Sal

We are travelling from Florida in late March for our first visit to the Banff area. We ski and enjoy other winter activities. We have three children (9-15) so we want to stay in an area that is convenient to skiing as well as dining and other family activities. I have searched the sight and can't find the answers I'm looking for:<BR>1. What is the best ski resort for intermediate skiers?<BR>2. Are there any ski-in/out lodges?<BR>3. What town/lodges would you recommend?<BR><BR>Thanks for any advise you can offer.

canuck

Hi Sal..We stayed last Christmas for a couple of nights at the Hidden Ridge condos - part of the Caribou Lodge resort in Banff. We had a car so not sure if they have transportation into town which is only a few km. away. Many of our group made ski reservations and were picked up. Also were able to make ski lesson appointments right at the lodge. Had an outdoor hot tub that was great. Condos were small - but for your group would be fine. One bedroom on the main floor with two double beds and then there was a loft upstairs with ensuite. Living room was tiny but we weren't there much. Good luck.

John

Hi Sal:<BR><BR>I skied Banff two years ago. Beautiful area! You are in a Nationl Park. The town of Banff has most of the hotels and resturants. The largest is the Banff Springs Hotel. A monster of a hotel! You should try and stay in the town. Check out SKICAN.COM for great rates. The other area is where the Chateau Lake Louise is located. That is one specacular location/Hotel! However it is about 20 Miles from town. The skiing is great at the three main areas. 1. Lake Louise is the largest. Sunshine villiage is closer to town. Also great skiing and more kid friendly It also has the only ski-in ski out hotel in the area. Might be a good option, but if I remember right you are trapped up on the mountain after the lift close! You need to get some other opinions from the Canadians on this board<BR><BR>Good Luck!<BR><BR>JOHN

Sal

Thanks to both of you for your very helpful information. John, is the skiin/out hotel you refer to the Timberline? If so, what is your opinion of their accommodations?<BR><BR>Please keep the suggestions coming!

Jim

Lake Louise is one of the best ski hills in the world with a large variety of runs for all levels. Sunshine Village is also good. Mount Norquay tends to have more difficult runs, but they recently expanded it and I havent been since. If you are really energetic, you could drive to Panorama (near Invermere, BC) which is about a 90 minute drive from Banff. It has recently been doubled in size and is a great ski resort. The drive out there is spectacular as well.<BR>For accomataions, I recommend the Buffalo Mountain Lodge at Tunnel Mountain (about a mile from downtown Banff).I dont like the Banff Springs Hotel- the hotel is spectacular, but the rooms arent that great and are very expensive. If you really want to splurge, stay at the Rimrock Hotel, which is just up the road from the Banff Springs-its pricey, but I guess with the Canadian dollar only worth about 62 cents US, anything up here is a bargain for Americans.

rita

Sal, The Banff area has a few ski areas to choose from. Unfortunately most of the ski hills in the area are within the national park and have been placed under fairly strict building restrictions. As a result most of the hills do not have any "on the hill" accommodation. There are numerous shuttles to take you from your hotel to the ski hill that run throughout the day. Also, depending how the rest of the winter has been the end of March is getting a bit "iffy" for snow conditions. Your best bet would be Sunshine Resort. You may also want to keep in mind that March is spring break time in Alberta and BC and allot of families go skiing. Booking accommodations may be difficult if you leave it too late.<BR><BR>You did not mention whether you wanted accommodation with a small kitchen or whether you just wanted a hotel room and you will eat all your meals at local restaurants. Which would you prefer?<BR><BR>

rita

it seems like Fodors won't let me post such a long reply so i've had to split it up.<BR><BR>Here is my ski hill description. Hopefully it will help you to make a choice<BR><BR>Mt Norquay has mostly intermediate and expert runs but is has no "on the hill accomodation. It is located about 10 minutes drive from Banff town centre. There it lots of accommodation in Banff. If you are looking for simply a hotel room there are many to choose from (Banff Springs Hotel and the Rimrock are at the high end). If you are looking for a kitchenette you may want to look at the one bedroom suites at Buffalo Mountain Lodge. I just returned from there (we stayed there while skiing at Norquay) and booked a suite for $225 Cdn. It had a bedroom with two doubles and a living room/kitchen area with a fireplace. We had them add a cot. For five it may be a bit crowded.<BR><BR>Sunshine has a good selection of runs and they opened a new "intermediate/expert" hill area last year (called Goat's Eye). There is on the hill accommodation at Sunshine so if you are looking for ski-in-ski-out this is your best bet. I have never stayed in the hotel at Sunshine but from what I have heard from friends it is not a "great" hotel. The hill is located about 15 minutes from Banff town. You have to take a gondola ride up to get to the ski hill (but there is a ski-out run to take you back to the parking lot). At the end of March Sunshine may be your best bet for snow conditions. Last I heard they were the only hill still allowing "mother nature" to make all the snow.<BR><BR>Lake Louise is by far the biggest hill in the area (I think it has the most skiable terrain in North America). It is located about 35 minutes from Banff town in Lake Louise. The ski hill has allot of runs covering all levels but again it has no on the hill accommodation. If you want to ski here you could stay at the Chateau Lake Louise (very expensive and in my opinion not worth it) or the Post Hotel (fairly expensive) or Deer Lodge (rustic and moderately priced). If you are looking for a kitchette and lodge experience you might want to look at the Baker Creek Chalets. They are located about 7 minutes drive from Lake Louise town and the ski hill. Nice chalets with living area, bedrooms and kitchens.<BR><BR>Nakiska was the site for the 1988 Olympic downhill. It is located in Kananaskis which is still in the Rocky Mountains but is about 45 minutes from Banff (it is betweeen Calgary and Banff). Nakiska has intermediate and expert terrain but in late March the snow may not be that great. Again, there is no on the hill accommodation. There is a Kananaskis town site with three varying hotels only five minutes away.<BR><BR>A previous poster mentioned Panorama which may be a good choice. I have never skied there but many of my friends do and they like it. Panorama is located about 1 hr from Banff (about 2 hours from Calgary). Panorama is a developed resort with lots of varying accommodation levels and choices. You could easily find a condo or a hotel in Panorama. Again the hill has all levels of runs. <BR><BR>As you are coming with a family you may want to choose to stay in Banff rather than on the hill. If you stay up at Sunshine you may find the evenings a bit isolating with not much for the kids to do. I recommend finding a hotel in your price range in Banff townsite and taking the shuttle to the hills. Like I mentioned earlier, snow conditions will be variable on the hills by that time so locking yourself into one hill may not be a good idea. <BR><BR>If you want any further information post again or email me directly and I will try to help. Another website you may try is Travel Alberta. <BR><BR>Good luck, skiing the Canadian Rockies is wonderful.

xxx

sunshine has some accommodations on the hill but there is no road out so if you stay there, you are stuck all night - i don't know what the restaurants are like.<BR>to meet everyone's needs, i'd probably stay in banff. that way if the kids want to get away from the "old folks" for a while, they can go for a walk.<BR>i'd ski sunshine one day and then lake louise - then you'll know which one you prefer.<BR>there's one hotel in banff that has a waterslide but it may be a little far from center of town to walk.

Sal

Thank you everyone for so such informative posts. We will plan to stay in Banff as most of you have suggested.<BR><BR>I saw the hotel with the water slides (Douglas Fir Inn). I wondered what kind of walk it would be to town. I think I'll check into it. I've also found a condo that looks promising.<BR><BR>Thanks again. I'm still doing my research so log in if you think of anything else!

Rita

Sal, the Douglas Fir Inn is up on Tunnel Mountain which is about a 20 minute walk down the mountain into the centre of Banff. There is a bus service that runs up and down the mountain from the centre of town every 15 or 30 minutes -- the service stops right outside of the hotel. I wouldn't worry about being away from the action up on Tunnel Mountain. The Douglas Fir may be a good choice for your family as I believe it has multi level condo suites available. The hotel is also across the street from Buffalo Mountain Lodge which has an excellent dining room and a smaller "Cilantro Cafe" for lighter meals.

Randy

Ive been to sunshine already this winter. For the first time, I stayed on the hill. The Hotel rooms were small but clean and comfortable. <BR>If you really want to ski, this is a great option, as you can be on the hill first thing in the morningb before the crowds.<BR>The food in the hotel restaurant is no better than fair. Unfortunately, its the only place to eat in the evening.<BR>The gondola is much improved this year. Its faster roomier, and easier to load from platform than before. In late march the snow at sunshine is the best. Lake loise is the nicer terrain, but is again this year having troublr with snow.<BR>If you stay in town, and want to be close to the downtown action(such that it is) a good choice is the Banff park lodge.<BR>For more information, type in sunshineski on your search engine and follow the links to sunshine village. From there you can link to much of the accomodation,

BranV

We stayed at the Rimrock in Banff and loved it (the previous poster was right, with the exchange rate we got much better quality then we could have afforded for the same rate here in the U.S.). We had a rental car, which was great, but if you don't, I know at the Rimrock, with a multi-pass you can take shuttles everyday to either Lake Louise, Norquay or Sunshine. Though we didn't do it, everyone else seemed to like it and it picked them up/dropped them off right at the lobby entrance of the hotel. If you do take a car, Norquay is less than 5 minutes away, Sunshine is about 15 minutes away, and Lake Louise about 45 minutes. The roads were in excellent condition for driving.