The slopes

  • Extent 3 out of 5
  • Fast lifts 4 out of 5
  • Snow 4 out of 5
  • Queues 4 out of 5
  • Terrain p'ks 4 out of 5
  • Expert 4 out of 5
  • Intermediate 4 out of 5
  • Beginner 3 out of 5
  • Boarder 4 out of 5
  • X-country 4 out of 5
  • Restaurants 3 out of 5
  • Schools 4 out of 5
  • Families 4 out of 5

The resort

  • Resort charm 3 out of 5
  • Convenience 1 out of 5
  • Scenery 4 out of 5
  • Eating out 5 out of 5
  • Apres ski 3 out of 5
  • Off-slope 5 out of 5

Key facts covers:

  • Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise, covered by the Tri-area pass

Key facts

Resort1380 m
Slopes1630-2730 m
Lifts26
Pistes7748 acres
Price index160

Banff

Canada

Banff-Townsite---from-Norquay

The upside

  • Spectacular high-mountain scenery – quite unlike the Colorado Rockies
  • Lots of touristy shops, restaurants and bars
  • Good-value lodging because winter is the area’s low season
  • Excellent snow at main nearby area, Sunshine Village, but ...

The downside

  • It’s a 20-minute bus ride then a long gondola ride away
  • You’ll probably want to ski Lake Louise too, 45 minutes away
  • Most lifts/runs are of limited vertical
  • Can be very cold (–30°C or lower)
  • Banff lacks ski resort atmosphere, though it’s not an unattractive town

Latest user reviews

Just a quick note on another option while staying in…

Alastair B 19 Feb 2009 

Skied here for a couple of days 26th and 27th February…

Richard Venes 28 Mar 2008 

02/07 There were two reasons why I decided to ski…

Chris Miller 27 Aug 2007 

Your views?

If you have visited this resort not too long ago, why not add your own short review to this page?

Summary

Banff is nothing like your typical ski resort. Even the small local hill, Norquay, is a bus ride out of town, and the daily routine is to commute to Sunshine Village or Lake Louise (both of which get their own web pages). Not fun; but we enjoy its restaurants and bars, and spectacular scenery.
The alternative is to stay a few nights mid-mountain at Sunshine Village and a few at Lake Louise. Lake Louise also has the advantage of being much closer to Kicking Horse, which makes a great day trip for powderhounds.

Blogs, features and news

Map unavailable.

The slopes

  • Extent 3 out of 5
  • Fast lifts 4 out of 5
  • Snow 4 out of 5
  • Queues 4 out of 5
  • Terrain p'ks 4 out of 5
  • Expert 4 out of 5
  • Intermediate 4 out of 5
  • Beginner 3 out of 5
  • Boarder 4 out of 5
  • X-country 4 out of 5
  • Restaurants 3 out of 5
  • Schools 4 out of 5
  • Families 4 out of 5

The resort

  • Resort charm 3 out of 5
  • Convenience 1 out of 5
  • Scenery 4 out of 5
  • Eating out 5 out of 5
  • Apres ski 3 out of 5
  • Off-slope 5 out of 5

Key facts covers:

  • Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise, covered by the Tri-area pass

Key facts

Resort1380 m
Slopes1630-2730 m
Lifts26
Pistes7748 acres
Price index160