Banff (Sunshine Village and Lake Louise)

[wernerslab]

Just returned today from a Spring Break trip skiing 6 days in total, 3 x SS and 3 x LL. Snow conditions were very nice at both places bc they had just gotten 20cm (8ish inches) a few days before we arrived. At SS during the 3 days we were there, there were overnight refreshes of 1-2 in. We stayed in Canmore and my DH drove us to both bases and dropped us off and then picked us up later after he had done some winter hiking. This meant I didn't have to depend on the shuttle in Banff which was nice since wrangling my 14yo out of bed in the AM is challenging. I took two group lessons at SS and then did a ski host tour which was very enjoyable esp as you can align with skiers of similar ability. It was nice to have someone to chat with on the lift and to let someone else pick the trails. We lucked out the first two days and had great clear skies and awesome views. Clearly could see Mt Assiniboine from the top of the Divide chair. Third day at SS was consistent snowing and when we took Teepee town lift higher on the mtn, snow started falling heavier and blowing and the flat light made it really really hard to ski above treeline (so we stuck to lower slopes). I can now see why on flat light or bad visibility days that skiing above treeline at Sunshine (which seems to be a lot of their runs) is a challenge. We took a day off in the middle and went hiking at Johnston Canyon and visited Banff for dinner and got a hoodie for DS. Our last 3 days were at LL. My 14yo snowboarded one day but after shredding hard for 4 days, his knees and shins hurt and he decided to take 2 days off. I skied a day with @MotherDuck (morning host tour and some post lunch skiing) at LL and then I took a full day lesson and had a 2 hr private lesson on my final day. It was so nice to meet up with @MotherDuck and ski for a day. Snow at LL on the front side was a little more granular with some hard ice patches underneath on groomers. The ungroomed trails on the front side were mostly soft snow and were lovely to ski. The backside of LL was much softer packed/tracked powder. We had clear skies the first day and wow, what a view from Summit chair!!! Days 2 and 3 were cloudy and less visibility making the backside bowls nearly impossible to see/ski so stuck to below tree line runs during lessons and some solo runs. (First 2 pics are LL and the frozen LL is just to left and pics 3/4 are SS). We would love to go back!

 

[JaneB]

Just returned today from a Spring Break trip skiing 6 days in total, 3 x SS and 3 x LL. Snow conditions were very nice at both places bc they had just gotten 20cm (8ish inches) a few days before we arrived. At SS during the 3 days we were there, there were overnight refreshes of 1-2 in. We stayed in Canmore and my DH drove us to both bases and dropped us off and then picked us up later after he had done some winter hiking. This meant I didn't have to depend on the shuttle in Banff which was nice since wrangling my 14yo out of bed in the AM is challenging. I took two group lessons at SS and then did a ski host tour which was very enjoyable esp as you can align with skiers of similar ability. It was nice to have someone to chat with on the lift and to let someone else pick the trails. We lucked out the first two days and had great clear skies and awesome views. Clearly could see Mt Assiniboine from the top of the Divide chair. Third day at SS was consistent snowing and when we took Teepee town lift higher on the mtn, snow started falling heavier and blowing and the flat light made it really really hard to ski above treeline (so we stuck to lower slopes). I can now see why on flat light or bad visibility days that skiing above treeline at Sunshine (which seems to be a lot of their runs) is a challenge. We took a day off in the middle and went hiking at Johnston Canyon and visited Banff for dinner and got a hoodie for DS. Our last 3 days were at LL. My 14yo snowboarded one day but after shredding hard for 4 days, his knees and shins hurt and he decided to take 2 days off. I skied a day with @MotherDuck (morning host tour and some post lunch skiing) at LL and then I took a full day lesson and had a 2 hr private lesson on my final day. It was so nice to meet up with @MotherDuck and ski for a day. Snow at LL on the front side was a little more granular with some hard ice patches underneath on groomers. The ungroomed trails on the front side were mostly soft snow and were lovely to ski. The backside of LL was much softer packed/tracked powder. We had clear skies the first day and wow, what a view from Summit chair!!! Days 2 and 3 were cloudy and less visibility making the backside bowls nearly impossible to see/ski so stuck to below tree line runs during lessons and some solo runs. (First 2 pics are LL and the frozen LL is just to left and pics 3/4 are SS). We would love to go back!
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Thanks. I was there three years ago. Great place.

 

[Pamtryingagain]

Thank you for the report! I was considering a last minute trip to Banff but my skiing friend near me can't go, so I am currently deciding if I want to do it alone. I heard Banff is the best place to ski right now in America. I also experienced difficult visibility above the tree line last year when I skiied there. I think there could be special goggles for that but not sure. Sounds like a fun trip and lucky you that you have a DH that can do drop off/pick up! Both times I have skied in Banff area Sunshine had better snow that Lake Louise. Not sure what next week will bring.

 

[wernerslab]

I agree that I enjoy it more when having someone to ski/talk with on the slopes. The ski tours were fun and while I did one with @MotherDuck in LL, the solo one at Sunshine was fun and lasted about 3 hrs (most of afternoon) with a 30-45 min stop for drinks/food. At LL, they offer both a morning and afternoon tour and you can do them as often as you like, which I would have done if I hadn't signed up for lessons. Since both places sort the tours by experience/comfort level skiing, you can sort yourself into a group aligned with your ability.

 

[contesstant]

The one thing I didn't get on my trip there in early March was abundant sunshine, and I am determined to return (hopefully next season) to try for some sunny skies again! I won't venture off piste on those wide open glades (like the backside) in flat light or storm conditions. I'm glad you had great conditions!!

 

[MotherDuck]

I was considering a last minute trip to Banff but my skiing friend near me can't go, so I am currently deciding if I want to do it alone.

I just did the same and solo skiing in LL and SS is easier than anywhere else because of the shuttle system and the great mountain tours.

 

[MotherDuck]

The one thing I didn't get on my trip there in early March was abundant sunshine, and I am determined to return (hopefully next season) to try for some sunny skies again!

I made the same vow especially with Sunshine. Because the only sunshine I saw over my 2 days there was the "SUNSHINE" sign on top of the Standish lift. LOL!

I felt very lucky that my first day(last Tuesday) skiing was a beautiful day at LL. @wernerslab and I took the Summit chair after our mountain tour (Blue) and had a great fun soaking in the views and skiing down Boomerang.

When I went back again on Saturday, my mountain tour group(Double Blue) initially planned to go on to Summit but changed the route when we couldn't see the top. While the lower mountain got some sunshine later in the day, the summit always had clouds lingering around. In the afternoon, I went with the Double Blue group again. We could see the chairs on the Summit lift so the guides took us up. But the visibility was poor and we skied down following the bamboo poles. No scenery at all.

On my 3rd day(Sunday) at LL, the clouds were heavier and the sun didn't shine through the clouds until after 2pm and it is still far from the wide blue sky that I have been taken for granted on the Tahoe mountains.

However, cloudy days will definitely help preserve the spring snow longer. Many locals, including the tour guides, told me that it is very rare to not have to worry about rocks when skiing at LL in April. The lower part of LL did become very soft and slush in the afternoon even without much sunshine in the last 2 days.

 

[Pamtryingagain]

I heard the same thing about visibility from local people in Banff on the Banff Reddit sub. Both times I've skied at Sunshine, I had bright sun/bluebird most of the week. Lake Louise was cloudier but these were mid winter trips, not spring. Is this just typical for spring in Canada? Sounds rough to ski without visitbility at the top and have slush at the bottom.

I'm having second thoughts here and there about going because I have another family trip coming up the day after I get back and it's a lot. I'm just trying to get in one more trip before summer and I might be forcing this.

Part of me thinks I should just buy that Ikon pass and whichever other one I want, and plan better next winter. I had surgery dec 30 and couldn't ski until at least 7 weeks post op and then was sort of pushing it. The rest of the winter I was helping my daughter and family to get ready to move to Washington State.

 

[wernerslab]

There was still alot of terrain open at both resorts to enjoy even if I was not going to the top. I think if you want summit views at LL or Sunshine, the weather forecast doesn't seem super likely although you could get lucky. (Banff forecast is similar to LL). It is a long way to travel(def from PA) to do a short trip and of course when it is a destination trip rather than my local mountain, I want the best of weather e.g., snow overnight and sunny days on the slopes. It is a unicorn wish, right?

 

[Jilly]

Sunshine is normally open in May.

 

[MotherDuck]

Is this just typical for spring in Canada?

I think this is just the nature of weather patterns in the mountain area - diverse and unpredictable.

I realized checking the selfie camera at SS is a good way to see how the weather has been like in the last couple of days.

Sunshine Selfie Station

There is no reliable way to tell the future. The best chance of hitting some good weather is to go multiple days, stay from opening to closing or tag along with a diva who always has good luck

 

[MotherDuck]

There was still alot of terrain open at both resorts to enjoy even if I was not going to the top. I think if you want summit views at LL or Sunshine, the weather forecast doesn't seem super likely although you could get lucky.

The weather forecast showed a cloudy week for the time I’d be there so I went with an expectation of just skiing with limited scenery. And then my first day turned out to be a beautiful clear day. I credit that’s because I met a diva @wernerslab that day.

On my 2 other days at LL, although it was mostly cloudy, there were brief moments when the clouds separated and blue skies showed up. Definitely watch the clouds and the sun while you are there and adjust your routes. I went to the Summit in between my AM and PM tours and was surrounded by blue skies, white clouds and a bowl so quiet on the backside that I can hear the birds chirping afar when I stopped. This was gone when I went again with the PM tour an hour later.

The weather could change very quickly on the mountain although the same strategy didn’t work when I was at SS. So don’t let weather forecast stop you unless it’s for an extreme storm.

Attached a picture taken at the Whitehorn patio on Easter Sunday (it was just opened for beverages service that weekend). Despite a grey and cloudy day most of the time, the clouds started lifting from the peaks after 2pm.