Canadian Rockies snow forecast

Skiing in Canadian Rockies

The Canadian Rockies area covers the two big resorts in Banff National Park plus the British Columbia resorts most often reached from Banff, at Golden and Invermere. Calgary is the usual gateway, roughly one and a half to two and a half hours by road from the resorts here.

In the Banff and Lake Louise section, Banff Sunshine Village sits on the Continental Divide about 15 km south west of Banff. A gondola climbs from the car park to the village, and the skiing spreads over three mountains, Goat's Eye, Lookout and Mount Standish, between about 1,660 m and 2,730 m. It receives more than 9 m of snow a year and usually runs from early November to late May. Gated freeride zones such as Delirium Dive require avalanche gear. Lake Louise, further west, has around 990 m of vertical and 145 runs, with a good spread of beginner, intermediate and advanced terrain from the front side to the back bowls. It has a long history of hosting early season World Cup speed races.

In the Golden section, Kicking Horse, about 6 km west of Golden, has one of the largest verticals in North America, around 1,315 m, served by the Golden Eagle Express gondola, and is known for steep terrain and light, dry snow. In the Invermere section, Panorama, in the Purcell Mountains, has a similar vertical of about 1,300 m, long runs up to 6.5 km and the snowcat-accessed Taynton Bowl.

The Banff resorts are inside a national park, so most visitors stay in Banff or Lake Louise village and travel up each day, while Kicking Horse and Panorama have their own slopeside bases.