 Poster: A snowHead
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been here a week and from what ive seen europe has no competition !!!
lift system is poor, chairlifts have no foot rest so its pretty hard on the knee or leg strapped to the board!
bus system is crap, 3 a day and its like a stampede , you need a car !!
bus travel is not included in the season pass , add $820 for the bus pass !!
snowboards and bindings are cheaper in the UK
beer is hideously priced in the liquor stores !
a good skier or boarder will have louise or sunshine covered in a day
a lot of the runs are very short
no mountain top restaurants
go to tourist information and you get hassled to buy a park pass !! where do you get that in europe and most resorts are in national parks !!
non of the shops will do a try before you buy offer for equipment
piste grooming is very poor , most of the diamond black and double diamond runs are mogul fields , if you dont like them then your stuck to blue or green runs
too many aussies !!!
been told uk visitors are 90% down and to look at the shops empty, the town is hurting , there answer seems to be to try and make a killing on the few that do visit rather than be more competitive and encourage more!
if you think france is expensive then think again , its closer , you can get good chalet board and the price of drinking and eating out is very similar or cheaper,
at the moment the snow is basically crap , will hope that a dump changes my mind, are now trying to buy a car so once im finished with my work here at month end we can get down the road to other resorts and finally whistler , see if canada can redeem its self !!!!
if someone from the tourism board here wants to have a chat with me i'd love to tell him why the numbers here are down so much and suggest he take a 3 week holiday in europe!!!! his problems might be easy for him to see !!
next week all my mates are off to st Anton and at this point i feel really p****d off !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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51st state, I take it you are out there with Mountain Mad? The bus is definitely included in the tri-area lift pass.
a feature of North American skiing is the ungroomed black.
Why did you expect snowboards and bindings to be cheaper in canada - did you not look at the prices online before you went?
National Park fees are the rules in Canada - do you think you should be exempt from paying?
Shame it's not suiting you, it's a long way to go to find out once you are there, but there's loads of info on here that might have prepared you better.
(bloody hell, I think I've turned into Lizzard  )
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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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51st state, Why are you getting hassled to buy a park pass ? you only need a vehicle pass if you are overnighting in the park with your car. If you are just passing through then you dont need one - we were informed.
Banff is usually ok but they are having crap snow this year compared to usual, had things been of the norm you wouldnt be complaining, but Europe is seeing a good year compared to North america 
Sunshine is ok for a couple of days, but who thought of building a ski resort in a bowl ?  Lake louise has good terrain when they have the snow, but Kicking Horse and Revelstoke, both just a drive from you would be much better especially iif they get fresh snow.
UK visitors are down due to the exchange rate !! making everything at least 25 - 30% more expensive, I wouldnt consider going back to Canada until it hits at least $2 =£1 again, this would still be bad compared to what we were used to USA is more affordable than Canada atm.
If you like crusing groomed trails then best stick to Europe and stay well away from North America as people tend to go there for the 'ski anywhere with in bounds'.
Banff town isnt really hurting btw, Winter is their quiet season they make their money through the rest of the year. Tourism in the summer is massive, the winter is a bonus 
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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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Sounds like both of you need to man up. No idea how anyone could go and ski anywhere and be that miserable 
You need to be half-decent to take advantage of the best terrain at Lake Louise so maybe when you've improved a bit you'll enjoy it more. I'd avoid Kicking Horse too if you think the lift system around Banff is rubbish. And Revelstoke, actually.
Too many Aussies? Just wait till you get to Whistler.
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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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51st state, basing your assessment of Canada on one week in just three areas around Banff, possibly the most expensive place to base yourself in Ca outside of WB, during marginal snow conditions, ain't gonna cut too much ice with people who have more exposure.
Maybe get yourself over to Golden when the freshies arrive, stay in the town, and have a few days on the hill. Or Revvy, or Fernie..............
As people local to Banff, but don't live there, say............'Banff, Ain't Nuthin' For Free'.
Regardless, I hope it picks up for you, but keep an open mind.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I really enjoy going to Banff and Lake louise because, compared to some places in France, people were actually friendly and pleased to see you.
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"Sighs". As said above most of these shouldn't be a surprise to you if you had asked...
lift system is poor, chairlifts have no foot rest so its pretty hard on the knee or leg strapped to the board!
--- But when have you had to queue? I have vivid memories of long queues in the alps.
bus system is crap, 3 a day and its like a stampede , you need a car !!
-- Ask any local and they would have told you that a car is a good idea
bus travel is not included in the season pass , add $820 for the bus pass !!
-- Fairly sure it is; certainly is an option for shorter stays.
snowboards and bindings are cheaper in the UK
--- GBP / CDN exchange rate so probably not a surprise.
beer is hideously priced in the liquor stores !
--- Agreed 
a good skier or boarder will have louise or sunshine covered in a day
-- Only if you stick on the blues / greens. I take it you haven't done all of the Louise back side yet?
a lot of the runs are very short
-- Function of the mountain topography.
no mountain top restaurants
--- Agreed - but people don't come to the US/CDN for the catering.
go to tourist information and you get hassled to buy a park pass !! where do you get that in europe and most resorts are in national parks !!
Only if you have a car....
non of the shops will do a try before you buy offer for equipment
-- Fairly sure shops will do a"peroformance" rental and then deduct the cost if you do buy. They supposed to rent out for free?? Also Sunshone has a salomon test area at the top of the Gondola.
piste grooming is very poor , most of the diamond black and double diamond runs are mogul fields , if you dont like them then your stuck to blue or green runs
too many aussies !!!
-- Welcome to Canada; blacks are un-groomed - learn to ski better. Also most double blacks are steep enough they don't get moguls .....
been told uk visitors are 90% down and to look at the shops empty, the town is hurting , there answer seems to be to try and make a killing on the few that do visit rather than be more competitive and encourage more!
----Banff peak season is summer but I agree it does seem a little quiet
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| Bones wrote: |
If you like crusing groomed trails then best stick to Europe and stay well away from North America as people tend to go there for the 'ski anywhere with in bounds'.
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Absolutely. Not been a great season for snow in Canada so far.
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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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The only point of substance here and I think one that they've handled spectacularly badly over the past few years seems to be bus transportation. While I can believe given the complete Horlicks they've made over bus funding that they're running a restricted service I can't believe they still don't appreciate that overcoming the substantial barrier that Euro skiers have re ski in /out preferences is entirely dependent on a seamless and hassle free hotel to lift experience. I believe it's always been the case that season pass holders don't get free bus travel.
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51st state,
Sorry' I'm with sweaman2 on this.
Didn't you do any research?
Sunshine, LL and Norquay are day hills; not huge resorts. Most locals will bring a packed lunch to keep costs down.
Better restaurents in places like Kicking Horse, Panorama etc. But then those places certainly don't have much in the way of grooming either. Sounds like Canada isn't for you.............
Summer is Banff peak season
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Just back from 2 weeks in Banff - my first time there, although I have skied in Whistler before. I agree with several of 51st's points, but overall I really enjoyed the experience & wouldn't hesitate recommending people try it out.
Good: Out of this world scenery, friendly people everywhere, good deal on hotel & 7 out of 9 day tri-area lift pass (incl bus), plenty of shops to browse around if you are having a day off & wonderful trails through the woods for a walk, variety in ski area is good in that you can go to Louise one day, Sunshine the next, absolutely no queues worth talking about for lifts in the 2 weeks I was there (I think the hand-held scanners & lack of turnstile gates actually speed things up), great fresh snow in the first few days - some of the best we had ever seen.
Bad: Bus journey to/from ski areas, lack of mountain cafes, cost of food & drink generally (you can find a reasonable priced food but overall I'd say it was more expensive than most French resorts I've been to), expensive lift pass for the extra days I had to buy, jet-lag, it's cold - I mean really cold - locals basically said we were pussies lol as they were having a mild year - definitely pack the extra layers. The exchange rate obviously plays a factor in higher costs.
It was fairly quiet when I visited, but weekends were busy with locals etc. Its obviously a 'big' holiday, so if you are thinking of going, then I'd recommend getting certainty on your hotel, lift pass, bus tickets & ski hire costs before going - that way there shouldn't be any big surprises.
There are some ways to keep food & drink costs down if you try - eg, Sunshine has hot water boiler & sink at gondola so you can fill your flasks / water bottles, you can buy sandwiches in the Safeway & bring with you for lunch, watch out for wine prices - they seem to be much more expensive than beer etc. Liquor stores were more expensive than Tesco for sure, but not too bad I thought - bear in mind they include a 10c environmental charge per bottle which is refunded when you return it (we never did).
Definitely worth visiting & as others have said do your research before going. Hope that helps.
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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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| gryphea wrote: |
| 51st state, Sounds like Canada isn't for you............. |
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I heard was snowing hard there last night, and forecast to keep going through the night. Forecast looking up too. 
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You know it makes sense.
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rogg, You're right. It snowed lightly at Sunshine for most of the afternoon, stopped late on, but by the time we went out for dinner it was snowing again in Canmore. Not a huge amount down here, but the conditions yesterday were pretty good as long as you remained among the trees - up the Great Divide was, for me, a little more 'challenging'!
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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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51st state, blimey, if that's your opinion, think how miserable the punters are going to be after being dragged round the place by a grumpy, Northern snowboarder. Put in a few turns every now and then; you'll find the runs feel a bit longer. 
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