Overview
Banff is an old rail-road town set in the breathtaking National Park. The friendly Canadian town is an ideal ski holiday destination, loaded with a selection of restaurants, bars and shops to keep you entertained outside of hours on the mountain. A fantastic town for non-skiers, it has famous thermal springs and a Native American museum, all whilst being surrounded by spectacular high-mountain scenery.
Skiing in Banff
The longest resort open in the Rockies, lively and yet unspoilt Banff gives access to three excellent skiing areas of Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise, all available on one great ‘Tri-Area’ lift pass complete with free shuttle bus service for a convenient ski holiday package. The nearest ski hill to Banff is Mount Norquay. This is a locals favourite, with everything from double diamond blacks to cruisey blue runs all fed by high speed chairlifts giving you more skiing per hour than many other areas. Mount Norquay is about 10 minutes away from Banff on the local ski buss.
Sunshine is around 20 minutes drive from Banff and the skiing here actually straddles the continental divide, on one side the water flows to the Atlantic, the other, the Pacific. The three unique skiing areas all offer something different and are ideal for a mixed ability group skiing holidays to Canada. There are extreme ski areas, for example Goats Eye Mountain being one. At the end of the day, the long, meandering home run back to base car park is memorable for the scenery you pass through. With pistes above 2,500m, the snow record for resort-linking town Banff is excellent, and snow is assured throughout the season, good for early or late season skiing holidays. The family friendly pistes have grown in popularity due to the fantastic ‘champagne’ snow available with bargain ski packages.
Snowboarding in Banff
If you’re seeking a snowboarding holiday to Canada then the good news is Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise are all very boarder-friendly. The powder trails here are tremendous, but remember to take a guide to find the best spots and ride safely. There are some great parks here, plus beginner areas to give enough opportunities for all abilities. If you fancy a skate, try the Canmore skate park, 15 minutes out of Banff. Banff has a selection of great snowboarding shops; so if you need more gear, this is the place to go.
Accommodation in Banff
Banff is a reasonably priced high-quality ski and snowboarding resort in Canada situated amidst beautiful scenic glaciers and cascading waterfalls. Compared to hotel prices in Europe, the good news Banff hotel prices are lower. Rooms are much bigger and board basis may be room only. Don’t delay in checking out our best travel deals for Banff because generally speaking, most hotels in Banff will have an outdoor hot-tub to relax in at the end of the day! The resort tends to be more popular during the summer rather than winter months, meaning skiing holidays to Banff are plentiful and good quality. Apres-ski in Banff is excellent, with the facilities of the tourist town meaning you have a fantastic range of restaurants and drinking establishments to choose from, as well as plenty of shopping opportunities.
