 Poster: A snowHead
|
Just back from a week here, had a good time.
Snowed twice in the week, rest was mixture of blue skies or overcast.
One of the snow days was very windy almost cairngorm conditions, boarding into a swirl of spindrift isnt much fun!
Sunshines snow is holding up well, not too many scoured places although goats eye mountain is none too clever in the top part of the runs.
All the powder is tracked out and we wimped out on doing the dive.
Lake louise's snow making has kept it going. Some nice scoured bits in places but still good sliding to be had.
Favourite runs -
Sunshine - From the top of standish go off the drop off and through the powder to the continental divide express then pick your favourite route back to standish and repeat.
Louise - Sunset Gully to Gully and then the womans downhill all the way to the lodge.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
Thanks for the report prog99,
We were in LL / Sunshine in Nov/ Dec 2004
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
Forgot to say -
Stayed at "Rundle Manor". We had a huge room. Big kitchen, ski kit drying area, tv with multiple channels of commercials and a decent sized bathroom with reliable hot water. Located a brief strol lfrom the shops bars etc..
For very cheap ski/board kit try SportChek. They seemed to have some very good deals on.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Glad you had a good time. How did the cost compare with Europe? Were the transfers OK?
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
Transfers were excellent, no scrum to get your stuff on the bus (driver carefully loaded it). Inghams rep rambled on a bit  Glorious views of the rockies and since the trans canada highway goes all the way there no 20km of switchbacks to negotiate!
Lift pass is expensive (all area pass was 225quid each).
On the slopes food & beer is cheaper and generally better quality than say france.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
It was partly the lift pass price that put me off, along with the mention of fog. A long way to go only to get fogged in for 5 days. Maybe we'll make it out there next year!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
magriggs, Go next year, Sunshine and Lake Louise are great (as is Kicking Horse). Lift passes are a probably a bit more expensive than some European resorts but the beer is probably half the price!
prog99, Sunset Gully's a great run at Louise, but I have to say the back bowls were the winners for me.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
mountainmammoth
Back bowls were ok but a bit choppy in places. Plus the drag lift seemed to put my lead leg to sleep when I went up it and the subsequent pain nearly caused me to throw up  (I'm a boarder)
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
prog99, Hmm, I agree, the drag lift was a drag! If they put a chair in there it would be great.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The reason they won't put a chair lift up there is the reasoning that if you can handle the button you can handle what's at the top... if they put a chair lift in you'd get all sorts of incompetent idiots up the top!
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
That drag lift at Louise has been there for 5 years at least - it's really about time they put a chair up there, as there is a whole bowl that is only accessible by that lift. I was a little dissapointed in the lack of infrastructure development at LL
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
If you stay at the Sunshine Inn, the lift pass is free.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyone stayed at the Sunshine Inn? Damn handy for fresh tracks, but perhaps cabin fever would set in after a while?
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
mountainmammoth, I'd say the best way is to book maybe 2/3 nights at the Inn and spend the rest of your holiday in Banff.
I think your comment about cabin fever is pretty spot on - there's only the hotel bar and one other bar open on the hill and food is served in only the fine dining restaurant at the inn (the eagle's nest) and pub-food in the hotel bar: though the prices are pretty reasonable and not hugely more than down in Banff. Splitting the holiday between the two will give you the chance to get fresh tracks, avoid the bus/gondola ride, and have a lift ticket included in the price of the accommodation whilst at the inn, then move down to banff for more lively bars, a bigger choice of restaurants, and easier access to Mt Norquay and Lake Louise.
More info on the inn on sunshine's website here: http://www.skibanff.com/accommodation/inn.html .
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
|
britskier, Sounds like the way to go. I didn't know whether to feel sorry for the hotel guests or incredibly jealous when the Gondola broke at Sunshine a couple of weeks ago.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
mountainmammoth, Incredibly jealous I think - all that powder just to themselves and they could always just ski down and get a ride back up if they needed to go to banff!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
britskier, Apparently on the day it happened, there were only hotel guests and instructors on the mountain. One instructor told me it was incredible (I should say awesome, that's the word of choice!). Not all the lifts were working, presumably because the lifties were making the most of it too, but there were enough going to make the most of it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
|
hamilton,
LL is in the National Park, which severely limits development. Sticking a chair right to the top where the summit platter goes would probably be difficult to get permission for. (But being a very long and steep drag it does keep the boarders at bay  )
magriggs,
Go for more than 5 days! That's not long enough to make the trip worthwhile - you#ll only just have cleared your jet-lag and it'll be time to go home. Fog's really only a big problem at Sunshine, because so much of the terrain is above the treeline. On cloudy days, head for LL.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Alexandra, I'm with you, the back bowls are fantastic and all the better for the limited amount of people that go across because of the drag. On the rare occassion the LL gets busy the back bowls are the place to go.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
