Sunshine
It’s a pretty bold move to name a ski resort “Sunshine”. Of course the sun shines sometimes, but surely this is not the highlight of this great resort? It has awe inspiring scenery and great infrastructure development, with a well planned and efficient lift system that provides uncrowded access to a large expanse of
terrain. There’s plenty for everyone from novices to the most extreme skier, with the latter being able to access nerve-wracking backcountry-type terrain. Sunshine Village is our favourite of the “Banff Big Three”, as the terrain is impressive and the snow conditions tend to be superior to its neighbours. Why didn’t they call it “Awesome Mountain”?
Where is Sunshine Ski Resort?Sunshine Village is within Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, 16km from the town of
Banff, Canada. It’s an hour and a half west of Calgary by road. The resort base is in the province of Alberta, but it’s all a bit confusing because there’s one area where you can travel between Alberta and British Columbia a couple of times in the one run or chairlift ride.
Banff Ski ResortsSunshine is close to the other Banff resorts of
Norquay and
Lake Louise. You can ride the three resorts on an interchangeable lift ticket which costs about $CA78 for one day. All resorts are accessible via car or shuttle bus from Banff, but one of the distinct disadvantages of the resorts is that you can’t stay on-mountain and have to travel each day. There’s one exception at
Sunshine Village, the Sunshine Inn.
There are many other accommodation options available in
Banff,
Lake Louise and Canmore. These range from the Fairmont Banff Springs and Lake Louise Chateau, to budget options such as the fabulous Lake Louise youth hostel. Of course the advantage of the lack of on-mountain accommodation is that you can keep your options open, and have more flexibility to try out all three resorts.
FacilitiesThe village of Sunshine has fairly minimal amenities, but these are adequate considering that the majority of visitors are day-trippers. There are a few dining options at the base and on-mountain, some lovely shops, an equipment rental service and child care facilities. If you stay in
Banff, there are lots more options for these facilities, including a vibrant nightlife and great shops to keep you entertained for hours.
Ski and Snowboard TerrainThe
terrain at Sunshine Village is awesome in many ways. The resort only has 12 lifts but these are high-tech and fast, and provide access across three mountains: Goats Eye; Lookout; & Standish. This equates to over 100 runs across 3,300 acres. The terrain breakdown is: 22% beginner; 31% intermediate; 42% advanced; and 5% expert (ie double blacks). There is more than ample choice for beginners and intermediates, and for advanced and expert skiers or snowboarders, Goats Eye Mountain is particularly fabulous with steeps, groomers, bumps and gladed runs. If you’ve got
appropriate avalanche gear, there are also extreme zones such as “Delirium Dive”.
Why Ski at Sunshine Village?Even though Sunshine Village has very limited accommodation and facilities, the terrain and snow conditions definitely make up for it. In a nutshell, Sunshine Village gets the big “thumbs up”!