Banff Ski Areas

http://www.powderhounds.com/site/DefaultSite/filesystem/images/Canada/Banff/Overview/Banff-01.jpg
Banff Ski Resort, Sunshine Village
Banff Ski Resort, Sunshine Village
Banff town
Banff town
Banff National Park offers some spectacular scenery
Banff National Park offers some spectacular scenery
Views of Banff township from Norquay Banff Ski Resort
Views of Banff township from Norquay Banff Ski Resort
Banff Norquay Ski Resort
Banff Norquay Ski Resort
Banff Canada
Banff Canada
Sunshine, one of the Banff ski resorts
Sunshine, one of the Banff ski resorts
Banff Alberta Canada
Banff Alberta Canada
An iconic Banff hotel
An iconic Banff hotel
The lovely vistas in Banff National Park
The lovely vistas in Banff National Park
Moose Hotel & Suites near downtown Banff
Moose Hotel & Suites near downtown Banff
Rimrock Resort Hotel near the Banff Hot Springs
Rimrock Resort Hotel near the Banff Hot Springs
Banff skiing at Lake Louise Ski Resort
Banff skiing at Lake Louise Ski Resort
Lake Louise Ski Resort Banff National Park
Lake Louise Ski Resort Banff National Park
Banff township
Banff township
Town of Banff Canada
Town of Banff Canada
Sunshine Ski Resort Banff
Sunshine Ski Resort Banff
Banff National Park
Banff National Park
Bow Valley Parkway
Bow Valley Parkway
Banff Hot Springs
Banff Hot Springs

Banff Ski Areas

Readers Ratings

BANFF Area

BANFF Area0/50
BANFF Area0 out of 5 based on 0 reviews
  • Recommend
    0%
  • Would Revisit
    0%

Banff Canada

Banff skiing is world famous. When international folks think of Canadian ski resorts, the first that generally come to mind are Whistler and the Banff ski resort. The only problem is that there isn’t really an actual Banff ski resort, well in the town anyway, but there are three ski resorts in the majestic Banff National Park.

Banff Canada attracts millions of visitors each year, and there is more tourism during summer which is difficult for us snow lovers to understand! The town is incredibly well geared up to cater to the many tourists, yet it has maintained somewhat of a charming mountain town vibe. The town is incredibly picturesque with the backdrop of the beautiful snow-capped mountains, and in amongst nature, there’s the potential to see wildlife wandering right down the street.

Ski Banff

Banff skiing and snowboarding is fantastic, and it’s possible to ride the three Banff ski resorts on an interchangeable tri-area lift ticket.

Sunshine Village is located 15km southwest of town. The drive to the car park takes about 20 minutes and then there’s a gondola ride up to the ski area. The Sunshine Ski Resort has lots of terrain (1,358 hectares, 3,358 acres) with slopes for rookies up to extreme slopes for pro-skiers. Sunshine has the best and most snow of the Banff ski areas due to high elevation.

Lake Louise is a little further afield, 57km from town, a drive that takes about 40 minutes. The Lake Louise Ski Resort is also large (1,700 hectares, 4,200 acres) and there are lots of long runs. Lake Louise has a great spread of terrain for all ability levels.

Mt Norquay is the ski hill most local to the Banff township, only 6km and a 10 minute drive away. Norquay is just a little ski resort (77 hectares, 190 acres) that’s good to warm up the legs and it’s cheap and very family oriented.

Banff Skiing Pros and Cons

Pros
  •  The Banff skiing provides plenty of variety across three resorts and they feature phenomenal scenery.
  • There are lots of tourist activities if you want a day off from the slopes, plenty of shopping opportunities, and the nightlife and dining is pretty impressive.
  • The Banff ski resorts are on the Mountain Collective Pass.
Cons
  • You can ski Banff with the many other skiers and snowboarders that flock there from Calgary and around the globe.
  • With the exception of the Sunshine Mountain Lodge at Sunshine Village, there is no ski-in ski-out accommodation at the Banff resorts, and there’s not even any on-mountain lodging, thereby necessitating a daily commute to get to the ski resorts.

Where is Banff?

The town of Banff is located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies, 90 minutes west of Calgary (Alberta, Canada) and under 2 hours from Calgary International Airport.

It’s not essential to have a car whilst on a Banff ski holiday, but it can be very handy to provide some flexibility to get to the ski resorts and to get around to different activities.

Getting to the Banff Ski Resorts

It’s easiest to drive to the resorts, but if you don’t have a car, all the resorts are accessible via shuttle buses from various Banff hotels. The shuttle buses are complimentary if you have a tri-area lift pass.

Banff Lodging

With the exception of the Sunshine Mountain Lodge at Sunshine Village, there is no ski-in ski-out accommodation at the Banff resorts, and there’s not even any on-mountain lodging, thereby necessitating a daily commute to get to the ski resorts.

There are lots of hotels in Banff to cater for various budgets, ranging from the Banff Springs Hotel which is more like a castle, to various cheap and cheerful hotels. Other accommodations include motels, lodges, B&Bs, and hostels. See the Banff lodging page for more information.

There are also lots of Canmore accommodations as well as lodging in other surrounding areas.

Banff Accommodation Listings

Those who are likely to spend most of their time at the Lake Louise ski resort may prefer to stay in Lake Louise accommodations, although this is a just little sleepy village so party animals would be better off staying in Banff.

Dining, Nightlife and Activities

This is a very vibrant tourist town and there are lots of restaurants as well as après bars and a vibrant nightlife.

Other than skiing or snowboarding, there are lots of Banff activities for tourists. As one example, a visit to the Banff Upper Hot Springs is popular to soak the weary muscles after a big day on the slopes.

The shopping is very good. The main streets are filled with shops and arcades – a shopaholic haven. There are various ski shops and some galleries and boutiques, some of which are ridiculously expensive. These are mixed in with good value souvenir and sporting goods shops.

Banff Heli Skiing

There is no heli skiing permitted in the Banff National Park, but it’s possible to do a day trip to go heli skiing in British Columbia. One option is RK Heliski which is based at Panorama Ski Resort, whilst another way to get guaranteed fresh tracks is to go heli skiing from Kicking Horse (135km west of Banff). Both of these heli ski operators can cater really well to first-timer heli skiers, and RK Heli Ski provides shuttle transport between the Banff hotels and their staging area.
Tours That Include Banff

Safari (Road Trip) Tours

Canadian Rockies Ski Tour
HOSTED SKI SAFARI | CANADIAN ROCKIES
8 Nights | 7 Days Skiing | 4 Resorts
Ability: Beginner to Expert
The ultimate Canadian ski adventure in the heart of the Rockies. Experience the best skiing & boarding at Lake Louise, Sunshine, Norquay & Kicking Horse with a local guide. Explore the shops, night life and restaurants of Banff. The guides handle everything so you can spend more time skiing!
Price p/p From price based on twin/double-share.
Base/invoice currency is in CAD ex taxes.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 2,660
View Details
 
Canada Glacier Highway
BACKCOUNTRY ROAD TRIP
8 Days | 8 Nights | 7 Days Skiing/Riding
Ability: Strong Intermediate to Advanced
A road trip around the Glacier Highway in Canada is ideal to score plenty of fresh powder if you are willing to earn your turns. On this trip you will backcountry tour & ski / ride classic descents around Banff, Lake Louise, and Rogers Pass.
Price p/p Base/invoice currency is in CAD
Displayed price may vay slightly to actual due to exchange rate fluctuations
USD 2,923
View Details
 
The CollectIKON Canadian Tour
GUIDED IN-RESORT ROAD TRIP
11 nights | 12 days with 8 days on mountain
Ability: Intermediate to Advanced
This incredible 12-day tour visits Canada's best 4 resorts on the Mountain Collective & IKON pass - Lake Louise, Sunshine, Revelstoke & Panorama. Get the best of each resort & ski town with local hosts/guides who will leave no stone unturned. Visit hot springs, breweries, local restaurants & more
Price p/p From price is based in twin-share room and assumes you have a Mtn Collective or IKON pass.
Base/invoice currency is CAD
Displayed price may vary slightly to actual due to fluctuations in exchange rates.
USD 2,657
View Details
 
See all Safari (Road Trip) tours that visit BANFF Area here

Heli Skiing Tours

Great Canadian Heli Packages
FLEXIBLE LENGTH HELI SKI PACKAGES
Minimum 2 Days & 2 Nights
Ability: Strong Intermediate to Expert
Multi-day heli ski packages start any day of the week. Choose from 2 to 10 days of heli skiing. Heli ski with an industry leader that invented small group heli skiing & unlimited vertical for the ultimate in powder skiing and riding.
Price p/p From price is PER PERSON for 2 day package in peak season 2024, twin share. Base/invoice currency is in CAD ex 5% GST.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 5,069
View Details
 
RK Heliski Day Heli Skiing
DAY HELI SKIING (PANORAMA)
Ability: Intermediate to Advanced
If you are staying at Panorama Mountain Resort (or in the Banff area), you can't go past a day or 2 or 3 of heli skiing with RK Heliski. There is a 3-run package for first time/intermediate heli skiers & a 5-run package for those who are more experienced plus a private option for those with their own group of 4-10.
Price p/p From price based on per person for 3 runs package for 23/24.
Base/invoice currency is in CAD plus 5% GST.
*Displayed price may vary due to currency fluctuations.
USD 833
View Details
 
See all Heli Skiing tours that visit BANFF Area here
200