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#1
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Banff?
I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. |
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#2
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Hey,
Banff is a pretty cool place to go as I was there in February of 2004. My thoughts on that place is that its a nice town with good eats and good snowboarding. A lot of people will go to Sunshine but I'm not a big fan. Personally I loved Lake Louise as the trails were good and no flats at all. As to where to stay, I'd recommend the hundreds of hotels/motels situated in the town of Banff. They're all catered to skiers/snowboarders at that time anyways so its really a preference of how close to town you want to be and the price. All the mountains are a quick drive away (~45min tops for lake Louise). There's a shuttle that takes you from Calgary airport to Banff but I'd rent a car just for convenience's sake. As for when to go.... I guess from Jan - March is a good time Hope that helps Stu Howlee wrote: I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. |
#3
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Waco Paco wrote:
A lot of people will go to Sunshine but I'm not a big fan. Personally I loved Lake Louise as the trails were good and no flats at all. They're both world-class hills. I'd go to each and decide what to do from there depending on your personal preferences and the snow conditions. As to where to stay, I'd recommend the hundreds of hotels/motels situated in the town of Banff. My advice is to use one of the tour package websites like skibig3.com to pick a hotel, but then call the hotel directly. You can get the same or better package pricing but way more flexible cancellation policies, usually no penalty so long as you give 3 days notice. Websites usually need a month's notice and ding you 50% even then. As for when to go.... I guess from Jan - March is a good time Yep. Dec is iffy, snow-wise. January can be cold, but you can get some good deals then. There's usually still good snow in April, but you're well into spring conditions, highly variable. As far as getting from Calgary to Banff - there's lots of airport shuttle services, just google Banff shuttle. Most of the hotels provide free transport to the hill. The airport shuttle is typically $90 round trip so if you've got a few people, renting a car may be cheaper. Note that if you rent a car you'll have to pony up $16/day for park fees. It's maybe 30 minutes to clear town from the airport, then 130 km to Banff mostly on 4 lane highway with 110 kph limits. Neil |
#4
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Neil, you always got something good to say. : )
thanks again for the tip. "Neil Gendzwill" wrote in message ... Waco Paco wrote: A lot of people will go to Sunshine but I'm not a big fan. Personally I loved Lake Louise as the trails were good and no flats at all. They're both world-class hills. I'd go to each and decide what to do from there depending on your personal preferences and the snow conditions. As to where to stay, I'd recommend the hundreds of hotels/motels situated in the town of Banff. My advice is to use one of the tour package websites like skibig3.com to pick a hotel, but then call the hotel directly. You can get the same or better package pricing but way more flexible cancellation policies, usually no penalty so long as you give 3 days notice. Websites usually need a month's notice and ding you 50% even then. As for when to go.... I guess from Jan - March is a good time Yep. Dec is iffy, snow-wise. January can be cold, but you can get some good deals then. There's usually still good snow in April, but you're well into spring conditions, highly variable. As far as getting from Calgary to Banff - there's lots of airport shuttle services, just google Banff shuttle. Most of the hotels provide free transport to the hill. The airport shuttle is typically $90 round trip so if you've got a few people, renting a car may be cheaper. Note that if you rent a car you'll have to pony up $16/day for park fees. It's maybe 30 minutes to clear town from the airport, then 130 km to Banff mostly on 4 lane highway with 110 kph limits. Neil |
#5
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Banff is great in February, but it will get busy approximatley the last 2
weeks as students here in Alberta are on spring break (even though there is no such thing as spring in Alberta which you may be familiar with). First week of March is nice too! I personally love Sunshine Village but I would highly recommend picking up a Tri-area pass if you plan on staying here a few days. That will get you onto Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise so you have flexibility. You will also need a park pass as Banff is in a National park, so I would suggest finding a cheap pass off Ebay. Hidden Ridge in Banff is more expensive than your usual hotel but you are really tucked into the back of Banff by Tunnel Mountain. However is is truly an experience to have a fire going in your room while having the most amazing view of Mount Norquay on your outside deck, only to go out in the dark to the hot tub and literally meet people from ALL over the world (Banff is a major internationally recognized park) and get right ****ed (in a civilized manner of course). Cap it off with a bonfire and shred the slopes again the next morning. Banff is packed with lots and lots of women and as a guy you almost feel outnumbered. If you are a single guy you will be in Nirvana and if your married, you'll wish you weren't lol. |
#6
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If you get to Banff , don't miss out on a trek to Kicking Horse at Golden
B.C . If you don't mind the cold come in January . No line ups at all at Goats eye mountain ( Sunshine ) Ride hard stay warm ! It's about an hours drive from Louise .to Kicking Horse"Howlee" wrote in message ... I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. |
#7
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I second the Kicking Horse experience. It's a fun and hard mountain with
really different snow characteristics than that of the alberta mountains.... somehow the snow just seem heavier. But beware of the road conditions driving to Kicking Horse. The Transcanada Highway can be rather "dangerous" if you're in a hurry. Passing transports on a 2 lane mountainous highway with salt/sand spray is a harrowing experience. It's another reason to keep boards/skis inside too. Last time I was there they were expanding the highway so there will be "jams" at certain points on the road. The good thing is the scenery will make any traffic jam seem bearable (I saw wild mountain goats last time I was at Kicking Horse Pass). I guess the trick is to start driving early so you'll get a full day's worth of fun in. Stu "Jack Zwanenburg" wrote in message news:xPi4f.210288$tl2.199873@pd7tw3no... If you get to Banff , don't miss out on a trek to Kicking Horse at Golden B.C . If you don't mind the cold come in January . No line ups at all at Goats eye mountain ( Sunshine ) Ride hard stay warm ! It's about an hours drive from Louise .to Kicking Horse"Howlee" wrote in message ... I was thinking of checking it out this year. When I was snowboarding in Colorado and Tahoe last year, I met many folks who said this place should definitely be checked out. Can anyone tell me how to do this trip without spending an arm & leg? I have some free plane tickets I have to use and they fly into Canada. When should I go to Banff? Where should I stay? At the resort of some other place close by? Do I need to rent a car when I fly into Calgary? I thought I'd ask you folks, since yall seem to know the ins and outs of many resorts. I am trying to budget this trip because I still have at least one or 2 more ski trips to take before the season ends. Your thoughts are appreciated. |
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