Skiing in Banff

[Rnskier2]

Hi Everyone,
I’m tentatively planning a trip to Banff the third week of January. I will arrive on Tuesday and plan to ski Wednesday through Friday. I will leave on Saturday. Steven’s Pass is my home ski area, but we will likely lose most if not all of our ski season due to highway 2 being closed. Does anyone have any tips or good things to be aware of for Banff? I have been to Whistler and Sun Peaks multiple times. Thanks

 

[Christy]

Banff is famously frigid so maybe look at weather stats for that time to make sure you are up for it. I've only been in April and it was still cold and snowy and wonderful.

I enjoyed staying in the town of Banff, with restaurant choices and a grocery store. There's a hot spring pool facility there too, though I didn't visit it. I didn't at all mind the drive to skiing. It's so scenic. So don't feel like you have to stay in one of the few places near Lake Louise, or at Sunshine, which requires a gondola to get up to the hotel and is quite cut off from everything else. I liked skiing at Lake Louise a lot better than Sunshine, but ymmv.

Consider getting a car with snow tires in Calgary. It's the only place I've ever been where they asked me at the counter if I wanted to upgrade to that, and I was glad I did.

 

[Rnskier2]

Thanks for the suggestions . I don’t have much choice with timing unfortunately, so it has to be in January. I’ve heard that Banff can get really cold. I do have a pretty heavy duty ski kit that should help. I’m originally from the Chicago area and lived in South Dakota fo a few years. so I have had some experience with really cold weather.

I’m planning to take a shuttle from Calgary to Banff. and then use the ski bus to get to the resorts. I did book a hotel in Banff. That’s good to know the hotels at the ski areas are isolated.

I would like to check out the hot springs as well, but I will have to see how the time goes.

 

[cdnrockymtnskier]

Wow, you couldn't pick a better place these days. I skied last couple of days at Lake Louise and the snow is phenomenal. I can't remember a better early season--so many powder days already. Rockies are not known for early winter dumps but the base should be good all season long. Banff is easy for walking and shuttles are efficient and avoid parking issues. I am a full Louise fan (I ski a few days a season at Sunshine due to friends there) and it is enjoyable too, depends what terrain you like to ski. Sunshine, in general, has more natural snow and slightly better snow base (but both are pretty much same right now)--avoid Sunshine on low vis days if possible. Dress right (buy handwarmers, possibly toe warmers and balaclava if the days are cold) and ride the gondolas once and a while to warm up. They also have headcovers that go over helmets that are popular for cold days. You can buy everything at the lodge. Can always take coffee/chocolate stopes on cold days--there will be few line ups so you get lots of runs. You will have a great time.

 

[Rnskier2]

that’s great to hear. I’ve been thinking about getting one covers that go over the helmets. I’ve become a big fan of balaclavas in the past few years. Will be bringing the heavy duty winter gear for sure. Thanks for all the tips.

 

[cdnrockymtnskier]

I usually double up by buff (base layer on face) with a fluffly soft and not tight neck tube. That helps keep the general cold off my neck and is a lifesaver if my buff gets moist from breathing (I carry a second, dry buff). On really cold days I do the same but with a balaclava. Just remember to pull the balaclava down from over your mouth when you are riding chair etc and then the cozy outside layer protects your face. Another hint if skiing Louise or Sunshine in really cold (i.e. below -15C) without powder (usually do not get much fresh snow if really cold) is to sleep in and have coffee early on--it always warms up and you can ski through early lunch and catch a late lunch--mountain is always less busy later in day. Lots of people are in programs and need to start early but if you don't have to--just wait until it gets above -15 which usually happens around 10 or 1030.

 

[Rnskier2]

Those are all excellent ideas. Thanks so much

 

[santacruz skier]

And the Banff Springs Hotel Spa for apres mineral baths would be a treat .

 

[Rnskier2]

That does sound very nice.

 

[aliciaski]

I skied in Banff last week and everyone kept telling me how nice and warm it was - I learned that warm in Banff is -10C to -15C! In Jan and Feb they said it gets down to -30C (a temperature where it no longer matters if it’s Celsius or Fahrenheit!) and the resorts will shut down at -40C. Hope it doesn’t get that frigid for your trip.
I stayed at the Kenrick Hotel, which is newly renovated and had a great pool, hot/cold tubs, and dry/wet sauna, and the shuttle stop is right out front.
Have a great time!

 

[Rnskier2]

It looks like the snow has been very good there recently. I did hear it can get really frigid. I’m hoping for the best since I did not have a lot of choice in the timing. I hope it goes well. Thanks.

 

[ExpertOnBlueRuns]

Hello! Hope I’m not too late to your thread. I’ve been out at sunshine and lake Louise the last few weeks. Conditions have been great. I personally prefer LL (though it can get icy.) Sunshine seems to have a lot of terrain for beginner/intermediate and expert (really hard terrain ie delirium dive). I feel that LL has more interesting advanced terrain. Highly recommend doing the free mountain tours at both resorts, they run daily. I know you had mentioned taking the shuttle from Calgary. I would rent a car if you’re able to, the drive is really not bad at all because it’s through the valley (no sketchy mountain passes) and always well maintained. It’ll be a lot easier to get around Banff and LL with a car. Let me know if I can answer any questions!

 

[Rnskier2]

Hi there. You’re not too late. I leave on Tuesday this week. Good to hear that conditions have been good. I did book a shuttle from the Calgary airport. I didn’t feel like dealing with hassle of a rental car since I will only be there through Saturday. I do have one question. Did you happen to notice if Lake Louise ice skating is open yet? I know it has been above freezing in Banff the past week and they closed all their outdoor rinks. Thanks for the info :-)

 

[ExpertOnBlueRuns]

Hi there. You’re not too late. I leave on Tuesday this week. Good to hear that conditions have been good. I did book a shuttle from the Calgary airport. I didn’t feel like dealing with hassle of a rental car since I will only be there through Saturday. I do have one question. Did you happen to notice if Lake Louise ice skating is open yet? I know it has been above freezing in Banff the past week and they closed all their outdoor rinks. Thanks for the info :-)

Gotcha, ok yeah shuttle from the airport is a great option. Once you get to Banff it should be pretty easy to catch buses and shuttles around. I just remember looking at a LL shuttle once and it departed from a really random location in Calgary…

Re: Lake Louise skating…I was there 2 weeks ago and they did not have a big area cleared like in years past. I heard from our hotel driver that they’ve had trouble keeping it cleared off due to all the snow. Some kids and families had cleared off little patches for informal skating area though. You could always try giving Fairmont LL a call and see if they have an updated report. It’s really beautiful though and worth a stop regardless.

 

[Rnskier2]

I will give them a call to check. It looks like it would be lovely to see. Thanks

 

[LovesToSki]

You’ve got some great advice above (im a YYC local). I’ll add some food and apres ideas for Banff.
Three bears brewing.
Banff brewing - nice view above Banff ave and in summer fun people watching from the counter patio.
The Bisson - more $$$ (but if you’re American then your dollar will help you). Great food, lovely vibe although I would shower and change first. The cocktails are great!

Some hotels let you use their pools (for a fee). The Moose (hotel) has an epic rooftop pool/hot tube with stunning views of Mt. Rundle. I think you get “free” pool access if you book a spa service or obviously stay in the hotel.

 

[Trailside Trixie]

Have a blast. We stayeed at an inn near Lake Louse and our ski club had arranged a bus there. Then we went to banff itself and stayed in town and the hotel hotel had a daily bus that went to Sunshine and Norquay so that was fantastic. Banff is a very walkable town so we enjoyed that. There was also a spa at one of the hotel where you paid a nominal fee and could get a massage and then use their pools and relax, have lunch. It was quite nice. One trip we brought our skis, another we demoed. I found lake louise to not tune skis how I liked as it was quite hard packed so we brought ours next time. Sunshine was very powdery so we demoed oin town and that worked great. Side note I bought a helly hansen furry mid layer there and still wear it to this day as I figured it was warn and quality if they sold it there and yup.... quality it is and nice and warm..... one cold place for sure but with heated stuff and proper laying all good. I've never been to such a gorgeous place. I was ready to move there in the first 5 minutes. The bartender we'd met at Lake louise actually did just that. I recommend the mountain tour at LL, greeen, blue and black. It's a steep place so at the time I was an intermediate skier so I picked the green tour and was more than content. Just an amazing town and place. When you go to sunshine, do the ski out if you can. Ski down to the parking lot from the lodge, it's a pretty cool experience.