Sounds good, @David Chaus ! we don't need no steenkeen gathermeister!
Ok - here's my quick and dirty, and then you can all go away and think about it. I welcome further questions.
Q. Where do I fly in to?
A. Well, Calgary, of course! Gateway to the world!
Q. Do I need to rent a car?
A. Well, it's up to you. Technically, you don't need to rent a car. Brewster runs a shuttle from the airport straight to your Banff hotel. Banff is totally walkable. And there are shuttles to all of the three mountains - Sunshine, Lake Louise and Norquay (if you want to go there) - straight from most hotels in Banff. If you have a Mountain Collective Pass, the shuttle is free. If you have a tri area lift ticket, the shuttle is free. Otherwise, it's $10 one way, or $15 return. If you want to do something else besides skiing while you're here (pfff...who wants to do that?) or if you want to spend a day at Kicking Horse (hmmm...yes, options...) you may want a car. Depending on how many of you want to do that, there might be enough seats in locals' cars.
Q. Where do I stay?
Clearly, you need to stay somewhere along the shuttle route:
https://www.skibig3.com/ski-shuttle/
You also want to stay somewhere you can walk quickly to food and drink: so basically somewhere on or near Banff Ave, between Buffalo St and Rabbit St is ideal. Basically, most hotels in Banff in that area are 2 or 3 star motel-hotel type deals, between $60 and $150/night. You can't really go wrong - except I stayed a night at the Homestead Inn for a night last week and can testify that the beds are truly atrocious.
If you want to be fancy, you can stay at the Banff Springs - that's the only plush hotel along the shuttle route. But it's a schlep from the main drag after après and dinner.
There are also 2 hostels on the shuttle route - Samesum and Banff International. They're both fine.
Most important thing about the hotel: make sure to get a room with a refrigerator. Good for lunches and drinks! (Food on all of the mountains is pretty much notoriously bad and notoriously expensive...but hey, you're not coming here to eat at Sunshine's Alpine Grill, are you? Though I do like the new ramen at Lake Louise)
Q. Lift passes?
Do you have a Mountain Collective Pass? You're all set! And...little known fact: if you really want to ski Norquay, you can also use your MCP. Just show it at the resort and they will give you a 50% off ticket. Don't have an MCP? Your best option is probably to get multi-day tickets from: https://www.skibig3.com/lift-tickets/
If you get the tri-area lift tickets, you can ski at any of the three resorts, and you can also use the shuttle for free. Definitely worth it if you want to use the shuttle. Renting a car and have a Costco membership? You can stop at the North Calgary Costco (https://www.costco.ca/warehouse-locations/nw-calgary-calgary-ab-543.html) and get some cheap lift tickets not just for Sunshine, Louise or Norquay, but also Kicking Horse, Fernie and Castle. The Costco is on the way to the mountains, and American Costco members are welcome!
That's it for now! Let me know if you've got any questions or if you're ready to pin down some dates.
Ok - here's my quick and dirty, and then you can all go away and think about it. I welcome further questions.
Q. Where do I fly in to?
A. Well, Calgary, of course! Gateway to the world!
Q. Do I need to rent a car?
A. Well, it's up to you. Technically, you don't need to rent a car. Brewster runs a shuttle from the airport straight to your Banff hotel. Banff is totally walkable. And there are shuttles to all of the three mountains - Sunshine, Lake Louise and Norquay (if you want to go there) - straight from most hotels in Banff. If you have a Mountain Collective Pass, the shuttle is free. If you have a tri area lift ticket, the shuttle is free. Otherwise, it's $10 one way, or $15 return. If you want to do something else besides skiing while you're here (pfff...who wants to do that?) or if you want to spend a day at Kicking Horse (hmmm...yes, options...) you may want a car. Depending on how many of you want to do that, there might be enough seats in locals' cars.
Q. Where do I stay?
Clearly, you need to stay somewhere along the shuttle route:
https://www.skibig3.com/ski-shuttle/
You also want to stay somewhere you can walk quickly to food and drink: so basically somewhere on or near Banff Ave, between Buffalo St and Rabbit St is ideal. Basically, most hotels in Banff in that area are 2 or 3 star motel-hotel type deals, between $60 and $150/night. You can't really go wrong - except I stayed a night at the Homestead Inn for a night last week and can testify that the beds are truly atrocious.
If you want to be fancy, you can stay at the Banff Springs - that's the only plush hotel along the shuttle route. But it's a schlep from the main drag after après and dinner.
There are also 2 hostels on the shuttle route - Samesum and Banff International. They're both fine.
Most important thing about the hotel: make sure to get a room with a refrigerator. Good for lunches and drinks! (Food on all of the mountains is pretty much notoriously bad and notoriously expensive...but hey, you're not coming here to eat at Sunshine's Alpine Grill, are you? Though I do like the new ramen at Lake Louise)
Q. Lift passes?
Do you have a Mountain Collective Pass? You're all set! And...little known fact: if you really want to ski Norquay, you can also use your MCP. Just show it at the resort and they will give you a 50% off ticket. Don't have an MCP? Your best option is probably to get multi-day tickets from: https://www.skibig3.com/lift-tickets/
If you get the tri-area lift tickets, you can ski at any of the three resorts, and you can also use the shuttle for free. Definitely worth it if you want to use the shuttle. Renting a car and have a Costco membership? You can stop at the North Calgary Costco (https://www.costco.ca/warehouse-locations/nw-calgary-calgary-ab-543.html) and get some cheap lift tickets not just for Sunshine, Louise or Norquay, but also Kicking Horse, Fernie and Castle. The Costco is on the way to the mountains, and American Costco members are welcome!
That's it for now! Let me know if you've got any questions or if you're ready to pin down some dates.
