Banff Ski Resorts

Banff National Park is home to three world-class ski resorts: Lake Louise, Sunshine Village, and Norquay. These three resorts offer abundant terrain to challenge the most experienced skier and snowboarder, but also ski schools and beginner runs for those just learning the art of skiing or boarding.

LAKE LOUISE MOUNTAIN RESORT

A top contender for the "Everybody's Favourite Ski Hill" prize (if there were such a thing), Lake Louise is a stunning, three-faces ski hill with a huge amount of skiable terrain and a terrain park for showoffs and those just looking to master some jumps. The Lake Louise ski resort is about a 45 minute drive from Banff as you head west along Highway 1. If you plan on doing a bunch of skiing at Lake Louise or any of the other Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR), invest in the RCR Card, which gives you the first, fourth, and seventh days free, and discounts on the other days at any of the RCR hills, including Nakiska, which is only 45 minutes from Calgary. Follow this link for more information on Lake Louise.

Try Inghams for ski holidays in Canada. A ski tour specialist, they will ensure you have a fantastic time on the slopes of Lake Louise.

Much closer to Banff is Sunshine Village, Lake Louise's chief competitor for skiers and boarders. It's proximity to Banff (roughly 15 minutes away - west on Highway 1) and Calgary means that it can get packed. However, its reputation as a world class Banff ski resort is well-deserved, with terrain for skiers and boarders of all abilities. Experts need only apply themselves to the relatively new Goat's Eye face to get their shred on. To visit our Banff Sunshine Village page, click here.

NORQUAY

The Norquay ski resort is literally right next to Banff and you can see it easily from certain spots around the town. It is right across Highway 1. Compared to Lake Louise and Sunshine Village, this Banff ski hill is small, which is not necessarily a bad thing if you only have an afternoon, do not want to spend a great deal of time driving, or have kids (or yourself) in ski or snowboard school and will only be riding the bunny hill anyway. Follow this link for more information on Mount Norquay.

SEASON PASSES

Season passes for those wanting to ski/board their brains out are available from all three resorts and for all three resorts. The Big 3 Season Pass for Sunshine Village, Lake Louise, and Norquay runs approx. $1300 for an Adult for the season. For the sake of comparison, a daily lift pass at Sunshine or Lake Louise is between 60 an 80 dollars, depending on whether you buy the Sunshine or Louise Card or whether you have other discount options available to you.

If you don't have your own gear, you will obviously need to rent. All of the above ski resorts offer rentals for whatever piece or pieces of ski and snowboard equipment you require, but if you want to save a bit of money on a longer term rental and/or skip the line ups, check out the following Banff and Canmore rental shops:

Ultimate on Banff Avenue (403) 762 0547. They deliver to your hotel too.

The Ski Stop in Banff (403) 760-1650

Altitude Sports in Canmore (403) 678-0832

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