Banff Lake Louise / Ski area

Lake Louise is the largest resort in the Canadian Rockies and the three ski resorts encompass 7,748 acres (3,136 ha) and 248 trails. And if you include the mountainous terrain reached only by helicopter then the skiable terrain is infinite. Lake Louise itself covers a vast 11 square miles (28 sq km). These are crisscrossed by 113 named trails and over 80 miles (128 km) of trails across four mountain faces covering 4,200 acres (1,700 ha) of ski area. That’s not forgetting the six Back Bowls laying claim to the driest, lightest powder in the world in 2,500 acres (1,012 ha) of pristine, natural, wide-open wilderness.

The dry, light snow that falls in the Canadian Rockies is classic “Champagne Powder.” The best snow is usually found at higher elevations, in the Back Bowls, and on the trails with snowmaking. Most major Front Side trails have snowmaking and are generally in good shape throughout the season. Green and blue trails are groomed daily.

A key ingredient to Lake Louise’s appeal is that there is a green, or easy trail, from every chairlift on the mountain: in other words all chairs have an easy and difficult way down and the varied terrain above and below the treeline appeals to all types of skiers. Even when visibility is poor, Lake Louise’s long, tree-lined trails (making up 66 percent of the resort) offer protection and visibility. Boarders and freeriders will be impressed by “Showtime,” the largest terrain park in North America, which features a superpipe along with all the bumps, jumps, and lumps you can handle on this 2,000 feet (650 m) vertical ride.

Sunshine
Sunshine is a three-mountain resort offering everything from easy beginner slopes to some of the toughest expert terrain in North America. Mount Standish and Lookout Mountain are Sunshine’s original two mountains, the latter having the ultimate hardcore backcountry face, Delirium Dive —40˚ or more at its gentlest—a mile-wide (1.6 km) cirque that is patrolled by the park service who won’t let you in if you don’t carry transceivers and shovels.

But there are plenty of thrills on Sunshine’s 107 trails without going near the Dive. Tons of snow, wicked freeriding and a natural terrain park on Mt. Standish make this a boarders’ mecca. At Sunshine Village the vertical drop is 3,514 feet (1,072 m)—the biggest in the Canadian Rockies. The third and newest addition to the resort is Goat’s Eye Mountain via a new 8-seat gondola taking skiers to the top in just six minutes. With 396 inches (10 m) of snow each winter, more than Lake Louise and Banff Mt. Norquay combined, Sunshine doesn’t need snow machines.

Mount Norquay
Banff Mount Norquay is a much smaller and more straightforward proposition: one mountain face, five lifts, 190 acres (77 ha) and a fair mix for all levels, 28 tree-sheltered trails. Designed by skiers for skiers, it has plenty of carving and freeriding options. Night skiing and boarding are now on offer every Friday as well.

The ski season here is from the first week of November to first week of May, but be warned, the region is cold in winter, much colder than, say Colorado, with extreme lows in December and February of -22˚F (-30˚C) rising to 19˚F (-7˚C) in January. This can be tough on the less-seasoned skier and difficult for kids to handle—and when your not in the sun, it’s even tougher.