Late March Banff skiing?

[Jilly]

There isn't that much for lodging at Lake Louise. You would be better off in Banff. The highway to LL is a 4 lane highway. So travel time is not as bad as you think for the distance. And the bus system is great is you decided to use it.

 

[BlueSkies]

Using the bus system also eliminates parking hassels.

 

[MotherDuck]

Using the bus system also eliminates parking hassels.

Agree! I really liked the shuttle system at Aspen CO.

Taking the airport shuttle and staying in Banff seems to be a good combination for a solo trip. More frequent schedules and cheaper fair to/from Banff than LL. On the other hand, LL seems to be more peaceful and less touristy. The difference, as I was told, is so called "to visit the nature (stay in Banff) vs to live in the nature(stay in LL)".

 

[Jilly]

With the exception that it is Easter Weekend, traffic this time of year is not an issue.

 

[wernerslab]

Traffic was so easy today to get to SS. Nothing like the I-70 drive in CO to get to any Summit County resorts. The views here are just so magnificent and the mountains dramatic. I forgot how spectacular the scenery is.

 

[marzNC]

Traffic was so easy today to get to SS. Nothing like the I-70 drive in CO to get to any Summit County resorts. The views here are just so magnificent and the mountains dramatic. I forgot how spectacular the scenery is.

How was it getting around the airport?

 

[wernerslab]

@marzNC We had no trouble leaving Newark on time and arriving Calgary but we did sit on the tarmac for an hour waiting for an open gate bc ground crews were busy deicing planes flying out. People in the hotel we stayed at who were flying out ran into a lot of cancellations and delays.

 

[MotherDuck]

Just caught up on the SkiTalk thread about the Banff gathering. Someone saw a Lynx!!! I want so much to see a Lynx.

@Tennessee What about a bear? Apparently there is a famous grizzly named The Boss was spotted at/near SS village yesterday.

593K views · 5.8K reactions | Good Morning Boss! Did you sleep well? The Boss, Banff National Parks biggest Grizzly was spotted out and about yesterday. King of the Canadian Rockies. The Boss is estimated to weigh 600–700 lbs (270–320 kg) after h

Good Morning Boss! Did you sleep well? The Boss, Banff National Parks biggest Grizzly was spotted out and about yesterday. King of the Canadian Rockies. The Boss is estimated to weigh 600–700 lbs...

www.facebook.com

 

[marzNC]

For future reference in case someone wants to consider Banff for a spring trip in the future when they don't have an Ikon pass . . . always worth checking for a spring pass for late season resorts. Sunshine has a Spring Pass that started the second week of March for 2025-26. Prices on the website are in CA$. Lake Louise has a Spring Pass that started March 1 and goes until May 3 (assuming open that long). The senior age bracket in 65-79. Over 80 is essentially free with a processing fee.

 

[MotherDuck]

Apparently there is a famous grizzly named The Boss was spotted at/near SS village yesterday.

Heard about The Boss on CBC today:

 

[marzNC]

Fair to say that more Americans than usual headed to Banff in March and April this season. Sounds like some are planning on return trips in the future.

April 9, 2026

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/americans-skiing-banff-9.7157883

" . . .
Rachel Wilson, director of marketing at SkiBig3, says her organization was already anticipating an increase due to its U.S. marketing campaigns, but the strong snowfall in Banff pushed those numbers even higher.

She said the three resorts in Banff — Mount Norquay, Lake Louise and Sunshine Village — saw a 50-per-cent increase in American visitors this year, compared to the same time last year.

“So word really spread quickly, and people wanted to save their ski season,” she said.

Wilson said the area saw the most U.S. visitors from California, New York, Colorado, Washington and Massachusetts.
. . ."

 

[Tennessee]

Would love to have seen “The Boss” grizzly! Thanks for sharing @MotherDuck

 

[aliciaski]

I just got back from Banff, skied 2 days at Sunshine and 2 days at LL, and it was incredible! Lucked into a powder day on Thursday, and after that, the groomers were super fun. It started to warm up over the weekend, and it became typical spring conditions by the afternoon, but upper mountain still skiing great, and can get great spring corn lower down too. I originally got the full Ikon to ski Alta, which didn't pan out this season, but it did mean I had 7 days for SkiBig3, which was enough for 2 trips. Banff was a great place to begin and end this topsy turvy season.

I didn't see "The Boss", but I did hear that he has fathered half the cubs in the valley, and has been known to eat black bears