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Beginner skier/snowboarder off to Banff Jan 09 - Need help & advice for arranging trip!

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi,

Me & my boyfriend are going to Banff in Jan 09 for 5 nights & want to try either skiing or snowboarding. Neither of us have skied or snowboarded before. I have no idea what I need to organise, I started looking at hotels but don't know where to start, I want to be close to the town but also have access to the slopes (do some hotels have shuttles or something to take you to the slopes?). Then there's hiring equipment, arranging lessons & buying lift passes (have I missed anything else out?)... is there an easy way of doing this, a one stop shop?! or am I being niave!? I don't need to arrange flights as I'm driving down from my Dad's who lives in Edmonton (making the most of visiting his new home!)

Any help/ advice & recommendations would be much appreciated!

Thanks
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Assuming you have booked flights the Banff Airporter http://www.banffairporter.com/scheduled.php can do transfers to the Banff Springs hotel http://www.fairmont.com/banffsprings/ best place if you do not intend to ski the whole week its about a 15 minute walk from town (pretty easy stagger). There are a few hotels in town but they are not as nice, what's your budget? As for rentals/lift passes/lessons you can book them all through the ski hub which is across the road from McDonalds- www.skibig3.com
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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?
oh and make it skiing that you try...
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tinkerpooh42, welcome to Snowheads. snowHead snowHead snowHead I don't know Banff but I do know Snowheads.... if you are young and fit and up for it you might well enjoy snowboarding and it's quicker (though more painful) to learn than skiing.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks arv for the advice, we won't need a transfer as we'll be using my Dad's Jeep to drive down from Edmonton, via Jasper & Lake Louise. My Dad also recommended the Fairmont but I don't think our budget will stretch to that as we're cramming quite a lot into our holiday, might just treat ourselves though & stop there one night! Not sure on our exact budget but we're probably looking at mid-range accommodation. The ski hub sounds good, everything in one place... nice & easy!
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pam w, I am very tempted by snowboarding & so is my boyfriend (I think he'll be better with the whole balance thing as he's a windsurfer), I'd like to try both & see which I'd prefer! Decisions decisions.... Madeye-Smiley
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Where to start? Pick up any of the main ski company brochures eg Inghams or Crystal for starters. They will give you an idea of the various hotels that there are in Banff....use them for information, you dont have to book with them.

All of those hotels will be accessible on the internet so go to the ones you like the look of and see what room rates they are offering. It may be cheaper to get your dad to book the hotel as sometimes (not always) they have deals for locals. In any event you can see what they are offering.

Do a search here for Banff and you will find lots of info on hotels and restaurants/bars.

Banff is long and relatively thin with the hotels strung out along Banff Avenue which is the main drag. As to which to choose it depends on what you want and how much you want to pay. The Banff Springs is I imagine one of the dearer options. There will be a lot which are cheaper.

If you have a car in Banff, location of your hotel may not be an issue. If you dont, it might. It deoends on how much you like walking in what could be cold weather. That said there are some hotel shuttles, there is a bus service along Banff Avenue and there are taxis as well.

Skis/snowboards/lift tickets can all be done on the net as can lessons

None of the hotels are really any closer to the slopes than any others (in Banff) unless you stay at the Sunshine Inn at the Sunshine resort, which is at the resort (walk out the front door and there are the lifts)but it is some miles from Banff and you wont be popping into town for the evening. Once you are there and the gondola shuts down you are stuck until the next day.

Personally I would stay in Banff. If you do so then you can get the bus to the ski areas(like most other tourists). If you have a car you can drive (like the locals).
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
tinkerpooh42, good plan-skihub can sort out all your needs. If you are looking for some private instruction that may be better saying you are at the same level (ie beginner) I can recommend a load of great instructors depending on wether you are skiing or snowboarding. http://www.bestofbanff.com/fox/ is great.. or you could try the Mount Royal which is right in the centre of town and has the bus stop literally outside the door.

However, I would recommend the Springs.
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This will get you started on hotels via this link.

http://www.bestofbanff.com/

Most of these are in the mainstream UK tour operators brochures. We stayed in the Fox which was fine. The Caribou is basically next door and looked perfectly ok to me. The skibus stops right outside the Caribou. From either is a 10-15 min walk to the town centre for the bulk of the restaurants/bars and there are a few places worth stopping off en route. The Caribou has a Keg Restaurant in it which serves a very decent steak. The Fox had a decent bar and an ok restaurant (but not as good as the Keg). The town centre has loads of good places.
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malcolm1, that's great advice thank you! I really want a hotel that's not too far to walk to the main restaurants & bars etc as I'm guessing it will be quite cold in January!? It's so good to get advice off people who have been as the web sites can be draining when you're reading review after review!
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The Keg is a mediocre restaurant. I'd argue that if it's 30 below the Caribou is too far from Town which pretty much limits you to Mount Royal, Banff Park Lodge, Banff International and one across from Hoodoos (nightclub) which i forget the name of.
Generally there's a week in Jan where -20 is the day-high in town, -30- -45 on the hill. Did 3 months there this year and one night we went into the pub it was -15, came out and it was about 39 below.
bestofbanff.com is as you guessed the same company and they are all pretty far from town. Even the Fox.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
arv, & malcolm1, thanks for the advice on the hotels, I've been reading so many varied reviews on all of them that it's fried my brain! I feel that I have something to go on now! Glad I thought of signing upto a forum rather than doing it all by myself!
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
If you want to ski or snowboard and have your own car - book yourself into the Lake Louise Inn or Post Hotel if you want to go more upmarket - the 3 minutes to the slopes rather than a 45 min drive will be a pleasure.

If you want more nightlife drive into Banff.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Cheers fatbob, !
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Warning though Lake Louise nightlife is somewhat underwhelming but we found that a couple of nights into Banff were all we needed staying there (& the staff bar/nightclub at the Chateau is quite a laugh if you can find someone to sign you in)
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
We were there in March so we did not get the type of low temps arv is talking about. The walk to town for us was not a problem and it was obvious that others were walking further out eg to the Inns of Banff which is right on the edge of town.

As to the Keg being mediocre (or not) all I can say is that the food and service when I was there were perfectly good and we had no problems with it at all.......being next door to where we were staying was an added plus.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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malcolm1, far nicer equally priced places to eat in Banff. It's not bad food-just nothing imaginative.
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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?
I'm definately going to look for somewhere around Banff Avenue, where we end up will be determind more by the price but everyones comments have helped a great deal in me getting a better picture of Banff itself! Thanks all!
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The Keg restaurant is just fine, nothing wrong with it that we found. Steak and chips at a reasonable price and well-cooked. Saltliks was our favourite restaurant - mmmmm. The Caribou is a nice hotel but is a bit of walk out from the main drag of restaurants & bars, although of course there are taxis and regular bus shuttle into town. With Canadian hotels you just pay for the room - eating is done at your discretion wherever you fancy so its not really such a big deal whichever hotel you pick. The last time we stayed at the Ptarmigan Inn, sister to the Caribou but right next to the shops and restaurants of town. It was fine - nothing special, but it did have a nice handy bar right by the hotel entrance which was very welcome Toofy Grin

The ski school at Sunshine has a good reputation http://skibanff.com/ski_board_school/overview.php - I would go with them for lessons, whether its skiing or boarding. To make your holiday a bit more enjoyable, and if you have money, try to get to a snowdome in the UK to at least pick up the basics of skiing/boarding. You won't then spend the first day or so on the snow side-stepping up a slope Very Happy

There's loads of equipment hire places along the main Banff Road - your hotel will be able to help you though with all those things. Sunshine Village is 20 mins drive away and then another 20 mins to get up the gondola to the slopes. Lake Louise is about 40 mins drive away.

You can get very cold weather in january - you can also get not such cold weather. If it is cold, there are shops out there to sell you all the right kind of gear.

Have fun!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
never said there was anything wrong with the Keg, just that it's not great. Saltlik is great food. As are Grizzly House/Buffalo Lodge.
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tinkerpooh42 wrote:
Hi,

Me & my boyfriend are going to Banff in Jan 09 for 5 nights & want to try either skiing or snowboarding. Neither of us have skied or snowboarded before. I have no idea what I need to organise, I started looking at hotels but don't know where to start, I want to be close to the town but also have access to the slopes (do some hotels have shuttles or something to take you to the slopes?). Then there's hiring equipment, arranging lessons & buying lift passes (have I missed anything else out?)... is there an easy way of doing this, a one stop shop?! or am I being niave!? I don't need to arrange flights as I'm driving down from my Dad's who lives in Edmonton (making the most of visiting his new home!)

Any help/ advice & recommendations would be much appreciated!

Thanks

Edmonton is quite a long drive from Banff. You might also want to look into skiing at Jasper instead. Less expensive and less crowded. Though probably a bit dull when it comes to apres.

In most N.A. resorts, you can get a "beginer learn to ski" package which includes lift ticket/equipment/instruction all in one, usually deeply discounted. Look at the resort's web site first to see how much THAT cost. So just get your own self over to the slope. The rest will sort themselves out.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
We've stayed in Brewsters Mountain Lodge twice now - dead centre to everything, with all the bars and eateries no more than a few minutes walk. Ski school is excellent out there, but it might be worth a couple of lessons at your local dryslope/snowdome before you leave the UK - that way you won't spend precious time out there having to learn the absolute basics.

My wife and I learned to ski out there, so there's hope for the pair of you!

I think driving to the slopes once you're there is more hassle than its worth, in terms of parking, weather conditions etc. The shuttle buses from town are well organised, and included in the cost of your ski pass.

5 days? - You'll wish it was 10! Razz
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
Brewsters was the one I was trying to think of-fantastic location.
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tinkerpooh42 wrote;,
Quote:

I'd like to try both & see which I'd prefer!

Make this decision before you go by trying out at a snowdome, cos it's probably gonna take most of 5 days to be confident on a blue run. If you master the basics before you get there you'll progress much quicker and be able to ride/ski the mountain rather than be stuck falling over on some nursery slope, which you can do in the less scenic snowdome.

As to Banff, we stayed at Irwin's which was OK but basic. We used to pass the Ptarmigan on the way to town centre, it looked really nice and was one of the closest Banff Ave hotels to town. Saltlik restaurant gets my thumbs-up too, the California-cut steak ($26) was second to none. The tuesday night greek night at the Balkan was good fun too. The Old Spaghetti factory was good for a cheap pasta fill-up, as it included starter and dessert in cost of main course from $9 upwards. You can stock up on extras for your room at Safeway (just off Banff Ave before you hit shops).

Use the shuttle buses (included in Tri-area lift-pass) to get to the mountain, they're really efficient, it'll save you a lot of hassle parking a long way from the base lifts. Just keep a timetable in your pocket, so you can time your return accurately.

There are loads of equipment rentals in town, you can pre-book or wait till you arrive, you don't need the expensive stuff if you're beginners. The ski-hub shop has the lift tickets. There is the Sunshine-Marmot card which Alberta residents (your Dad?) can buy which offers free & discounted days skiing at Sunshine, but I don't think you can use the buses with these tickets, google it and check out the T & Cs.

Hope this helps
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