 Poster: A snowHead
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Heading out to Whistler in March to see my daughter for 10 days or so and might tag a few days at Banff onto our visit. Where would we best be basing ourselves? Not into off piste etc, so somewhere convenient to lift/bus would be great.
Thanks in advance
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@boabski, i'm guessing you mean should you stay in Banff/Lake Louise/Canmore?
If so, stay in Banff and then jump on a bus to whichever resort you fancy skiing.
I only skied LL and Sunshine, and preferred LL however Sunshine tends to get more snow.
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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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@swskier, cool. Are the buses included in lift pass? Car hire looks cheap from Calgary airport so may have a car if we decide to go.
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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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Haven’t been for a while but Brewsters Mountain Lodge right in the middle of Banff ( couple of mins walk to the nearest bus pick up/drop off point) is a brilliant place to stay. They used to do lodging and ski pass packages which made it cheaper than booking them separately. The inter resort buses are great and the 3 areas of Sunshine, Lake Louise and Mount Norquay all have different reasons to ski them.
Personally wouldn’t bother with car hire if you are travelling from Calgary as the transfer buses are brilliant to use and with the inter resort buses make car hire unnecessary. Lake Louise and Sunshine have lockers that you can leave your footwear in whilst skiing so you don’t need to travel on the buses in ski boots!
Have a great trip.
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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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@boabski, you'll need to buy a national park permit for a car
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@boabski, I'd get a car. You could freeze to death waiting outside for the next bus. We stayed twice at the Lake Louise Inn, just a couple of minutes drive or a regular shuttle bus (waiting at reception) to the Lake Louise area, which is IMO the best of the three, and biggest, then drive to Sunshine or Norquay on a couple of days for variety. All the hotel parking slots have power hook-ups for block heaters.
Once we were based in Bannf itself, no real advantage TBH but parking a little more difficult unless you pay for it. We did, but the truck (Dodge Ram full cab - they upgraded us cos they had more bookings for SUVs ) was too tall for the hotel underground parking so they gave us valet parking instead, which consisted of asking them to get it ready ten minutes before you were ready to leave then someone would go fetch it and leave it running and nice and warm outside the main entrance.
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@boabski, we had a hire car, so can't comment on the bus. We did a road trip, skiing in Banff, Kicking Horse and Revelstoke.
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I think the bus is free from the hotels
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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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Thanks for all the info. Catching up with friends tomorrow night to chat about heading over to see our kids
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Banff has 3 mountains on one pass. Lake Louise, Sunshine and Mt Norquay. The latter is very small but very close to Banff. The other 2 are about a half hour drive or so away. None have accommodations near lifts except for one hotel on site at Sunshine. If time is short, don't waste it at Norquay. Best bet is stay in downtown Banff, where you can walk out of your hotel to any number of shops, bars, restaurants. As others have said, there are free shuttles from various locations in Banff to the mountains. But having a car is also very doable as each mountain has plenty of parking. You will save money if you stay outside of Banff walking distance - but of course you won't be able to have the urban-like experience of popping in and out of your hotel on foot for coffee/beers/food/shopping. There is parking in various spots in Banff if you rent a car and are staying nearby.
Sunshine is interesting in that you have to take a gondola from the base where you park or get dropped off by the bus up to the mid-mountain base which is where the lodge, etc is.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Forgot to mention that there is a small shopping "mall" with a cafe/diner and a pretty good (last time we were there, a long time back) restaurant just 5 minutes' walk from the Lake Louise Inn. No, it's not a proper town, but you're not completely isolated in the hotel there either. And I see on the map that there's now a hostel-type "Alpine Center" just next door as well.
Another option of course is the Chateau Lake Louise - huge 5* luxury hotel with a price tag to match. We went for a couple of drinks there just to get the spectacular location, looked amazing, but no way would I consider it for a ski holiday.
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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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We nearly always end up staying in the Caribou Lodge.
Its a very comfy hotel, spa and shallow pool.
Underground parking high enough to get a Suburban in.
You can leave your kit in the car as the garage is heated.
The Lake Louise & Sunshine bus calls outside.
Great buffet Breakfast
We first went there about 10 years ago for our first Canadian Affair.
My misses was delighted to see the wild life of elks & deer roaming around the back of the hotel.
I've ended up there before when the snow was falling too heavy to carry on to Kicking Horse that night.
We pulled up in the road beside the hotel and went in to see if we could get a room.
They gave us a Budget twin room for about 90$ including breakfast.
I was relieved as I thought we would have to scoure the town for a room.
But they explained that as it was snowing so hard no other guests were likely to arrive.
The staff went out and dug the van out of the snow so we could get it in the garage. So great service.
In Canada they dont expect you to stay a whole week in a hotel, its quite usual to book a few nights in different locations. i.e stay a couple of nights in Lake Louise and perhaps a couple at Kicking Horse then Revelstoke.
For the best deal on Car Rental go to Canadian Affair.
Or it was a couple of years ago.
They used to be very good at arranging flights, but nothing special last time, but check them out.
We stayed in a very comfortable hotel at Lake Louise Inn for a night.
If you can afford it the Fairmont in Banff is very swish to stay at, its a must to visit and have a hot chocolate at least.
You have to visit the Fairmont at the Lake even if that is just to check out the ice sculptures on the lake.
So there you have it, enough to get you started.
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forgot to mention that the Caribou is the first hotel on the right as you cone into Banff.
So its a 10 to 15 minute walk to the centre of town.
There is free shuttle bus that goes back and forth or a taxi back is a good idea when its -30c
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You know it makes sense.
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I liked the stroll in from the to town. Haven’t been for years now. DrL did you book through Canadian Affair perchance - we did for our first trip. Just the phrase you used….
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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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We always stayed at the Inns of Banff, on the outskirts really but always good
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Poster: A snowHead
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I’d stay in Banff. From Banff the ski bus will take you to any of the Big 3 resorts. I’d need to check with my stepD, but I’m sure I remember her saying that the LL ski busses don’t do service all 3. Any hotel should be ok as the ski busses pretty much stop outside all of them.
I wouldn’t bother with a car.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@rogg, Yes we did our first trip to Banff with Canadian Affair.
Very good service, I think they had a tie up with an Airline back then.
Still find they give the best Car Rental deals (2022)
If you have the time to spare in Calgary and you have a Cosco Card you can get a very good deal on lift ticket vouchers.
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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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Norquay is well worth a visit for an afternoon if you arrive late or have a lay in.
Another big plus is that you get free guiding at all those resorts mentioned.
You can't even tip the guides, but it makes a real difference to be taken around the best bits of the hills without having to look at the map.
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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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^^ they did have some kind of deal with AirTransat who remained the cheapest option for ages. Not so sure now. The last few were Air Canada flights.
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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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| DrLawn wrote: |
Norquay is well worth a visit for an afternoon if you arrive late or have a lay in.
Another big plus is that you get free guiding at all those resorts mentioned.
You can't even tip the guides, but it makes a real difference to be taken around the best bits of the hills without having to look at the map. |
Oh yes, the "Friends of" idea. Had forgotten about that. Basically just locals who are happy to accompany visitors around the resort. Looks like they've come along a bit and are much more organised since the last time I was there. https://skifriends.ca/
Don't be confused by "guiding" though. These are not mountain guides and will not take you off piste.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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That's right, the guiding is just showing you around the resort rather than getting the ortovox kit out 
I find them great fun.
They are extremely organised up at Lake Louise where they are taking you out morning and afternoon, in "Graded groups".
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If time is short stay in Banff, we stayed at the Elk + Avenue, the ski bus to Sunshine stops right outside, you are very close to the town, has a great coffee shop for breakfast, short walk into town.
We moved to Lake Louise for part 2 and stayed at the Fairmont, who will transfer you to the ski lift. We moved as we didn't fancy the long bus ride 
Hosting by the resort, well worth doing especially in Sunshine, it made a dramatic difference to our time there, and we avoided some nasty double blacks, they are super helpful and informative.
Car hire, we didn't bother another SH mentioned it wasn't worth it and looking at people struggling to get into the car park at Sunshine it was the right call, the Bus Service from Calgary airport (Brewsters) is efficient and hassle free.
I would skip Norquay if time is tight.
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We've stayed at Banff Aspen Lodge 3 times; it has a ski bus stop right outside and one of few hotels that includes breakfast
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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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I stayed in one of the hotels along Banff Avenue near a bus stop, had breakfast included which is great for getting a good early start when skiing.
The efficient buses took you to either Sunshine or Lake Louise. Wouldn't bother with the local hill Norquay, though the fllodlit night ski there was different.
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| Chaletbeauroc wrote: |
| ..Don't be confused by "guiding" though. These are not mountain guides and will not take you off piste. |
They're not just helpful locals as an earlier post suggested: they get paid with a lift pass. They're not working as "guides", but I suspect you'll find that they will ride off piste: anywhere in bounds is equally patrolled and controlled, so it would be very odd to stick to just the trails. It's not Europe.
Banff Springs is flashy but good; in LL I think the post hotel still has the best food. As stated, a car is mostly annoying and you'll walk further with one, plus they'll charge you by the day to park it many places.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@phil_w, over, say 8, trips to different resorts in Canada in the 90s and 000s, the hosts would show you round the mountain but not black diamonds
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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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| radar wrote: |
If time is short stay in Banff, we stayed at the Elk + Avenue, the ski bus to Sunshine stops right outside, you are very close to the town, has a great coffee shop for breakfast, short walk into town.
We moved to Lake Louise for part 2 and stayed at the Fairmont, who will transfer you to the ski lift. We moved as we didn't fancy the long bus ride
Hosting by the resort, well worth doing especially in Sunshine, it made a dramatic difference to our time there, and we avoided some nasty double blacks, they are super helpful and informative.
Car hire, we didn't bother another SH mentioned it wasn't worth it and looking at people struggling to get into the car park at Sunshine it was the right call, the Bus Service from Calgary airport (Brewsters) is efficient and hassle free.
I would skip Norquay if time is tight. |
How did you find Elk and Avenue? I’m staying there in Feb.
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@fundamental, it was fine, very convenient for the ski bus and walking into town, we used the coffee shop for breakfast and liked the variety.
The room was spacious we were towards the back of the hotel, staff were good we stayed for 7 nights had a couple of drinks there before exploring the food scene , it was Jan 2020
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You know it makes sense.
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@radar
Thank you!
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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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Banff is great. Hire a car if you can. I would ski in sunshine village. Lake Louise was further from memory. My main recommendation though is to have a burger, beer and wings in Eddies Burger. Amazing.
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