The perfect ski holiday in Canada’s oldest national park

Sunshine had its beginnings in 1927/28 when Canadian Pacific Railways built a cabin on the site of the present day Old Sunshine Lodge. From 1929 onwards, Banff locals were exploring Sunshine Meadows, but it wasn’t until 1934, when the cabin was leased to the Brewster Transport Company, that Sunshine hosted its first paying winter guests. Within 10 years the first permanent rope tow had been added and constant improvements followed.  

In the mid-1990s the mainly tree-clad Goat’s Eye mountain at Sunshine was made lift accessible, and runs like Billy Goat’s Gruff, Scapegoat and Goat’s Head Soup added sheltered runs and increased Sunshine’s popularity. The area is a mix of tree runs and cruising runs, and the goat theme continues with trails including Goatchicken Glade and Goatsucker Glade.

New for 2024/25 is the Super Angel Express chairlift, which replaces Banff Sunshine’s oldest high-speed quad, Angel Express, with a six-passenger high-speed luxury express lift, including heated bucket seats and footrests.

And finally, the icing on Banff’s cake is Lake Louise Ski Resort, the largest and best-known ski area in the Banff SkiBig3 set-up. With 164 varied trails spread over 4,200 acres of terrain, and terrific expert runs in the back bowls, Lake Louise is the only major Canadian ski area to give Whistler a genuine run for its money.

Lake Louise’s Showtime terrain park is also one of Western Canada’s largest. The Top of the World Express chair gives outstanding views across the Bow Valley, where there’s a massive line-up of towering peaks like Mounts Allen, Fay, Bowlen and Babel, plus several hanging glaciers, all of which used to feature on the back of Canada’s $20 banknote. No one needs to miss out on the scenery, be they expert or novice – there’s virtually no major lift at Lake Louise that a beginner can’t ride, and each chair has the option of an easy route down.

The Juniper Express chairlift provides links to five dedicated blue runs, helping beginners progress from the magic carpet to the top of the mountain.

New for 2024/25 is the Upper Juniper Express – an extension of the two-part Juniper chairlift, which climbs to near the top of the Top of the World Chairlift. Upper Juniper will offer better access to the resort’s West Bowl, and will have heated seats and a protective bubble.

The West Bowl is accessible in four minutes from Whitehorn Mountain by the Summit Chair. This region offers 480 acres of challenging wilderness-esque terrain zones (rather than designated runs) and a ski patrol service, but no grooming.

For a fast track to the ski areas’ best bits, SkiBig3 runs private adventures for intermediate level and above, guiding visitors to the best runs and snow conditions in each of the three resorts over three days. There’s also a First Tracks programme at Lake Louise, offering exclusive lift access half an hour before the resort opens to the public – professional instruction included. Ambitious skiers and snowboarders are encouraged to take up the SkiBig3 Trifecta Challenge to cover all resorts in one day.

Off the pistes, Nightrise, is an after-dark spectacle at the Banff Gondola, which transforms Sulphur Mountain into an immersive experience of video projections and multi-media effects.