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Resort Guide

Suitability	Resort height: 1739m
Families:		[Yes]
Glacier:		[No]
Beginners:		[4]
Intermediates:		[5]
Advanced:		[4]
Snowboarding:		[4]

Banff is a ski town with a difference. Skiers staying here have a choice of three different areas for downhill. The local slopes are situated at Mt Norquay, a small centre right next to the town. Most skiers head out towards Sunshine Village however, a major international resort, 16 kilometres (ten miles) from town. The third option is Lake Louise, about 45 minutes drive and again a resort in its own right. All three areas are included on one area ticket. All three resorts are traditionally amongst the most snowsure in the world, with long seasons from November to May and snowfall averages of around 10 metres (30 feet). The resorts are also amongst the longest established in Canada with both Norquay and Sunshine recently celebrating their 80th birthdays.

Banff itself, like Aspen or Innsbruck, is an iconic ski area. The vibrant town is located in Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site within the Rocky Mountains. The National Park was the first to be established in the country back in 1885. It is busy year round with summer guests outnumbering winter visitors, enabling businesses such as shops and restaurants to operate continuously and really establish themselves rather than suffering from the seasonal nature of many resorts.

Beginners

All three areas have good beginner slopes and excellent ski school packages designed especially for first timers. If you choose to start the week and learn to turn at the local Norquay slopes you’ll find a small, sheltered beginner slope near the base lodge. The Cascade quad chair serves most of the beginner terrain.

Intermediates

Sunshine offers skiing and boarding on three different mountains (Goat’s Eye Mountain, Mount Standish and Lookout) to explore, including the novel opportunity to ski or ride over the border from the province of Alberta in to British Columbia on the same run. With more than 100 runs and a big vertical there’s a huge choice of terrain. Those wishing to calculate how much of this they’ve skied can apply for a Slopetracker, which uses GPS technology to quantify your day on the slopes. It calculates statistics such as your highest speed, the amount of vertical you skied, calories burned and hours skiing/resting, as well as the difficulty of the terrain you skied. All you need for both in depth analysis of your ski day and bragging rights evidence in the après ski bar. You can also set yourself a target to beat, or compete with friends. Norquay’s terrain is best first experienced on a free tour with one of the area’s volunteer mountain hosts. They’ll not only show you the best places to ski on the mountain, but also advise on the best places to visit and things to do down in Banff itself.

Advanced

Delirium Dive and Wild West at Sunshine offer a vertical drop over 650m (2000 feet) and an average pitch of 40 degrees. The two freeride zones provide excellent off-piste within the resort’s marked and patrolled boundaries. The freeride zones were born out of resort staff’s passion to ski and ride the best terrain, and their desire to make it accessible for everyone. The freeride zones are open as weather and conditions allow, and users should carry avalanche transceivers and a shovel, and ski with a friend or with a guide. The ski patrol reserves the right to refuse anyone whom they deem ill equipped. Norquay has a long-standing reputation for challenging terrain thanks in good part to four runs you see as you approach the area. These steep, often mogul covered double black diamond runs include the challenging Upper Lone Pine and Gun Runs as well as Memorial Bowl, which has an average 34-degree pitch.

Snowboarding

At Sunshine the Roger’s Terrain Park covers 12 acres of diverse terrain including the latest street-style and slope-style rails and boxes, Full time dedicated park staff ensure that the Rogers Terrain Park is always in immaculate shape and ready for guests to enjoy. At Norquay the terrain park is designed by the famous international designer Jeff Patterson, who has built parks all over the world including New Zealand and summer glacier parks in Norway. The Norquay Park has several back-to-back lines with lots of fun jib features included.

Other Activities and Facilities

Winter activities abound in and around Banff, including Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, ice climbing, and the nearby hot springs. Walks through an ice canyon past spectacular frozen waterfalls are popular, and historical tours of the town itself are also organised. Within the town, designer clothing stores mingle seamlessly with rustic restaurants providing guests with plenty of things to see and do.

Après Ski and Dining Out

For those looking for a night out on the town, Banff has plenty of entertainment options, ranging from pubs to night clubs. Popular watering holes include Wild Bill's, Whiskey Creek, the Rose and Crown, Paddock Bar and later on The Works Nightclub. There are more than 100 restaurants to choose from in Banff covering all kinds of tastes. The local style, ‘Rocky Mountain cuisine,’ is derived from the best dishes from the many different countries the early settlers originated from. Popular eateries include the Magpie and Stump, Georgio's, the Paris Restaurant and Waldhaus.

Families

Sunshine’s Tiny Tigers Daycare is designed for children aged 19 months to six years in age. Staff provide children with a fun filled day of indoor and outdoor activities, a balanced lunch and two nutritional snacks. For young children who want to ski, the resort offers their Tiny Tigers Ski and Play Program with groups containing a maximum of three kids and fully qualified and specially trained Tiny Tiger Pros teaching. Children aged three to six have approximately an hour of ski and play with their instructor in the morning and again in the afternoon, plus all the indoor and outdoor activities offered by the Tiny Tiger Daycare centre. Mount Norquay and Lake Louise offers similar daycare and ski school facilities with the same age ranges. At Mount Norquay there’s an easy to use magic carpet conveyor lift for ski school learners. They will accept children from age two in the ‘with snow fun’ version of the package.

Piste Map for Banff

Accommodation in Banff

• Banff Aspen Lodge - 3 star, bed & breakfast
• Banff Inn - 3 star, room only
• Banff Inn - 3 star, room only
• Banff Inn - 2 star, room only
• Banff International - 4 star, room only
• Banff International - 4 star, room only
• Banff International - 3 star, room only
• Banff Park Lodge - 4 star, room only
• Banff Park Lodge Resort Hotel - 5 star, room only
• Banff Springs - 5 star, room only
• Banff Springs - 5 star, room only
• Bow View Lodge - 3 star, room only
• Bow View Lodge - 3 star, room only
• Bow View Lodge - 3 star, room only
• Brewster Mountain Lodge - 3 star, room only
• Brewster Mountain Lodge - 4 star, bed & breakfast
• Brewsters Mountain Lodge - 4 star, bed & breakfast
• Buffalo Mountain Lodge - 4 star, room only
• Buffalo Mountain Lodge - 4 star, room only
• Bumpers Inn - 2 star, room only
• Caribou Lodge - 4 star, room only
• Caribou Lodge - 4 star, room only
• Caribou Lodge - 4 star, room only
• Cedar Court - 3 star, room only
• Chalet Rocky Mountain - 3 star, catered
• Chalet Rocky Mountn - 3 star, catered
• Douglas Fir Apartments - 4 star, room only
• Douglas Fir Apartments - 4 star, room only
• Douglas Fir Apartments - 4 star, room only
• Fairmont Banff Springs - 5 star, room only
• Fairmont Banff Springs - 5 star, room only
• Fairmont Springs - 5 star, room only
• Fairmont Springs - 5 star, room only
• Fox All Suite Hotel - 4 star, room only
• Fox All Suite Hotel - 4 star, room only
• Fox Inn & Suites - 4 star, room only
• Homestead Inn - 2 star, room only
• Inns Of Banff - 3 star, room only
• Inns Of Banff - 3 star, room only
• Inns Of Banff Apartments - 4 star, self catering
• Inns Of Banff Hotel - 4 star, room only
• Irwins Mountain Inn - 3 star, bed & breakfast
• Irwins Mountain Inn - 2 star, bed & breakfast
• Mount Royal - 3 star, room only
• Mount Royal Hotel - 4 star, room only
• Mount Royal Hotel - 3 star, room only
• Park Lodge - 4 star, room only
• Ptarmigan Inn - 3 star, room only
• Ptarmigan Inn - 4 star, room only
• R Canadian Lodge - 4 star, room only
• Red Carpet Inn - 3 star, bed & breakfast
• Rimrock Hotel - 5 star, room only
• Rimrock Resort - 5 star, room only
• Rimrock Resort - 5 star, room only
• Rocky Mountain - 4 star, self catering
• Rundle Manor - 3 star, self catering
• Rundle Manor - 3 star, self catering
• Rundle Manor - 3 star, self catering
• Rundlestone Lodge - 4 star, room only
• Sunshine Inn - 3 star, room only
• Sunshine Inn - 3 star, room only
• Sunshine Mountain - 4 star, room only
• Swiss Village - 3 star, room only
• Swiss Village - 3 star, room only
• The Fairmont Banff Springs - 5 star, room only
• The Fox Hotel & Suites - 4 star, room only
• The Ptarmigan Inn - 4 star, room only
• The Rimrock Resort Hotel - 5 star, room only
• Tunnel Mountain Resort - 4 star, room only
• Tunnel Mountain Resort - 4 star, room only
• Tunnel Mountain Resort - 4 star, room only

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