Ski Trip in the Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rocky Mountains are known for some of the best ski resorts and mountains in North America. If you get the chance to take a ski trip in Canada, I definitely recommend it!

Personally I am not a world class skier, but I enjoy a day on the slopes. Therefore, this blog gives a review of the conditions as a casual skier, not as a pro.

Ski Gear Rentals

We went on a ski trip with a friend visiting from Europe. She’s a snowboarder, so we had to rent a board for her at the U of C Outdoor Centre. The board, boots and helmet were $40 altogether, per day. This is one of the cheapest options in Calgary for gear rentals (and no, you do not need to be a student to rent from the Outdoor Centre).

Two Jack Lake in Banff

We stayed for two nights in Banff to make a trip out of the experience, although you don’t need to stay closer than Calgary to get to the hills in the morning. Our first day was spent picking up gear and driving into the mountains. Remember to buy a park pass before entering Banff (AMA has deals on the annual pass if you live in Canada).

We stopped at Two Jack Lake after entering the park. We ate lunch by the lake and went for a walk around it, though the snow impeded our way somewhat and we had to turn back.

Staying in Banff

We drove into the Banff townsite after our lake excursion. While we stayed at the Best Western which is just off Main Street, there are countless hotel options in Banff and you can often find good deals if you keep an eye out!

We walked through main street and did some window shopping before dinner. Banff has a lot of outdoor gear shops and other small Canadian businesses that are fun to check out. We ate at the Elk & Oarsmen on main street, a pub on the second floor. The place had most of the usual pub eats, with some vegetarian options (though not an extensive plant-based menu). We then returned to the hotel for an early night to prepare for a day on the slopes.

Ski Trip to Sunshine Village

We picked up Subway before heading to the hill to avoid the ski lodge prices, but you could always pack food from home for the cheapest (and healthiest) option.

We arrived at Sunshine just after nine, and got ourselves ready from the trunk of my car. If you haven’t been to Sunshine before, it is a little different from other hills in the Rockies as you take a gondola up to the base of the mountains.

Sunshine has three main mountains with maintained runs for skiers, Goat’s Eye Mountain as the first stop on the gondola, and Lookout Mountain and Mount Standish at the top. There are plenty of runs for all levels, and it would certainly take multiple days to explore all the mountains thoroughly.

We spent the day at the top of the gondola, in the area known as the Sunshine Bowl with Lookout and Mt. Standish creating a circular skiing area.

We got very lucky with our weather for a January ski day. The sun was out for the morning and through lunch. Some clouds rolled through in the afternoon, which isn’t uncommon for Sunshine. In fact, there are signs in case of limited visibility to help skiers back down if the weather turns unexpectedly.

End of the Ski Day

We skied until the lifts were near closing, then began the ski out with hopes of missing the traffic. Unfortunately, we missed taking the Jackrabbit Quad (near Goat’s Eye) on the way down. This would have helped us avoid some of the flat sections (which were especially frustrating for snowboarders). The sun was shining again on our way down, making the mountains around us look stunning.

After a full day, we spent the last evening of our ski trip at Masala, a restaurant off of Wolf street. The food was delicious with large portion sizes of the curries. We then went back to the hotel to relax and drink tea.

Canmore, Alberta

On our third day, we stopped in Canmore for the afternoon on our way back to the city. If you not from the area, you may find the town quite recognizable from ‘The Last of Us’ as they filmed there (as well as many other areas in Alberta).

We browsed the Canmore tea shop and left with some Earl Grey. After browsing some of the other shops on and near main street, we grabbed lunch from Graze. As always, we picked up drinks at Beamer’s for the ride home. Beamer’s is our go-to coffee shop when we’re in the mountains, often making a detour to stop in Canmore on our way home.