probably the best out of the big 3 in banff. Some will argue Lake Louise, but sunshine is the only resort that doesn't use a snow maker. and the fact you can ski from early November till May is amazing
Lake louis only has a shorter season (both you can ski nov-may) by a couple weeks - both you can ski nov-may - and with the new terrain opened that last couple years sunshine is slowly being left in the dust by louis
They make snow. Not as much as Louise, but they do make it. I've seen the lines and the sprayers, not to mention the results. Also, they make most of it early season to build a base before they open
Lol, coincidentally with the *Cold Spells* chapter, tomorrow, Jan 11/2024 (likely the following days, too), Sunshine is fully shut down due to this current polar vortex, winds pushing -50C. In the Summer, Sunshine is also a middle/starting point for thousands of hiking trails across a ton of mountain ranges. It's also become quite popular for people to skin up from the parking lot, up the ski-out run, so they can ski for free up there I believe... they only check for passes at the bottom for the gondola. The run behind the Lodge hotel is a frozen waterfall, which is fun! I didn't see them in this video, but there's lots of out-of-bounds potential on the smaller surrounding mountains, along with the backsides of the valley that the gondola runs though (funnels out down by Wolverine)... also lots of cliff opportunities, 50 footers, for e.g.; all of this is unmarked on maps, obviously.
I'm surprised you didn't mention the little hike off of the Wawa chair, it's definitely a nice little hidden gem! I always finish out my day with it as you end up at the bottom of the Wolverine chair.
Dude , you keep saying this area is remote?? Only an hour and a half west of Calgary on a 4 lane divided highway, (or 20 minutes from Banff) would say easily accessible. Good video, I will check out some others.
I think it's remote for many Americans, because they have to fly to one of the big hubs (Chicago, Dallas, etc.), then fly to Calgary, then rent a car or take a shuttle to Banff, then drive or take another shuttle to the resort. That's quite a procedure. If you live in Calgary, Canmore or Banff (I do), it's obviously not remote at all. It all depends on context. :-)
Nice review. Just a couple comments. Going back to the car in the middle of the day is no big deal, because there are no lineups at the gondola other after the morning rush. It's a 5 to 10 minute ski down the ski out, and then some 15 minutes coming back up on the gondola. Also, there is (was?) a premium parking lot; I have never used it, so I don't know how it works.
@@jeffreyk4345 If you arrive late, it is crazy closer to the gondola than a regular parking spot. Particularly if you have to park down the road and shuttle.
@@tinchote Isn't the "premium parking" area specifically for hotel guests, since the check-in desk for the hotel is on that side of the Creekside lodge? When I was there that was what it was for, no option to pay extra and use it that I've ever heard of. I can agree that one of the "top tips" when I skiied there regularly, for folks that wanted loooooong runs was to rip down the canyon around the lunchtime period and take the gondola back up, since most of the locals and vacationers would be either eating lunch or early on the mountain.
@@mattiatorX Maybe it is. I was speaking out of memory, and I'm decently sure that some 5+ years ago the option to buy a parking pass was available. Now I cannot find it, so maybe it's gone. As for some evidence that it existed in the past, there is still some mention of " Reserved Parking passes" in the website.
As a season pass holder to Banff Sunshine Village I would agree with almost everything that you described. The one thing I would add is that there are three separate mountains within the resort: Goats Eye is at the gondola mid-station, Standish and Lookout Mountains are at the upper gondola station. The maps should be viewed as such to understand the terrain. You will notice that a lot of locals either ski with a pack or bring one to the lodge where they will ski for the day containing their extra layers of clothing in case of cold conditions. The largest accumulation of snow occurs in late February and March so spring skiing is the very best in April.
Great video! Sunshine is one of my favourite locations in Canada, here are a few other things I've noted from the last few times I've been: - From my observations, sunshine recieves noticably more snow than nearby Lake Louise (but Louise still gets a lot usually) - Parking is very limited, so get there early as the video mentioned. If you get there too late, you'll have to take a shuttle to the further out parking lots which takes around 20-30 minutes each way - The lift infrastructure is excellent, however the lifts on the main face particularly Great Divide and Angel are pretty old and sometimes go down for wind or maintenance holds - The ticket prices are quite reasonable especially compared to many other big North American resorts so skiing a half day if tired or very cold is still quite enjoyable!
some fun facts: The hilariously bad map covers only half of the trails. Seasoned locals can and do spend their entire day on trails not on the map! With alpine ski, one can hike up the ski-out trail to the mid-mountain village. enjoy your free day because no one is checking you ticket from there. (Ok, I did it, but only once, kekh, twice) In summer, the mountain turns into one of the greatest hiking destination and is served by bus up the ski out trail. The trail to Mt. Assiniboine, one of the best backpacking trip starts here. And if you're only up for a day hike, this is one the most beautiful views you can find.
Visited this mountain for the first time this year. Despite Delirium not being open and snow conditions being at an all-time low, it still blew me away! Can't wait to eventually come back here to try the Dive!
I’m a somewhat intermediate skier and one of my bucket list items is to go on a ski trip in Banff, and I’m very excited to try it out! It seems like a lot of fun with some easier trails that also have gorgeous views of the Canadian Rockies
Great video. As a season pass holder to Sunshine I would agree with almost everything you said. If you book early at the Sunshine mountain lodge you get 40% off. Last year the snow wasn’t very good so try and come back on a normal year. Also the Angel chair is going to be replaced with a 6 pack bubble chair so that will be a huge improvement on the colder days. I normally ski on Sunday and find the lines at the hill almost non existent except at Christmas time. The app is very good at seeing how many runs etc you have done. There season passes are a great deal as well. I buy mine in the spring and it’s $1250.
I skied here last spring and I thought the snow was amazing but that’s because I usually ski in the northeast so when I heard you say that the snow wasn’t that good last year, I got very excited since I’m going back this year. Can’t wait to see what it holds for me this time.
@@bodefortnite7350 there are still going to be a few good days in every season. Overall Sunshine got half the snow last year that it did the year before, that's what people mean when they say it was a bad snow year.
I thought the tip about skiing Goat's Eye in the morning was good. I do that but I wouldn't expect a visitor to know that - which says a lot about the quality of content on this channel.
+1 to cobos comment. Went last year and will 100% return whenever I can. Also, peakrankings has rated whistler as their #1 resort in North America on their website 😎
Remote location?! It's about 90 minutes from Calgary International Airport - on an excellent highway, with beautiful vistas on the drive. This is a great resort - good snow, lots of run diversity, reasonable lift ticket prices, and proximity to the beautiful town of Banff. A fine choice for all skiers - expert to beginner, families to singles.
Divide chair is great for groups of varying abilities. The hard core can ski the Volkswagen sized bumps on the right center. The bumps get progressively smaller on either side so just pick your line and go. The left side of this massive run is a smooth groomer. You can watch your partner stomping moguls while your doing high speed gs turns.
Another great video, thank you. Hope that you are going to do reviews of Revelstoke and Kicking Horse. Both resorts are definitely more suited to expert skiers but nonetheless amazing ski resorts that you will enjoy reviewing
I’ve done six ski trips to Banff over the past 25 years and they have been some of my favorites. First of all, the town of Banff is a treasure and it’s gotten so much more so over the decades. Alternating ski days between Sunshine and Lake Louise is great. They’re both world-class. I’ve never skied Norquay though… I’ve always been so psyched to ski Sunshine and LL that Norquay never came into the equation for me. Maybe that’s short-sighted. But I have no complaints. One other tip: on my last trip to Banff me and my ski buddy drove west to Kicking Horse. It was a bit of a long drive, but it was manageable. Probably not a great idea for everyone but for the motivated expert-level skier it was an outstanding (if long) day. Set that aside. Sunshine is a blast. The scenery is bonkers. The newer extreme terrain is top-notch. The in-bounds terrain is excellent-especially after you’ve skied there a few times and have figured out your favorites. Vacationers skiing there mid-week will never run into big crowds. Banff (the town) is delightful. If you’re a serious skier and have never tried a trip to Banff you’re missing out on one of the best experiences of North America. The warning about cold weather snaps is valid. But hey… that’s reality. I’ve had bad cold weather all over the North American ski scene. It can happen but it’s rare. And you can always spend a day at the spa at the Banff Springs ;-)
Local here. Definitely if you're coming as a destination trip and you want the "big mountain" feel, Louise and Sunshine are the ones to shoot for. Mt. Norquay is a much more sheltered, lower hill than either of them. I adore it but I very highly value the lower prices, less-crowded atmosphere, and the absolutely brutal moguls. Cascade/Spirit is all beginner/intermediate below-treeline groomers, not super interesting. The Mystic area, despite being the most isolated, is strangely the most "general audience" with a good blend of intermediate and advanced groomers, some fun intermediate glades and ungroomed areas, and a few expert chutes (some hike-up). I go there specifically for the North American area, which is all expert, with big moguls on the Lone Pine, some nice bowl terrain in Memorial, Herman's and North American, plus the Gun Chutes. Unlike Lake Louise you don't need to take like three lifts to get back to the expert terrain, or deal with the gaggles at the base of Goats Eye and Continental Divide. You can just loop it all day because it's short and only services expert stuff. It does mean that the good stuff gets skiied-off quick, though. When I was living in Banff rather than Calgary I probably went to Norquay about as much as the other two. The bus was a few bucks cheaper lol. If you ever go back it's worth trying out for just one day, but it probably won't be a go-to.
Personally the cold hasn’t been much of an issue for me at sunshine most of the time it’s around -10 degrees Celsius but a lot of the time it can get very windy and the wind is cold.
I hated Whistler. Poor snow on everything that isn't the top of the mountain. HUGE lines even on weekdays. Tourist Jerry's everywhere. Two beautiful mountains with cool lines but feels terrible most days.
I went there in 2006 with the Dayton Ski Club and we had a great time. We even stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel (5 stars) and it was a great trip. I wouldn't rate it at 79. 85-93 would be a more accurate score.
The Big 3 complements one another so well. Sunshine has amazing terrain diversity and it's relatively easy to keep a group of people of differing skill levels happy in the same pod, amazing views, and a fantastic lift setup once you're out of the parking lot. Lake Louise has the huge slate of advanced and expert terrain and below-treeline areas that Sunshine doesn't have as much of, with a wholly different set of amazing views. Norquay rounds the group out low prices, night skiing, bigger moguls, and fewer crowds on short, punchy runs. Also the only mountain-top dining experience out of the three with, again, another spectacular view.
I used this video to assess the quality of the channel's reviews. I'm a Sunshine "local" - season pass holder every year. The video is spot on. This implies that the other reviews are likewise quite reliable. The only real competition for Sunshine Village is Lake Louise. Both are awesome, so here are the differences: * Sunshine is a bit closer to Calgary and Banff. * The lifts at Sunshine are a bit better than at Lake Louise - fewer fixies to deal with and faster navigation to lap the lifts, resulting in more vertical per day. * Less tree skiing available at Sunshine than at Lake Louise - more of the terrain is above the tree line. * Lake Louise definitely has a larger footprint and more + more diverse terrain. * Snow quality is almost always better at Sunshine - no snow makers other than in one spot at the ski-out and at the village, basically to compensate for heavy tracks from skiers. Natural snow is more plentiful and higher quality than man-made show. * That quality snow comes at a cost. Visibility at the top of Sunshine is often near-zero due to blowing snow, no trees and solid cloud cover. You can literally become nauseous while skiing on some days, because you can't see a thing. I expect the top of Lake Louise is similar, but LL does have more below-treeline skiing where this is less of a problem. * Parking is terrible at Sunshine (a consequence of the geography of the parking area) so you really do have to come early, as mentioned in the video. Parking is not great at Lake Louise either, however. 🙂 * Both LL and SSV have long flat traverses, so snow boarders will suffer either way. If you know the terrain, you can book it through either, however, without hiking. Bottom line: it's a great place to ski. I personally like it slightly more than Lake Louise, but both are really great and many people prefer LL over SSV.
I have skied at Sunshine for over 50 years. It used to have busses that went up a one way road from the parking lot, before the gondola was installed. I had wooden skies, with lace up boots, and cable bindings. The new ski technology is incredible after starting with the old tech. Also said at the lodge one summer. Some of the most stunning terrain I’ve ever seen in decades of hiking the Rockies. Magical place.
I live in Calgary AB. If anyone come from out of country I would highly recommend going to Revelstoke BC first . It’s the best resort in canada hands down. Most snow, wicked terrain and endless hikes for endless pow.
It depends on skill level. For an advanced or expert ski, totally agree. But an intermediate or low advanced skier will have a lot more fun at Banff, imo.
Lake Louise, Revy, and Kicking Horse are all definitely better for expert skiers than Sunshine, but if you have a party of mixed abilities they’ll definitely enjoy Sunshine more. Even still Sunshine’s worth a day or two for experts!
Those are "The Ledges" between the Angel chair and TP Town chair, draining into TP. To the skier's right they let you drop into the TP face, but with mandatory (significant) drops. Skiers left and fall line is just moguls, but often huge as they build up on top of boulders.
Question for snowboarders: i've heard that there are lots of flat spots at Sunshine. Is it true? Are they easily avoided? Any drawbacks from a snowboarding perspective? Looks like an awesome place in this video. Thanks in advance.
Not on runs, but heading down or getting between areas does involve some significant flats. You can avoid most or all of them by downloading on the gondola, both between areas and to the base.
So here's the worst spots for it, as far as I recall (I'm a skiier and used to doing a little cross-country) - From the top of Angel/Teepee, Green Run (34) has a loooooooong uphill section as it loops around the main boundary bowl (you can also get stuck here if you go down the Bye Bye bowl from Great Divide). It can be avoided for the most part if you dive down into the bowl on Red 90, or one of the other bowl runs. Keep your speed if you're headed to the base. This is probably the worst area to get stuck in as a boarder. - Some of the areas on Meadow Park (61) off of Wawa can get a bit flat, but should be manageable. Keep your speed up if you're headed for the base, it's a bit of an uphill run past the base of Wawa. - It's definitely a walk to get to the Paris Basin area off of Wawa, and there's another flat area at the bottom where everything collects before dumping you into Waterfall. - Transitioning between the upper area (Standish/Lookout) and Goat's Eye mountain can be difficult if you aren't a high-level boarder that can enter via The Shoulder (and even then, you need to keep speed going into Forget-Me-Not). From the base area, there's a long, flat stretch of Banff Avenue (the ski out) that is difficult to get speed going into unless you drop into it via Corral Cut-Off from Wawa. Take Jackrabbit up to avoid a long walk along the old lower section of Banff Ave or in opening stretches of Upper Canyon (advanced ski-out). You can always avoid this by downloading the gondola to Goat's Eye. - Don't try to dip down to the Teepeetown lift if you're headed to Goat's Eye (unless you're using The Shoulder), it's in a shallow bowl and Cottontail is basically a walk out to Jackrabbit if I remember. - If you don't plan to go up Great Divide, don't go to its base. You're going to get stuck walking for a bit on Angel Gully before it turns back into a real run. - When you take Jackrabbit up, don't be tempted by the offshoot trails like Trapper's or Bluebell. They dump you onto the flat Forget-Me-Not collector. Stay on Banff Ave for the easiest way to the goats eye base, or dip off to Wolverine. - Below Goat's Eye, you shouldn't have too much trouble keeping decent speed on Banff Ave to the base unless it's very busy or a kiddo crashes in front of you. Just keep an eye out for the occasional upward climbs and hit 'em with speed, or just download the gondola to the base. - While I *love* the "Canyon" as a more challenging, exciting option for skiing to the base, there's a lot of sections, especially in the upper and lower sections, where it's a flat runout. You probably will want to avoid the upper canyon entirely.
@@mattiatorX wow! thank you SO MUCH for this detailed analysis. I had pretty much given up on going to Sunshine, but I see that it's just a matter of knowing what to avoid - and although there seem to be plenty of places to avoid - overall this place looks awesome. I'll definitely be studying these instructions if I'm lucky enough to make it up there. Thank you again!
@@chrisnelson1707 Three more potential trouble spots are the bottom collector going into Wolverine (Goat Chicken Gully and Wolverine dump into it, just go fast), and the very top of Standish if you go into the Little/Big Bunkers runs there's definitely some slight uphills before the runs get going proper. There's a pretty flat traverse to the Paris Basin area off Wawa that you'll probably just walk tbh. Once you're in the basin though it's great, just keep speed up after the bowl proper, because it's a bit flat to get to the exit via The Waterfall (which unfortunately has crappy conditions 99% of the time because it's so narrow and so many runs dump into it).
Went 25 years ago. Snowboarding. Some flats. Short runs. Very cold in early January. Lifts were poor. Facilities rubbish. May well have improved a lot. Like a second or third tier European resort for day trippers. Lake Louise similar level , but less natural character.
Definitely there's been a lot of improvement since then to the lift system. Everything is a high-speed except for Wawa (and I fully expect that to be a high speed within a few years), and that would have been a tee-bar when you were there. Also Jackrabbit but that's a tiny lift no one care's about that wasn't even there 25 years back. Back then there was only Goat's Eye and Angel in that category. Since then Teepeetown, Strawberry, Standish, Great Divide are all now highspeeds. Gondola has also been substantially upgraded. The Wolverine/Jackrabbit pod didn't even exist to get out of the wind and cold.
