These Are The Best Resorts in the West for a Weekend Getaway
These are the resorts to choose when you've got no time to lose, according to SKI's Reader Resort Survey. Check them out here.
Every once in a while, a resort surprises us. Banff Sunshine, outside of the town of Banff, is once of those places. There’s no snow-making here—Sunshine relies on Mother Nature’s good graces, which typically supplies the resort with 360 inches of fluff annually.
The terrain is expansive: three mountains, offering 3,358 acres, in a horseshoe around a central base and single hotel. The base area is a gondola ride from the parking lot, so guests at the Sunshine Mountain Lodge get the resort to themselves—and first tracks when the lift start spinning in the morning. A high elevation means it can get pretty chilly here, but if that’s the price of a relatively snow-sure season, we’ll pack our extra layers. Experts: Consider testing your mettle on Delirium Dive. Pack your avy gear and sign in at the patrol shack first.
Average Snowfall | Acres | Trails | Lifts |
360″ | 3,300 | 107 | 12 |
Banff Sunshine is on the Ikon Pass and the Mountain Collective pass. Ikon Pass holders get 7 days (shared between Lake Louise, Mt. Norquay, and Banff Sunshine). Ikon Base Pass holders get 5 blackout-restricted days, also shared between Lake Louse, Mt. Norquay, and Banff Sunshine). Mountain Collective Pass holders get 2 days at the resort.
From lodging and and dining to off-slope activities and local tips, here are the SKI editors’ picks for what to do in Banff Sunshine, Alb.
Delirium Dive is a coveted feather in any skier’s cap. Don’t have a partner? Book the ski school’s “Day in the Dive” to get a guide and avy gear.
Locals crowd into Creekside (at the base) to chug bargain-priced drinks while they wait to board buses back to Banff, Canmore, and Calgary.
The resort’s only hotel, Sunshine Mountain Lodge, is a killer deal in ski-in/ski-out lodging, with rates from $150 per night.
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