Current Weather:
Snow
weather 19°

Base Depth:
50-52"

24hr Snowfall:
6"

Surface:
Packed powder

Sunshine Village (Banff)

PO Box 1510, Banff, T1L 1J5
Phone: 403-762-4561 Snow Report: 403-277-7669 (snow report)
Sunshine Village Website

by Crai S. Bower

Sunshine Village, located just 8 km west of Banff, is another enormous ski area with a fun twist, access comes via a leisurely gondola ride that includes a rare, 90-degree turn. The village itself, located on-mountain, hosts the Sunshine Mountain Lodge, a full-service hotel with a location to rival most resorts’ mid-mountain day lodges. Three mountains comprise the 3,500-acre resort with plentiful intermediate and beginning runs, perfect for a family possessing diverse skiing and snowboarding talents.

“Was the Dive open?” is the most common question in the Banff saloons at night. “The ‘Dive’ is ‘Delirium Dive,’ a little bit of back country madness found within Sunshine Village’s ropes. Well, sort of. Skiers must report in at the lodge if they’re heading there and a beacon and shovel are required. Still, I’m psyched to find some ‘earn-your-turns’ essence without having to ‘skin up.’ We traverse the Dive’s rock face before dropping into a good 20-minute run of deep powder and no tracks. The kid in me found plenty to love about the “gondola-to-somewhere” but my inner adventurer was awfully giddy after I dove into the Dive.

But you don’t have to ski like a double-black diva to enjoy Sunshine Village. 12 lifts spread out among 3,358 skiable acres to tempt skiers with 107 named runs, more than three quarters of them either intermediate (55%) or beginner (25%). The broad Sunshine Meadows here also provide great terrain where beginners or a mixed ability group can pick from a bushel of lines. Aerial artists are also thrilled to find an agreeable environment, at 12 acres, the largest terrain park in the region.

Like the geologically older chain of the same name south of the border, the 30-feet of annual snow lands dryly in the Canadian Rockies and we spend the day sliding through powder off Goat’s Eye, one of three mountains with a series of open bowls that lead to numerous glades and narrow runs. Finishing up that afternoon, our daytime excitement is matched by the knowledge we are spending the night in Sunshine Mountain Lodge one of North America’s locales located at the offload of the gondola, miles away from any amenity other than skier’s bliss. Talk about fresh tracks access. We’ll hardly need to doff our pajamas.

*all photos courtesy of Sunshine Village

WEATHER CONDITIONS

Current Weather:
Snow
weather 19°

Forecast:
No data available
°

SKI CONDITIONS

Latest Report: 20100309T07:56:00
24hr Snowfall:
6"		 Last Snowfall:
- N/A"		 Surface:
Packed powder
Base Depth:
50-52"		 Trails Open:
100		 Total Trails:
107
Percent Trails Open:
90%		 Lifts Open:
icon 12		 Total Lifts:
icon 12
Terrain Type:
Beginner:
N/A		 Intermediate:
N/A		 Advanced:
N/A		 Expert:
N/A
Elevation:
weather Peak Elevation:
8954 ft 2730 m Vertical:
3514 ft 1070 m Base Elevation:
5440 ft 1660 m		 Total Acres:
3358 Total Miles:
N/A
Longest Run:
Banff Avenue
5 miles 8 km		 Easiest Run:
The Dell Valley		 Steepest Run:
Delirium Dive
Best Bumps:
Afterburner		 Best Trail Name:
Mother-in-Law		  
 

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Air Travel 

Banff National Park is home to three of the world’s finest ski resorts; Mt. Norquay, The Lake Louise Ski Area and Sunshine Village.  The nearest, and most convenient airport is Calgary International Airport, served by non-stop flights from major cities throughout the world including London, Frankfurt, Dallas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco, Denver and Salt Lake City.

Driving Directions

Sunshine Village is located in Banff National Park in the heart of the Canadian Rockies and is only an hour and a half drive west of Calgary on a well-maintained 4-lane highway, 8 KM west of the town of Banff.  The access road is clearly sign posted from Highway #1.

From Calgary: Take TransCanada Hwy 1 west through Canmore.  Take the local road 2 miles to Sunshine Village.

From Vancouver: Take TransCanada Hwy 1 east about 430 miles to Lake Louise.  Banff is an additional 40 miles south on TransCanada Hwy 1.

 

Traveling To Canada

For short term visits to Canada you will need a valid passport, unless you are an American citizen or permanent resident arriving from the U.S.A. in which case you must provide proof of citizenship or residency upon request. Proof of citizenship consists of a passport, original or certified copy of your U.S. birth certificate, current voter's registration card, U.S. military discharge papers, or certificate of citizenship or naturalization. If you are a permanent resident of the U.S.A., but not a U.S. citizen you must provide your 'green card' if requested. Persons under 18 years traveling without their parents should have identification and a letter of authorization from a parent or guardian to travel into Canada.

 

Within Sunshine Village:  Sunshine village is only tiny, so the main mode of transport is locomotion. Of course, skiing, snowboarding, and the lifts will also help you get around.

From Banff:  A shuttle bus operates between Banff and Sunshine village, with various convenient hotel pick-up points. The morning times vary between those wanting first tracks, and those wanting a sleep in, and return trips to Banff are throughout the afternoon. For holders of a tri-area lift ticket, these buses are complimentary.

The carpark is not far off the highway, so there’s no hairy driving up a windy mountain road. From the carpark (or bus termainal) the ski lifts and runs are acccessed by catching a gondola up, which takes about 20 minutes. Visitors staying at the Sunshine Inn will recevie assistance to load and un-load luggage on the gondola.