 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all
Just wondered if anyone could help - considering Banff for next year, but having always stayed "in resort" when we've skiied before I'm a bit unsure about having to get the shuttle bus to the ski areas.
What experience does anyone have of this? I've found an article on Trip Advisor that says the Sunshine service is every 40 minutes for 2011/12 and hourly for Norquay and Lake Louise. It just makes me concerned it might be a bit of a bun fight in getting on the bus!!
Any experience or thoughts much appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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As I'm local I haven't used it. You might already be aware but Lake Louise is almost an hour from Banff so calling it a shuttle is perhaps a bit generous - more like a regulalar coach. I always advocate people having their own cars in Canada as gives them much more flexibility. If you do some research on here there is lots of info on how Canada / North America is different to Europe so worth looking through stuff.
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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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Thanks sweaman2, yes I was aware of the distances. As we do enough driving in the UK for work and business purposes, driving on holiday is something we like to avoid if possible!
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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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jocrad, Been to Banff many times and used the bus service every time. It's fine, relax.
Shuttle busses pickup at points along main street in Banff so normally a pickup is only a short walk away, if not outside your hotel. Normally when a bus is full, it'll head off to the mountain and another is brought up for the rest of the pickup - this may have changed but I doubt it. Theres a service to each of the 3 mountains (norquay, sunshine and Louise) takes about 20, 40 and 50 minutes respectively. Get a coffee, plug in your ipod and have a doze, you'll be fine.
Or get a car as sweaman2 suggests. Positive is that it frees you up to move around, negative is you can't have that pitcher of beer in the bar at the end of the day.
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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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jocrad, the Inns of Banff is on the edge of town but it is the first pick up point for the buses and the first or second to be dropped off, its the hotel I've used each time I've been to Banff. I also got a free bus pass for getting downtown. As Richard_Sideways says relax and enjoy the ride, Lake Louise and Mount Norquay have the more comfortable coaches, Sunshine Village's are a bit like an american schoolbuses and takes 20-30 minutes but worth it as it normally has the best snow conditions. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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There is a hotel in Sunshine that is ski-in/out but nothing else there. Lake Louise hotels are still a bus ride from the ski area (albeit only a short hop away).
The benefit of Banff is that you can go into town in the evenings which gives you a choice of restaurants and shops.
As Richard Sideways says - once you are on the bus just relax. You might be lucky and see some wildlife out of the window and the views are excellent. Coming home I was always asleep 
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I've been to Banff three times, and always found the busses to be punctual and efficient. As soon as one is filled, they radio ahead and another pulls in within a couple of minutes, no problems.
If you do decide to drive, bear in mind that at peak times, the car parks get very busy - at Sunshine you can end up parking so far from the gondola, you then have to get one of the car park shuttles!
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Thanks all!! Very much appreciated - my dread was if the buses were only every 40 minutes, we'd be left there if one was full - phew!! Quite happy with relaxing on the bus - no probelm there!!
RichardB, the Inns of Banff was one of the hotel's we'd spotted in the brochure, I take it you recommend then?
Cheers all
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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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Of course I do, its got a good restaurant and a ski hire shop within the complex, there's also petrol station with a Dominos pizza and general store opposite.
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And Bumpers Beef house over the road...mmm, beef, although for the best steak in Banff, go to the Saltlik in town.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Cheers for everyone's recommendations
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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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Enjoy your trip. There in Spirit.
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Reckon Bumpers is overrated. I wouldn't waste your $.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Alans deep bath wrote: |
| Reckon Bumpers is overrated. I wouldn't waste your $. |
Yep me too. But remember to ask for your steak grilled (or flamed or whatever the term is), otherwise they boil it - yes really!
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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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Agree that Bumpers went downhill a few years ago.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| RichardB wrote: |
| Of course I do, its got a good restaurant and a ski hire shop within the complex, there's also petrol station with a Dominos pizza and general store opposite. |
Just wanted to mention that the petrol station (Husky) with Domino's etc is no longer there. They did a site reclamation maybe a year ago now (thought they were originally going to rebuild but is now a nice grass area so perhaps not). Domino's now have a small shop front downtown and of course deliver.
Of course you still dont have to walk very far from the Inns of Banff to find a number of food options
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Banff was lovely if a little quiet imho. The shuttle was fine. Didn't take too long at all. Was a different experience to Europe and I would go back. I much preferred Sunshine of the 3 mountains. I don't know why. I just liked it more. I liked Lake Louise the least.
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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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rumdiary, with you on Sunshine, my favourite of the 3 too.
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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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First time in Banff and not overly impressed with the bus service. Firstly it wasn't clear that the bus wasn't part of the lift pass so they wanted to charge us an extra $800 for the privilege of waiting in big queues of people wanting to get to the hill. Plus there's only 4 times for lake Louise and 3 for sunshine
So we are hitching each day and it's great! Never had to wait long and get to have a good chat with locals and holidaymakers!!!!
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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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... err the bus service is definately included with your tri-area lift pass 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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mountain mad, As for the frequency of the buses, they may only leave at certain times but there is more than one bus for that time. If the bus fills up they radio for another to collect the remaining folk 
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I think that the bus is included with the tri area pass but is not included if you buy a specific day pass for each resort (instead of the tri area pass).
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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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not included in season passes either. in reality there are much better local 'season' options than the big3 pass.
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Alans deep bath, Do they actually check your lift pass? I can't recall how it's done
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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holidayloverxx, yeh.
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FAQ
it's definitely included, but even so it's only $15 return, so no way would it be $800 unless 2 of you are there for a month.(edit, which I see from another thread you might be)
