Banff - 1st Time - Any Tips
 

Hi All,

I'm going to Banff later in February - staying at the Banff Springs.

My first time in Banff - any tips on ski school/rentals/passes etc.
very, very welcome!

Many thanks,


Andy.

Andy - you lucky so 'n so,

You must check-out the outdoor pool, trip up Sulphur mountain should also be
on your list (for the views over Banff).
Mount Norquay is not all that great but is close, At Lake Louise don't
forget the back bowls, they don't get anywhere near as much traffic as the
front.

A tri-area pass is most useful. Plenty of places to eat in town. I
honey-mooned in the Springs just before the refit, the views over the valley
are great, last visit we had a treat in the Spa, a day of massage and
luxury, Mr and Mrs Michael Douglas were there the day before us,take a walk
down to the river, falls will be frozen, did an excursion to ski-mobile near
Golden. BBQ at -15C was amusing. Also possible is the Canyon walk to see the
ice water falls.

The ski school at sunshine/ lake Louise is excellent.

A few images at:
http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/%7Esspb...004/index.html

Another place to visit is Lake Louise. You can use your Tri-area pass to get
to the ski area, then use the hotel shuttle bus to get to and fro. You can
do a great walk down the right-hand side of the lake (or across it!), you
can walk for a mile or two along the bank, or cheat and take the horse drawn
sleigh.

Enjoy yourself,

BTW we were booked into some rooms that were "done up" on a Scottish theme,
apparently the queen & Phillip stayed there when they opened the Calgary
winter Olympics way back when.... you remember "Cool Runnings".

And the film Misery Alaska was filmed in nearby Canmore.

Thanks for the info Peter - pic's look awesome - can't wait now!

Go for Club Ski Andy, much better value for money as its three full days
tuition on all the hills;
Sunshine, Lake Louise and Norquay. The Tour operators aren't pushing them
at the moment as the individual ski hills are paying them more in
commission.
Have a great time
Simon.

Andy go to Kicking Horse 1 hour drive from Lake Louise. Busses go there too.
It's best to rent a car and drive around exploring the smaller resorts in
BC. I'll be doing it in March.

"SH" wrote in message
...

Go for Club Ski Andy, much better value for money as its three full days
tuition on all the hills;
Sunshine, Lake Louise and Norquay. The Tour operators aren't pushing them
at the moment as the individual ski hills are paying them more in
commission.
Have a great time
Simon.

The last four weeks have seen some strange conditions in western Canada.
Fernie'ls been closed for lack of snow! although they had a dump a week ago.
It rained in Whistler killing the skiing, the lower slopes of Kicking Horse
was rubbish although the upper mountain range was ok and Panorama was not
good. Things may have changed since then but be careful where you go
outside the Banff ski areas that have been the best in Canada. Talk to your
rep about the current snow conditions.

SH

Andy wrote:
Hi All,

I'm going to Banff later in February - staying at the Banff Springs.

My first time in Banff - any tips on ski school/rentals/passes etc.
very, very welcome!

Lots of tasty steak in that town. Check out the Maple Leaf Grill for
some good food, plus a selection of top-shelf Canadian whiskies that you
can't get state-side. The Paris Restaurant is another good place. The
Irish bar (Dublin Gate?) is good.

The bus rides to the skiing are a pain, though. Check out the Lake
Louise back side, the Rock Garden, etc. Sunshine has good snow above
treeline, though lots of flat terrain. One lift takes you across the
line into BC, then you ski back down into Alberta again.

Dave

One thing is for sure Andy. You will have fun!

I love it there. Of the three resorts I like Lake Louise the most, Sunshine
is also nice, especially if you're looking for fresh snow and very
challenging terrain. I thought I could handle it all. Sunshine proved me
wrong.

You may want to look for some more info at
http://www.jacksnest.com/ski/index.htm .

Enjoy your trip.


"Peter Riley-Jordan" wrote in message
...
Andy - you lucky so 'n so,

You must check-out the outdoor pool, trip up Sulphur mountain should also be
on your list (for the views over Banff).
Mount Norquay is not all that great but is close, At Lake Louise don't
forget the back bowls, they don't get anywhere near as much traffic as the
front.

A tri-area pass is most useful. Plenty of places to eat in town. I
honey-mooned in the Springs just before the refit, the views over the valley
are great, last visit we had a treat in the Spa, a day of massage and
luxury, Mr and Mrs Michael Douglas were there the day before us,take a walk
down to the river, falls will be frozen, did an excursion to ski-mobile near
Golden. BBQ at -15C was amusing. Also possible is the Canyon walk to see the
ice water falls.

The ski school at sunshine/ lake Louise is excellent.

A few images at:
http://www-staff.lboro.ac.uk/%7Esspb...004/index.html

Another place to visit is Lake Louise. You can use your Tri-area pass to get
to the ski area, then use the hotel shuttle bus to get to and fro. You can
do a great walk down the right-hand side of the lake (or across it!), you
can walk for a mile or two along the bank, or cheat and take the horse drawn
sleigh.

Enjoy yourself,

BTW we were booked into some rooms that were "done up" on a Scottish theme,
apparently the queen & Phillip stayed there when they opened the Calgary
winter Olympics way back when.... you remember "Cool Runnings".

And the film Misery Alaska was filmed in nearby Canmore.