Well, why not? Banff has been successful in luring large numbers of skiers from Britain with a winning mix of good snow, good prices, and good hospitality. No-one is going to tell you the town is particularly attractive (except the local tourism authority, perhaps) but it makes a decent base to explore Sunshine Village, which is where you will do most of your skiing, as well as Norquay, and perhaps also Lake Louise.
Info
Banff is the easternmost of the Western Canadian ski towns,
closest to Calgary airport (120km). By contrast Whistler is 125km north of
Vancouver – you don’t get much more ‘west’ than that. See www.banfflakelouise.com for the
tourist office. Airtours, Crystal, Neilson, Virgin Snow and various North
American specialists like Frontier Ski all run packages to Banff.
The slopes
One thing you won’t be short of is snow. The resort of
Sunshine Valley is on the Continental Divide (bet you wish you’d paid attention
in geography classes now) which means snowfall is locally higher than in areas
just a few dozen miles away. And it’s off the Continental Divide lift you’ll
find lots of easy, cruising blue runs and some good greens too. A word of
warning about the classifications in Sunshine; some greens are a bit steep in
sections, so we have included it in the ‘second and third timers’ section. But
it’s great for improvers because of the variety of blue and green runs; more
than 75 pistes are classified blue or green. Unlike many European resorts, the
greens tend to be long – ideal for boosting confidence and getting some miles
under your belt. If you’re finding your ski legs, there is a nursery area by
the village with moving carpet. At Norquay there is a wealth of blue runs off the Mystic
Ridge lift.
Facilities & staying
There’s a big choice of hotels in Banff and around the town; check the ski resort buses stop nearby if you don;t have a car. Just outside the
town, the vast, iconic Fairmont Banff Springs is a 2,000-room mini-resort all on its
own, but to get around you will need a car; it was a railway hotel, and the
railway turned out to not be that important to people. If you want to stay in
Sunshine, the only option is the well-appointed Mountain Lodge. It’s good for
families, with childcare and family rooms, is ski in/ski out and is located right
by the gondola station. New for '09 is an eco-friendly wing; rates start at CAN$160 per night which includes the next day's skiing.
Off the slopes, Canadians take the winter quite
seriously and there’s ice hockey to watch, as well as snowshoeing, ice
climbing, and snowmobiling to keep you busy.
NOTE: This report is a compendium of info designed to assist making a choice about whether Banff is right for you, taken from reliable sources. We have not skied Banff.
