Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort, Lake Louise and Norquay are often referred to as the big 3.  All three resorts are located in the Banff National Park.  Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort is about 20 km from Banff.  There is a big parking lot once you get to the resort, but I suspect that parking can be quite a problem in peak season.

One of the great things about Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort is that it is located very high.  The base parking lot is at 1660m, the day lodge at 2160m and the top of Lookout Mountain 2730m.  This all translates to a super long season, starting in November and ending in late May.

Three great Ski Resorts in Banff National Park

The lifts are mostly express quads, one thing we found interesting is that we did not ride a single quad with footrests. Not that we minded, but it almost seemed like they took a decision not to install footrests. I wonder why? The high speed gondola from the parking lot in over 4 km long, and takes a while.

The ‘base’ area at the top of the gondola is huge, and there is everything you need. From shops, day-care, sit down restaurant, hotel and a big day lodge.  This also where we say a big Ford that was adapted to be able to drive on snow…what a ride!

Ford snow mobile – What a ride!

The ski area at Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort is gigantic; it has a beginner area with a carpet lift, as well as an express quad servicing green and blue runs.  The rest of the resort has numerous blacks and double blacks.  Some of them completely in the alpine and other through trees.  There is also a big free ride zone, which you can access through the lift system.  You just need the normal backcountry gear.

There is also a skier cross course at Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort, while we were there the Canadian team was using it to train.

Overall Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort is great resort, and the very long season must help them generate more income. Which probably allow the Scurfield family, who has owned the resort for 30 years, to invest more in infrastructure.

I could definitely spend a season at Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort.  It will be awesome to get to know every detail of the vast terrain.

Around the middle of March Fernie was having a dry spell with regards to fresh snow.  So we decided to do a road trip with our new Aussie friends Craig and Kayti.  Panorama Mountain Village is about two and a half hours drive from Fernie, close to Invermere.

We arrived early and were ready to have some fun.  Panorama Mountain Village boast an impressive 1220m (4000ft) vertical, with a top elevation of 2370m.  The day we visited the  conditions were challenging, as a result of the warmer than usual weather and lack of fresh snow.  The upper mountain was still in great condition, and the snow was pretty good up there.

Getting a quick drink at a mid-mountain pit stop at Panorama Mountain Village!

There are some great expert tree skiing in the Tayton Bowl, we even managed to ski some powder down Heli-High.  It got a little icy lower down, and a few runs in the Sun Bowl were hard as a rock.  But we still had a great time. The first two main lifts up the mountain are nice fast quad lifts, the summit quad is a little slower but have amazing views going up to the summit hut.  There are also some gentle well groomed easy green runs for beginners, as well as freestyle terrain to play in.

The village is impressive, with multiple dining options and a great day lodge at the upper village.  We were there over the weekend and there was a band playing outside the day lodge.  Food and drinks were being served outside and atmosphere was festive.  There also seemed to be ample accommodation on the mountain, with ski in ski out locations.

There is a heliskiing operation from Panorama Mountain Village, we heard and saw the helicopters a few times.  There is ample parking with a village Gondola that take you to the base of the ski area.

The band playing outside the day lodge at Panorama Mountain Village

Panorama Mountain Village is another great BC ski resort. We didn’t get a chance to explore the whole mountain and the conditions on this day was not the best, but I would love to go back and spend a few days staying on the mountain and having fun!

There was one last road trip we wanted to do before heading back to South Africa.  Two of the three ski areas in Banff National park were still open, and that was a good enough excuse for us to go and have one last ski.

Our first stop was at Lake Louise Ski Area and Mountain Resort.  The scenery as we approached Lake Louise was spectacular, you could see what looked like glaciers on a few of the peaks.  At Lake Louise Ski Area and Mountain Resort there were loads of parking and not too many cars this late in the season.  We went straight up the Grizzly Express Gondola, and into Back Bowls.  The challenging runs in the back bowls must be great fun in fresh snow.

Lake Louise is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen!

The snow was still surprisingly good for this late in the season, although the snow pack was getting very thin in places.  The lift system is cleverly set out, so you don’t need to traverse to get to hardly any runs.  Although one more lift to get back up from the back bowls right to the top would be a great addition. The only lift servicing the back bowls now, is an old and slow three seat chair, which is also due for an upgrade.

Past the back bowls we also had some fun on the Larch area. It is serviced by the Larch Express Quad and have a few nice blue and some awesome double black tree runs.  The Temple Lodge at the bottom of the Larch area has a full service restaurant as well as a day lodge.

The Lake Louise Ski Area and Mountain Resort is pretty big, so you do some good mileage. There is something for everybody from nice easy beginner area to steep back bowls.  The ski school has a great reputation, and the views from most of the mountain are breath taking.

After the days skiing we drove to the lake, a few kilometres on the other side of the small town.  It is one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen.  The luxury Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is located on the bank of the lake, surround by majestic mountains with a glacier in the distance.  On our next visit to Lake Louise Ski Area and Mountain Resort we are going to stay there!

The base area of Lake Louise Ski Area and Mountain Resort on a busy day!

The average winter temperature in Lake Louise Ski Area and Mountain Resort is pretty low, which helps to keep the snow perfect for skiing.  So although the annual snowfall is a lot less than resorts like Fernie, the skiing is always great!

I look forward to skiing at Lake Louise Ski Area and Mountain Resort again, hopefully next season! Next stop Sunshine Village Ski and Snowboard Resort.

I have been looking forward to skiing at Whistler Blackcomb for a really long time.  Whistler Blackcomb is world famous and I have always heard great things about it, so when Craig and Kayti were keen to do a road trip, I had an excuse to drive the 12 hours to get there from Fernie.  We had 2 epic days of Powder skiing at Revelstoke Mountain Resort on the way there.

We took the road less travelled to Whistler, approaching it from the north.  As soon as we entered Whistler, I could see it was in a completely different league to all the other ski towns we had visited in BC.  We stayed in a nice hotel close to lifts, allowing us easy access to both the Whistler and Blackcomb mountains.  There is a village walk, that only allow pedestrians, is lined by all the big brands.

The Massive Gondola on the Peak2Peak!

As I started to study the piste map, I realized we would struggle to cover both mountains in the three days I had in Whistler Blackcomb.  But we gave it our best shot and had a blast, despite no fresh snow while we were there.

My guess would be that much of the amazing infrastructure in Whistler Blackcomb was driven by the intense competition between the two mountains when they had separate owners.  It appears that the improvements have continued since the consolidation. It is going to be interesting to see if it continues on this track now that the incentives have changed.

Whistler Blackcomb is by far the biggest resort we’ve skied in Canada.  It compares very well with the big European resorts I have been to.  The town also has a similar feeling than a European ski town.  The on mountain infrastructure is insane, the Peak2Peak lift was a real treat and makes getting from one mountain to the other super easy and quick. And the views of both mountains and the town is spectacular.

Being such a big resort you have loads of beginner areas, many easy training runs, rail parks and some huge jumps.  Not to mention some great alpine bowls serviced by super-fast quad lifts.  Kayti had the best penguin slide of the season down a double black mogul run. Luckily she didn’t get hurt and the crowd on the lifts even cheered when she got up!

Amazing view of the town of Whistler from the Peak2Peak Condola

The restaurants on the mountain are huge and reminded me of some of the big cafeterias  in Austria. I really loved the free Wi-Fi they offered on the mountain.  All in all we had three great days of skiing in Whistler Blackcomb. It would be really awesome to have some fun in fresh snow, and get a chance to see more of the resort.

I think for a short holiday break Whistler Blackcomb is a perfect destination.  I just got completely spoiled by some the advantages of small ski towns in BC, like no crowds, no lift lines and a small community.

At Whistler Blackcomb you are in a tourist town, everything is geared toward the tourism, which is the life blood of the town. And I am sure around holidays the crowds show up ready to have a good time, and that means queuing at lifts, stores and restaurants.  But then you get the advantage of loads of world class infrastructure and unmatched skiing area.  I guess it depends on what you are looking for.

Whistler Blackcomb was worth the trip for us, and I look forward to ski there again in the future!