Canada > Skiing in Banff

We get up early. After breakfast, we leave at eight o’clock for the Sunshine ski area in Banff for a day of skiing. Just before nine, we arrive at the ski resort. The rental process for skis is very efficient—something they could learn from in France. Relatively quickly, we are equipped with a ski pass, skis, and a hat, as it is quite chilly while waiting in line for the gondola. The gondola is no less than 8 kilometers long and takes us up to Sunshine Village in 18 minutes. At the top of the mountain, it is cloudy and cold. The wind in particular makes the chairlifts very chilly. We estimate the temperature to be between -20 and -25°C. To avoid the wind, we ski a bit lower in the area among the pine trees, which is quite pleasant. Sunshine is a large ski area with many possibilities. From each lift, there are various runs through the trees.

Canada - Skiing in Canada at Sunshine ski area in Banff Alberta

Red slopes don’t exist in Canada; the blue slopes are slightly steeper than European blue slopes. Dark red is equivalent to black, and double black is really black. At midday, we have lunch at a bistro in Sunshine Village. In the afternoon, with occasional sunshine, we take the other side of the mountain. At the end of the day, we make the full descent from the top (2,800 meters) down to the parking lot. This run goes mostly under the gondola and is about ten kilometers long. At 3:45, we return the skis (again, hats off to the organization there) and meet the other skiers in the bar. After a beer, we take the vans back to the hotel. In the evening, a group of us dine at a luxury steakhouse located in a hotel on the other side of Canmore. It’s a bit of a walk, which is a good opportunity to hear about the day’s other activities from fellow travelers.