 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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If you don't want to sit on a bus for longer than 5 minutes go to Lake Louise. Very close to ski area, but no night life.
If you like nightlife and larger town atmosphere go to Banff although from Banff it's 45mins to Louise and 20 mins to Sunshine.
I say this to everyone.
STAY 1 OR 2 NIGHTS IN THE SUNSHINE INN. ONLY SKI IN OUT PLACE IN THE AREA AT THE TOP OF THE GONDOLA. TOTAL ISOLATION 40 PERSON OUTDOOR HOTTUB AND IT IS REALLY HOT.
Oh and welcome to snowheads 
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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?
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shellthecobbler, hello! Lake Louise is about 40-45mins away by car from Banff and is much smaller (basically just a collection of hotels and a ski hill), Banff is a small town but by comparison is much bigger. Banff has a much better nightlife, with a couple of nightclubs and lots of bars, and has a bigger choice of hotels and restaurants. It also seems that Banff hotels are a bit cheaper as there's more competition between them at Lake Louise.
Johnboy is right - spend a night or two at the Sunshine Inn - it's located right in the Sunshine Ski Area and you get a free Sunshine Pass while you're there (so you won't need a tri area one while you're staying there!). It regularly has special deals and is completely isolated with a couple of on hill bars - which can only be used/accessed by hotel guests and resort staff.
Whether you're going to Louise or Banff, there are three ski resorts within easy reach: Lake Louise, Sunshine Village and Mt Norquay; you can buy a tri-area pass which covers them all. Sunshine and Louise are the bigger of the three, Norquay is smaller. There are regular buses to each which are free if you have a tri area pass: Louise is about 45mins from Banff, Sunshine about 20 mins (but then a 5-10min gondola ride when you get there) and Norquay is about 10mins from Banff. Depending on how keen you are and what transport you have, Kicking Horse ski resort is only an hour's drive from Banff, and while it isn't covered on the tri-area pass, it has amazing powder and terrain if you hit it in good weather!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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shellthecobbler,
I was there on 29th November 2004. Loads of snow for early season and very cheap compared to later on. Most of Lake Louise was open and all of Sunshine was open. Can get a bit nippy. Lowest i skied in was -25 but was typically -12 when I was there.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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johnboy, Wow the Sunshine Inn looks great. Is it too isolated for a week's stay?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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nuttyprofessor, the Sunshine Inn is great! But maybe I'm biased... I used to work for Sunshine.
As to the isolation, it all depends on you really. There's two bars and a restaurant on hill which are all pretty decent and reasonably priced, plus they have various entertainments on certain nights such as karaoke. They also have a huge hot tub, a big screen TV room, and, if you feel adventurous, you can borrow snowshoes to go for a walk - the stars are simply amazing: 10 mins walk out of the 'village' area and it's literally pitch black. You can also get down to banff for an evening or two if you wanted (gondola runs later a couple of days per week or you can pay the resort about $25pp for a lift up in a oversnow van).
That said, it is very solated - it was great working for them as you knew all the other staff up there - but for a holiday might just be lacking in activities a little bit! Personally I think I'd stay a few days up on the hill but would do the rest of the holiday in banff for a variety of food and nightlife - plus it's easier to get from banff to other places, such as to go to Calgary to watch the ice hockey.
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shellthecobbler, I had a fantastic couple of weeks based in Banff in January, I'd thoroughly recommend heading out there. I'm by no means an expert, but I was visiting a friend who's working at Sunshine for the season so I perhaps got a little insider knowledge. Banff is a lovely town with everything you could need; bars, nightclubs; lots of shops, all sorts of restaurants and it's pretty easy to get around. People say it's livelier than LL but don't think that means it's noisy and rowdy, it just means that if you want to party all night you can or if you prefer to take a stroll, find a restaurant then head back to your hotel there's that option too. Lake Louise I understand is smaller, but I'll let someone else tell you about it because I didn't visit the village.
When it comes to skiing, get used to sitting on buses. It's just how it is out there, if you accept that fact now you won't get frustrated  They aren't ski in / ski out resorts unless of course you stay at the Sunshine Inn! (looks fantastic for a day or two but I'm sure cabin fever would set in after that, but if all you do is ski, eat and then head to your room....  ...it could be lovely). In Banff buses stop outside all the hotels to take you to the three ski areas - one route for the hotels at the top of town, one route for those at the bottom. Get on at the first stop and you can be sitting there for few minutes while it goes to the next hotel then the next and then the next until it's full when another one will take over. On a busy day this won't take long, on a quiet day you can make quite a few stops before you get underway. Allow half an hour to Sunshine + 15 mins for the Gondola and an hour to Lousie. Bus fares are included in the tri-area pass, expect to pay about $14 return otherwise.
The advantage of staying in Banff is you have the choice of three skiing areas reasonably close to hand and it's handy for all sorts of other activities. I didn't ski Norquay but heard that when the snow's good there are some great blacks. When it comes to LL and Sunshine, people tend to have their own favourite. Lake Louise is a big mountain with pretty much something for everyone. The back bowls are superb and there are different areas to ski. Views on a clear day are breathtaking. But my favourite was Sunshine - I could have spent the whole time there. Do also make a trip to Kicking Horse. The Powder Express leaves early but takes you there and back and includes the lift ticket for not much more than a days skiing elsewhere.
I could go on for hours....
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I stayed at Banff and hired a car, visiting Norquay, Sunshine and Lake Louise. Banff Springs Hotel and Chateau Lake Louise both highly recommended (though expensive  )
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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.
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Everyone above accurate. Banff for nightlife and a longer busride (& you'll probably end up skiing more at Sunshine as its nearer, LL for proximity to slopes (though its still 5 mins on the bus) but minimal nightlife & very limited shops though all the basics - offlicence, bakery, grocery store, ski shop.
Even if you stay in LL you can still hit Banff of an evening easily enough with a bit of motivation and a willingness to catch the midnight Greyhound home or taxi bewteen a few of you.
Sunshine Inn always reminds me a bit of The Shining.
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Yep, Banff is the place if you want bars and a decent choice of restaurant. Hire a car, it makes life a lot easier.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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.
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shellthecobbler, Expect to pay about the same as the UK if not a little bit less. Pint of beer roughly $4-6. Main course for dinner in a very good restaurant about $20-25. A burger with fries and salad would be about $15 in a bar/restaurant. Sounds like a lot, but when you think there are two dollars to the pound, it starts to look reasonable. Our most expensive dinner (four courses with drinks) came to $180 for three with tax and tips included. It was a lot more than we'd paid anywhere else, but it was only £30 a head afterall. It;s not Bulgaria but I'm sure it holds its own against some European resorts. And the food is generally excellent.
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You know it makes sense.
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You can pay a lot if you want to, but I wouldn't expect the very expensive meals to be good value. Lower down the scale, I'd say it's better value than UK, in general, more like a reasonably priced W.Europe resort, maybe a bit cheaper. The portions, naturally, tend to be hefty. The choice is a bit limited, especially in the low to middle range (lots of ribs, burgers, pizzas, steaks, but other things too), but the quality is good. Banff has a lot of pretty good Japanese restaurants (Japanese visitors are a major part of the summer economy). Eating on the mountain is not a gastronomic delight, but it's reasonably priced (if you want a lazy afternoon, try the rib buffet upstairs at the Temple Lodge in LL).
I doubt that you'll find a 3 course meal for £10, but I doubt that you'd want to eat 3 courses unless you have a seriously huge appetite. You could get a decent 2 course dinner for that price in one of the cheaper (but perfectly good) places.
Wherever you stay, try the dinner buffet and/or Sunday brunch in the Bow Valley Grill at the Banff Springs Hotel. Excellent grub, and you can stuff yourself until you're sick (if you wish) for about £15. Also, visit the LL Station for a drink or dinner. The food is fine, not fantastic, but the atmos. is great.
There are some good breakfasts to be had in the various diners about the place, although that tends to eat into the skiing. We generally breakfasted at the bottom of the Sunshine gondola (they offer a cheap and reasonably cheerful buffet) or up the mountain; it's not fantastic, but you're there, ready to go, which is useful if someone's having a lesson.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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nuttyprofessor,
When did you work there? I was there on 3/4th December 2004. A lovely English chap called Ben helped us out when they forgot to put our bags on the gondola. Got a free ride into Banff as we missed the bus. Are you Ben? Do you know Ben?
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Poster: A snowHead
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johnboy, if you mean me (which I guess you do) then nope, I'm not Ben!! I worked there a couple of seasons ago, but I'm not surprised by your experience- they train their staff in top notch customer service before the season gets underway and everyone certainly tries to make sure guests have a great time... even when the bags go missing!
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FAQ
