’re going to plan a ski-cation that may require you to renew your passport or learn what a “toonie” is, you need to know the skiing is legit.
So here’s your quick-guide to Banff ski resorts: Lake Louise, Banff Sunshine, and Mt. Norquay, known together as SkiBig3.
Lake Louise
Vertical Drop: 3,250 feet
Runs: 145 marked + back bowls
Lifts: 10
Skiable Acres: 4,200
The Skinny: With more acreage than most Colorado resorts, including Breckenridge, Keystone, and Copper, Lake Louise is one of the largest ski areas in North America. A 40-minute drive from Banff will give you access to mellow and interesting beginner and intermediate terrain (with more coming in the next couple years), plus a loaded buffet of steeps, faces, and chutes. Lake Louise features the best array of advanced and expert terrain in Alberta.
Gameplan: After coming all this way, you’ll want to beat the crowds to the Summit Platter, a Poma that brings you to the resort’s high point. Traverse along a ridge, lookers left, to the furthest open run off the backside, where wind famously deposits blankets of dusty powder all winter long. These chutes range from skinny to wide-open, and if visibility and snow align, they could be the best runs of your trip.
Don’t Miss: After you sample the backside goods, explore the trees and gullies of the West Bowl area, set to open for the 2020-2021 season.
Noteworthy: The ramen at Kuma Yama rivals every bowl I have devoured in Japan.
Banff Sunshine
Vertical Drop: 3,514 feet
Runs: 137
Lifts: 12
Skiable Acres: 3,358
The Skinny: When you arrive at Sunshine’s end-of-the-road parking lot, complete with two buildings and a gondola, you may think you’re in the wrong spot. Hop aboard, though, and everything becomes clear as a broad valley opens up around you. Sunshine’s sprawling terrain features a huge variety of trees, chutes, hike-to steeps, and all-out groomers, and it’s all set to an unrivaled backdrop of hanging glaciers and mythic-looking peaks. This is the Canadian Rockies, after all.
Gameplan: For expert skiers, Sunshine’s crown jewel is Delirium Dive, a rugged and cliffy cirque accessed by a short hike. You will want to bring your avalanche gear, as the area is appropriately blocked by a fence and beacon-check gate. For other steeps, your contingency plan is Wild West, which features chutes between huge cliff walls, reminiscent of Arapahoe Basin’s Steep Gullies, but minus the hike out. Prioritize a trip into one of these zones.
Don’t Miss: When you’re ready to ski some wide-open stuff or take a run with the family, head up the Continental Divide Express and bomb the long, majestic groomer back down. This is where you can appease the kiddos with a terrain park lap.
Noteworthy: Sunshine is only a 20-minute drive from town, and it’s got the longest non-glacial ski season in all of Canada. Thank you, elevation.
Mt. Norquay
Vertical Drop: 1,650 feet
Runs: 60
Lifts: 6
Skiable Acres: 190
The Skinny: In town, you’ll probably hear people refer to Norquay as the locals’ hill, and that checks out. You can see the upper runs from Banff Ave., and every kid in town gets a free ski pass. It’s the kind of place where you rip hot laps after work and end the season with more ski days than everyone you know—except that one buddy who got more.
Gameplan: Norquay is considerably smaller than Lake Louise and Sunshine, so folks with just a few days to ski often skip it. While it may not bring vastness or vert, Norquay is a true skier’s mountain steeped in history (a point emphasized by the prints of Marilyn Monroe on a chairlift during Norquay’s early days, found in the Cliff House). Explore the avy path out the gate off Mystic Express or the adventurey trees and steeps accessed by North American. The mountain is covered in tree stashes, so if the family needs a rest day, you’ve got your work cut out for you.
Don’t Miss: Norquay’s easy access and family-friendliness may distract you from all the black diamonds on the trail map. We promise your quads will scream as you test your mettle down the long, sustained bumps on Lone Pine. Keep in mind: Norquay has trained a slew of professional athletes and Olympians in its time.
Noteworthy: Mt. Norquay is one of the rare places that actually feels like a ski area rather than a resort. If you’re someone who understands the difference, you will love the day you spend there during your trip.
Rentals and Info
A great first stop during your visit to Banff is the SkiBig3 Adventure Hub on Banff Avenue. Here, you can rent gear for the duration of your stay and gather all the information you need about the skiing and any other activities the family is looking for. Yes, that means you won’t be bored even if you take a down day. We recommend hot springs.
Après
What’s a quick-guide to a ski destination without some après intel? First, if you ski each SkiBig3 resort during your trip, you qualify for…drumroll, please…a free pint! It’s called the Trifecta Challenge, and you can score drink tickets and a sticker at the Adventure Hub.
What to drink in the meantime? You can’t leave Banff without a smoky whisky cocktail served with charred cedar blocks at Park Distillery (that’s the “Observation Peak” on the menu). Your kids will get a kick out of slo-mo videoing the smoke as it unfurls when you lift off the wood. That’s when you raise a glass, toast your own awesomeness, and say, “someday, kids…when you’re older.” This is vacation, after all.
Want more on skiing in Canada? Read about the Powder Highway.
