- Joined
- Oct 5, 2017
- Posts
- 17
I can’t start off this trip report without first giving the utmost kudos and thanks to albertanskigirl for all the wonderful advice she provided before and during our first trip to Banff. My family had an absolute blast skiing with her at Lake Louise, as she was the most cheerful guide leading us around that amazing ski resort. She is such a smooth, graceful skier to follow and attempt to emulate. To top it off, my history buff son loved chatting her up on the lift rides.
A little background: Family of four - 10yo daughter, 14yo son, wife and me from Southern California. After some 20+ years absence for no good reason, I introduced my wife and kids to the joy of skiing last year. So you expert, hard-core skiers reading this might want to stop right here to avoid sheer boredom.
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 1
On our first ski day in Banff at Sunshine Village, we got off to a late start. We didn’t get to resort until well after 10:30am. Decided to drive there and park, and our first impression was Yikes! it’s a long trek in ski boots to haul all our rental gear. One thing to note is that they do provide pull carts in the parking lot but seemed to have only one per row of cars. Luckily we got our hands on one.
As Mountain Collective members, we picked up our passes at Guest Services, which is located on the 2nd floor of the Creekside Lodge, which is the upper building at the Base. We were pleasantly surprised that the photo pass you get for Sunshine Village also has your Lake Louise days loaded on it.
Rode the 20min Gondola up to the Village and couldn’t believe how nice the snow conditions were in early April. Around -5C/23F with light, dry snowfall throughout the day. As my wife is a green skier, we started off with a few runs on the side of Mount Standish on the Strawberry Express Quad (Dell Valley and Rock Isle Road) and the Standish Express Quad (Creek Run). Showboat near the bottom is a really short black bump run for those intermediate skiers who want a fun, bite-size challenge. Son and I also skied Jerry’s Run, which is about the easiest black you’re likely to encounter and could serve as a good warm up for runs on Goat’s Eye Mtn.
Also rode Angel Express Quad up Lookout Mtn to take Green Run down. Ugh! The flat spot around Lower Divide is a real drag, having to skate up to get over a mound. The second time around, we took Red 90 over to Divide Terrain Park area to avoid the flats. Perhaps a little steep for a blue run, but it’s a short section and sure beats the alternative. Divide Terrain Park as well as Springhill Terrain Park were nice side excursions for my teenage son.
Lunch at Alpine Grill (standard resort cafeteria on 2nd floor of Centennial Lodge) was OK but it’s really congested in there. We lucked upon a much better dining option the next day.
After lunch, we took Banff Ave another flat requiring some skating to the Jackrabbit Quad in order to ride the heated Tee Pee Town orange bubble chair, which turned out to be one of our favorite chairlifts in North America. The Great Divide Express to the top of Lookout Mtn is also unique in that you enter BC and back to Alberta all in one ride, but due to blustery conditions, we unfortunately didn’t get to enjoy what’s supposed to be a terrific view from up top. On our final run down Banff Ave back to the Base, we stumbled upon Roller Coaster, which is a lengthy, bumpy, single track run through the woods all kids should enjoy.
MONDAY, APRIL 2
On our second day at Sunshine, on top of having fabulous, mostly sunny weather, we lucked out in getting the best parking spot available. After dropping off the family at the 5-minute zone at the Base around 10am, a local waved me down as I was exiting the zone and asked if I wanted to take his spot as he was soon leaving – Wow! Just another example of Canadian friendliness.
My wife went up ahead for her all-day group lesson. Said she had a great time in an all ladies group.
Kids and I started off on the Wawa Quad, which was my first experience with a loading conveyer. Guess who felt old and silly? Ending up several yards, not feet, in front of his kids. And not just once.
We thoroughly enjoyed Wawa Bowl and Tincan Alley as warm-up runs. But the vast openness of the area just beyond with the expansive views of The Monarch and the Ramparts are simply astounding. Then when you turn around to face downhill, you get terrific views of Lookout Mtn and the Eagles. On our next visit, we definitely plan to hit several of the black runs in the area (Old T-Bar, Star Trek, Tincan Trees).
Atop Wawa Bowl with Lookout Mtn and the infamous Delirium Dive (center background):
Then on to Jackrabbit Quad for the short and sweet run under the lift before taking our favorite orange bubble Tee Pee Town ride up. On one of our runs down Lookout Mtn, we took the World Cup Downhill to Angel Traverse, and really enjoyed the open area just below and exploring the various, short and empty gladed runs around there. Next time, I swear I’m going to bypass Angel Traverse and just go down Ecstasy or The Shoulder.
Kids were hungry at this point and me wanting to checkout Sunshine Mountain Lodge for a future visit, stumbled upon The Chimney Corner, a sit-down restaurant on the second floor. Comfortable seating with great views out their large bay windows. The food and service were fairly good and quick (this was around 11:30). A much more pleasant dining experience than the typical crowded ski resort cafeteria.
https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...f/1521844593888/Chimney+Corner+Lunch+Menu.pdf
After lunch, we did a few runs off Standish Express Quad (Bunkers, Little Bunkers, Big Bunkers and Showboat) before finally making our way to Goat’s Eye Mtn. Not without another fun trip through Roller Coaster.
Goat’s Eye was an absolute blast for me. Sunshine Coast is a classic blue cruiser and a nice way to start off on the Mtn for this intermediate skier. Added Wildfire in there for a little more challenge. Wish I had spent more time on Goat’s Eye during our two-day visit, as it offers varyingly steep terrain for a BlueSquare skier aspiring to be a BlackDiamond skier. My nearly 50yr old legs were spent after these past two days as they stiffened up during the long ski out along Banff Ave to the Base.
At the end of the run, I don’t know how I managed to bend down to pick up my skis off the snow, but I next pretended to do the toy soldier drill while proceeding towards the lodge so that my daughter wouldn’t laugh her head off causing more humiliating stares in my direction.
SUNSHINE VILLAGE – terrific snow quality, some unique, interesting chairlifts, wide assortment of terrain with loads of short, steep runs to challenge intermediate skiers looking to tackle advanced terrain in moderate portions.
TUE-WED, APRIL 3 and 4
Being that this was our first visit to Banff National Park, we ultimately decided to drive up the incredibly scenic Icefields Parkway to Jasper. Based on albertanskigirl’s recommendations, before getting on Hwy 93, we stopped off in Lake Louise Village for grub at Trailhead Café (order the delicious Elk Stew) and rented snowshoes at Wilson Mountain Sports. Some of the highlights along our road trip: Just past the Big Bend, I believe it was around Parkers Ridge, saw a few skiers starting their trek for fresh powder.
At the Columbia Icefield lot, we snowshoed up near the toe of Athabasca Glacier, which was a surreal winter experience.
Another cool stop along the way is off Bow Summit and snowshoeing up to the Peyto Lake Lookout, for more breath-taking views. In Jasper, instead of skiing Marmot Basin, we decided to check out the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk. As the guided tours were sold out, we rented ice cleats and attempted it on our own. Such a cool experience to be hiking along a frozen canyon floor and to touch the towering frozen waterfalls. I’d rank it up there with hiking Zion Narrows and slotting through Antelope Canyon.
THU, APRIL 5
Finally got to meet up with albertanskigirl in person at Lake Louise this morning. There are not enough superlatives to characterize such a friendly forum member. SkiBig3 should hire her permanently as a Ski Ambassador!
Met up at Whiskey Jack, where there’s ample space to put ski boots on and shelf space to store bags and shoes. No need for lockers.
She started us on Wiwaxy to warm up then we took the Grizzly Gondola in order to take Pika trail down to Larch Express. Cruised Lookout before going back up to take the classic wide intermediate run Larch. Took Ptarmigan chair up to get to the Top of the World Express. And the first time you get off at Top of the World, your jaw drops! WOW! The views of the Back Bowls with the mountainous background is stunning! We then proceeded to drop into the soft crud of Saddleback Bowl and dropped in again just past Wounded Knee (DD) entry into Warden’s Run and eventually down to Paradise Chair.
Most folks (like my son) probably hate this slow, fixed-grip triple chair, but I was quite fond of it. Maybe I’m becoming more nostalgic with advancing age, but all who dread it are rewarded with quite arguably the most wonderful panoramic view in all of North America as they get off this old lift. WOW! WOW! WOW! If the low-lying clouds have lifted, you get the most incredible views of the expansive Bow Valley, across to Lake Louise with Mt Victoria and its glacier and the surrounding majestic peaks. If the winds aren’t gusting up there, I could easily spend an hour just soaking in the views. Thankfully, we had albertanskigirl pointing out the various features and interesting facts. Simply marvelous!
Before heading down to lunch at the Lodge of Ten Peaks, my wife and daughter split off onto easier runs while albertanskigirl took my son and I down Meadowlark. One of my favorite runs ever, not just because it’s a relatively uncrowded, steep run but because of the amazing views as you make your way down. My breath got double lodged in my throat due to the challenge as well as the sights.
My son with albertanskigirl before we headed down Meadowlark
After lunch, we headed back up Glacier and Top of the World Express to ski the really fun natural half-pipe known as Grizzly Gully. We made our way down Cameron’s Way before saying our sad but fond farewell to albertanskigirl. My entire family agreed that it was our best day ever skiing, and it was largely due to our wonderful host showing us around this winter paradise!
FRI, APRIL 6
Our final ski day in Banff and it was down to just my daughter and I. We took the Grizzly Gondola up and started off with a nice challenging Ptarmigan run down to Larch Express. On Larch, we decided to further challenge ourselves on Bobcat, which had a black diamond sign up top. Looked like a fun steep bump run that was short, so went for it. Didn’t realize this was just the first of three/four sections that were narrow mogul fields. My daughter wasn’t very trusting of her dad after that run. I cajoled her back onto the chair in order to take the signature Larch run, before going back up again to explore Wolverine and Marmot. Was fun to ski adjacent to and watch the junior ski racers ripping it along the course at the bottom of Marmot.
Had a quick lunch at Temple Lodge, which I found to be a comfy, rustic cabin. Even though the overcooked bison burger was a chewy hockey puck, really enjoyed the atmosphere there.
Took Ptarmigan up to the front side and Lower Flight down to albertanskigirl and our favorite Top of the World Express. We repeated yesterday’s Back Bowls adventures down Saddleback Bowl before the long cruise down to my equally favorite, nostalgic Paradise Chair. I hope they never retire that chair, or if they do replace it, maybe relocate it over to somewhere on Larch Mtn.
Atop Paradise
We made our way down Sunset Terrace, took a Wrong Turn onto Upper Wiwaxy before heading over to our final challenge, the Ladies’ Downhill. My daughter was very hesitant to attempt it due to the steepness and relative iciness, but she threw caution to the wind and went into full Lindsey Vonn mode and tucked it down the icy lower half. Had major lumps in my throat just watching her with initial fear followed by beaming pride. What a way to cap off our Banff ski adventures. Yeah, I got an earful from my wife all afternoon after she found out, but it was so worth it.
LAKE LOUISE – very nice snow quality, not quite as ideal as Sunshine Village, but great for April and easily the best lift-served views of any ski resort in North America. I’ve been to my share all over California, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Whistler, yet Lake Louise has surpassed them all in terms of views. It’s also great for a family with varying abilities since every lift (except perhaps Summit Platter) has Green, Blue and Black runs to get down the mountain.
We’ve been to some amazing ski resorts in the last two years and plan on visiting many others in the next several years, but I think we’ve already nailed down our annual spring break destination.
I should've taken more pics while skiing but my iPhone wasn't cooperating much on this trip.
A little background: Family of four - 10yo daughter, 14yo son, wife and me from Southern California. After some 20+ years absence for no good reason, I introduced my wife and kids to the joy of skiing last year. So you expert, hard-core skiers reading this might want to stop right here to avoid sheer boredom.
EASTER SUNDAY, APRIL 1
On our first ski day in Banff at Sunshine Village, we got off to a late start. We didn’t get to resort until well after 10:30am. Decided to drive there and park, and our first impression was Yikes! it’s a long trek in ski boots to haul all our rental gear. One thing to note is that they do provide pull carts in the parking lot but seemed to have only one per row of cars. Luckily we got our hands on one.
As Mountain Collective members, we picked up our passes at Guest Services, which is located on the 2nd floor of the Creekside Lodge, which is the upper building at the Base. We were pleasantly surprised that the photo pass you get for Sunshine Village also has your Lake Louise days loaded on it.
Rode the 20min Gondola up to the Village and couldn’t believe how nice the snow conditions were in early April. Around -5C/23F with light, dry snowfall throughout the day. As my wife is a green skier, we started off with a few runs on the side of Mount Standish on the Strawberry Express Quad (Dell Valley and Rock Isle Road) and the Standish Express Quad (Creek Run). Showboat near the bottom is a really short black bump run for those intermediate skiers who want a fun, bite-size challenge. Son and I also skied Jerry’s Run, which is about the easiest black you’re likely to encounter and could serve as a good warm up for runs on Goat’s Eye Mtn.
Also rode Angel Express Quad up Lookout Mtn to take Green Run down. Ugh! The flat spot around Lower Divide is a real drag, having to skate up to get over a mound. The second time around, we took Red 90 over to Divide Terrain Park area to avoid the flats. Perhaps a little steep for a blue run, but it’s a short section and sure beats the alternative. Divide Terrain Park as well as Springhill Terrain Park were nice side excursions for my teenage son.
Lunch at Alpine Grill (standard resort cafeteria on 2nd floor of Centennial Lodge) was OK but it’s really congested in there. We lucked upon a much better dining option the next day.
After lunch, we took Banff Ave another flat requiring some skating to the Jackrabbit Quad in order to ride the heated Tee Pee Town orange bubble chair, which turned out to be one of our favorite chairlifts in North America. The Great Divide Express to the top of Lookout Mtn is also unique in that you enter BC and back to Alberta all in one ride, but due to blustery conditions, we unfortunately didn’t get to enjoy what’s supposed to be a terrific view from up top. On our final run down Banff Ave back to the Base, we stumbled upon Roller Coaster, which is a lengthy, bumpy, single track run through the woods all kids should enjoy.
MONDAY, APRIL 2
On our second day at Sunshine, on top of having fabulous, mostly sunny weather, we lucked out in getting the best parking spot available. After dropping off the family at the 5-minute zone at the Base around 10am, a local waved me down as I was exiting the zone and asked if I wanted to take his spot as he was soon leaving – Wow! Just another example of Canadian friendliness.
My wife went up ahead for her all-day group lesson. Said she had a great time in an all ladies group.
Kids and I started off on the Wawa Quad, which was my first experience with a loading conveyer. Guess who felt old and silly? Ending up several yards, not feet, in front of his kids. And not just once.
We thoroughly enjoyed Wawa Bowl and Tincan Alley as warm-up runs. But the vast openness of the area just beyond with the expansive views of The Monarch and the Ramparts are simply astounding. Then when you turn around to face downhill, you get terrific views of Lookout Mtn and the Eagles. On our next visit, we definitely plan to hit several of the black runs in the area (Old T-Bar, Star Trek, Tincan Trees).
Atop Wawa Bowl with Lookout Mtn and the infamous Delirium Dive (center background):
Then on to Jackrabbit Quad for the short and sweet run under the lift before taking our favorite orange bubble Tee Pee Town ride up. On one of our runs down Lookout Mtn, we took the World Cup Downhill to Angel Traverse, and really enjoyed the open area just below and exploring the various, short and empty gladed runs around there. Next time, I swear I’m going to bypass Angel Traverse and just go down Ecstasy or The Shoulder.
Kids were hungry at this point and me wanting to checkout Sunshine Mountain Lodge for a future visit, stumbled upon The Chimney Corner, a sit-down restaurant on the second floor. Comfortable seating with great views out their large bay windows. The food and service were fairly good and quick (this was around 11:30). A much more pleasant dining experience than the typical crowded ski resort cafeteria.
https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...f/1521844593888/Chimney+Corner+Lunch+Menu.pdf
After lunch, we did a few runs off Standish Express Quad (Bunkers, Little Bunkers, Big Bunkers and Showboat) before finally making our way to Goat’s Eye Mtn. Not without another fun trip through Roller Coaster.
Goat’s Eye was an absolute blast for me. Sunshine Coast is a classic blue cruiser and a nice way to start off on the Mtn for this intermediate skier. Added Wildfire in there for a little more challenge. Wish I had spent more time on Goat’s Eye during our two-day visit, as it offers varyingly steep terrain for a BlueSquare skier aspiring to be a BlackDiamond skier. My nearly 50yr old legs were spent after these past two days as they stiffened up during the long ski out along Banff Ave to the Base.
At the end of the run, I don’t know how I managed to bend down to pick up my skis off the snow, but I next pretended to do the toy soldier drill while proceeding towards the lodge so that my daughter wouldn’t laugh her head off causing more humiliating stares in my direction.
SUNSHINE VILLAGE – terrific snow quality, some unique, interesting chairlifts, wide assortment of terrain with loads of short, steep runs to challenge intermediate skiers looking to tackle advanced terrain in moderate portions.
TUE-WED, APRIL 3 and 4
Being that this was our first visit to Banff National Park, we ultimately decided to drive up the incredibly scenic Icefields Parkway to Jasper. Based on albertanskigirl’s recommendations, before getting on Hwy 93, we stopped off in Lake Louise Village for grub at Trailhead Café (order the delicious Elk Stew) and rented snowshoes at Wilson Mountain Sports. Some of the highlights along our road trip: Just past the Big Bend, I believe it was around Parkers Ridge, saw a few skiers starting their trek for fresh powder.
At the Columbia Icefield lot, we snowshoed up near the toe of Athabasca Glacier, which was a surreal winter experience.
Another cool stop along the way is off Bow Summit and snowshoeing up to the Peyto Lake Lookout, for more breath-taking views. In Jasper, instead of skiing Marmot Basin, we decided to check out the Maligne Canyon Ice Walk. As the guided tours were sold out, we rented ice cleats and attempted it on our own. Such a cool experience to be hiking along a frozen canyon floor and to touch the towering frozen waterfalls. I’d rank it up there with hiking Zion Narrows and slotting through Antelope Canyon.
THU, APRIL 5
Finally got to meet up with albertanskigirl in person at Lake Louise this morning. There are not enough superlatives to characterize such a friendly forum member. SkiBig3 should hire her permanently as a Ski Ambassador!
Met up at Whiskey Jack, where there’s ample space to put ski boots on and shelf space to store bags and shoes. No need for lockers.
She started us on Wiwaxy to warm up then we took the Grizzly Gondola in order to take Pika trail down to Larch Express. Cruised Lookout before going back up to take the classic wide intermediate run Larch. Took Ptarmigan chair up to get to the Top of the World Express. And the first time you get off at Top of the World, your jaw drops! WOW! The views of the Back Bowls with the mountainous background is stunning! We then proceeded to drop into the soft crud of Saddleback Bowl and dropped in again just past Wounded Knee (DD) entry into Warden’s Run and eventually down to Paradise Chair.
Most folks (like my son) probably hate this slow, fixed-grip triple chair, but I was quite fond of it. Maybe I’m becoming more nostalgic with advancing age, but all who dread it are rewarded with quite arguably the most wonderful panoramic view in all of North America as they get off this old lift. WOW! WOW! WOW! If the low-lying clouds have lifted, you get the most incredible views of the expansive Bow Valley, across to Lake Louise with Mt Victoria and its glacier and the surrounding majestic peaks. If the winds aren’t gusting up there, I could easily spend an hour just soaking in the views. Thankfully, we had albertanskigirl pointing out the various features and interesting facts. Simply marvelous!
Before heading down to lunch at the Lodge of Ten Peaks, my wife and daughter split off onto easier runs while albertanskigirl took my son and I down Meadowlark. One of my favorite runs ever, not just because it’s a relatively uncrowded, steep run but because of the amazing views as you make your way down. My breath got double lodged in my throat due to the challenge as well as the sights.
My son with albertanskigirl before we headed down Meadowlark
After lunch, we headed back up Glacier and Top of the World Express to ski the really fun natural half-pipe known as Grizzly Gully. We made our way down Cameron’s Way before saying our sad but fond farewell to albertanskigirl. My entire family agreed that it was our best day ever skiing, and it was largely due to our wonderful host showing us around this winter paradise!
FRI, APRIL 6
Our final ski day in Banff and it was down to just my daughter and I. We took the Grizzly Gondola up and started off with a nice challenging Ptarmigan run down to Larch Express. On Larch, we decided to further challenge ourselves on Bobcat, which had a black diamond sign up top. Looked like a fun steep bump run that was short, so went for it. Didn’t realize this was just the first of three/four sections that were narrow mogul fields. My daughter wasn’t very trusting of her dad after that run. I cajoled her back onto the chair in order to take the signature Larch run, before going back up again to explore Wolverine and Marmot. Was fun to ski adjacent to and watch the junior ski racers ripping it along the course at the bottom of Marmot.
Had a quick lunch at Temple Lodge, which I found to be a comfy, rustic cabin. Even though the overcooked bison burger was a chewy hockey puck, really enjoyed the atmosphere there.
Took Ptarmigan up to the front side and Lower Flight down to albertanskigirl and our favorite Top of the World Express. We repeated yesterday’s Back Bowls adventures down Saddleback Bowl before the long cruise down to my equally favorite, nostalgic Paradise Chair. I hope they never retire that chair, or if they do replace it, maybe relocate it over to somewhere on Larch Mtn.
Atop Paradise
We made our way down Sunset Terrace, took a Wrong Turn onto Upper Wiwaxy before heading over to our final challenge, the Ladies’ Downhill. My daughter was very hesitant to attempt it due to the steepness and relative iciness, but she threw caution to the wind and went into full Lindsey Vonn mode and tucked it down the icy lower half. Had major lumps in my throat just watching her with initial fear followed by beaming pride. What a way to cap off our Banff ski adventures. Yeah, I got an earful from my wife all afternoon after she found out, but it was so worth it.
LAKE LOUISE – very nice snow quality, not quite as ideal as Sunshine Village, but great for April and easily the best lift-served views of any ski resort in North America. I’ve been to my share all over California, Utah, Colorado, Idaho, Wyoming and Whistler, yet Lake Louise has surpassed them all in terms of views. It’s also great for a family with varying abilities since every lift (except perhaps Summit Platter) has Green, Blue and Black runs to get down the mountain.
We’ve been to some amazing ski resorts in the last two years and plan on visiting many others in the next several years, but I think we’ve already nailed down our annual spring break destination.
I should've taken more pics while skiing but my iPhone wasn't cooperating much on this trip.
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