Skiing in Alberta – what you need to know:

A sign appears in front of me: “Scenic Road to Alaska”, turn left. I hesitate for a moment. That’s it for now. Turn on the indicator, turn towards Alaska and continue for many more hours through the fascinating landscape of the Canadian Rockies. But reason prevails and I stay on the highway, which spits me out 300 kilometers later at the Edmonton airport. It’s over, it’s over, it’s over. Every adventure has an end. This is also the case with my winter road trip from ski resort to ski resort across Alberta. At the beginning of my trip, I couldn’t imagine that there could be such striking differences between European and North American ski resorts. So that you can prepare for your ski vacation in Alberta, I have diligently noted down all the special features and tips on the way. With this checklist you are guaranteed to be well prepared for your winter trip to Alberta.

Packing for the ski holidays

Only the first name is cold. In January and February, sub-zero temperatures around -15° degrees are the order of the day. In contrast to our ski resorts, in the Canadian Rockies you are mercilessly at the mercy of this weather. Weather hoods and heated seats are (still) nowhere to be found here. All those who like to be warmed up in between will be in good hands in Sunshine Village from next winter. Alberta’s first chairlift with heated seats will be used there.

The most important tip: don’t buy new winter clothes before travelling. It’s better to travel to Banff a day earlier and stock up on warm outdoor clothes in the many outdoor shops at a fraction of the Swiss prices.

I myself have packed the following equipment in my suitcase for skiing:

• Ski pants and ski jacket (with PrimaLoft thermal insulation)
• Leggings and long-sleeved shirt by Icebreaker
• Hooded Jacket by Icebreaker
• Mittens with inner gloves
• Buff
• Merino wool ski socks
• Ski helmet
• Ski goggles and sunglasses

I left the skis and ski boots at home and rented them on site (in Banff at Ski Hub and Marmot Basin directly at the valley station). Of course, you could also bring your own ski equipment. If you pack all your luggage in the ski bag and it does not weigh more than 23 kg, there is usually no extra charge. Still, it’s quite tedious. It seems essential to me that you think in layers and pack accordingly. Personally, I’m a big fan of the Icebreaker base layer in cold temperatures.

For the daily rental of skis and ski boots, around 40 CAD per day must be calculated. Helmets (around CAD 10 per day), ski pants and ski jackets can also be rented on site. But I definitely prefer my own proven equipment – at least when I’m on the slopes for more than one day.

The ski resorts in Alberta

Alberta has a total of 23 ski resorts, the majority of which are mini-ski resorts and offer between 5 and 10 kilometres of slopes. The most popular and largest ski resorts are located in Banff and Jasper National Park and can be easily combined. During my road trip, I visited the “Ski Big 3” in Banff National Park and the somewhat more isolated Marmot Basin near Jasper. The three ski resorts of Mout Norquay, Lake Louise and Sunshine Village are united under “Ski Big 3”. If you want to visit all three ski areas, you should ideally buy a multi-day ski pass for the region. You can choose between “3 out of 4 Days” for 261 CAD or “4 out of 5 Days” for 344 CAD.

Mount Norquay is the smallest of the three ski resorts in Banff National Park and is located just 15 minutes from Banff. Despite its small size, the ski resort should not be underestimated. The North America Chairlift opens up ultra-steep slopes with mogul slopes that challenge even professionals. My recommendation: Drive to Mount Norquay early in the morning when there is fresh snow and return to Banff in the early afternoon for some leisurely shopping or relaxing in the hot springs.

Sunshine Village and Lake Louise offer more than 100 kilometres of slopes. Sunshine Village boasts Canada’s best snow – up to 9m of powder snow per season – and Lake Louise attracts guests from all over the world due to its reputation as a Ski World Cup venue. Snowboarders tend to prefer Lake Louise due to the steeper terrain. Freeskiers, on the other hand, will experience the ultimate snow fun at Sunshine Village on the Delirium Dive. Personally, I liked Sunshine a little better. But this may also be due to the fact that the sun shone non-stop from the sky for two days – nomen et omen.

Marmot Basin is located 230 kilometers north of Lake Louise in Jasper National Park. This ski resort boasts wide, empty slopes and beautiful views of the surrounding mountain peaks. My personal favorite among the four destinations I’ve visited.

Double Black Diamond and other traps

By shuttle from ski resort to ski area

The Ski Big 3 ski ticket includes free travel on the Ski Shuttle between Banff, Mount Norquay, Sunshine Village and Lake Louise. Depending on the ski resort, there are between three to five departures in Banff in the morning and three to five buses back to Banff in the afternoon. This means that you don’t necessarily need your own car. If you are traveling by rental car, you must be equipped with a Parks Canada Pass (it will be checked). The parking spaces at the ski resorts can be used free of charge.

Lift tickets

“Waiver” is a very important word in Canada. If you buy a lift ticket, you must also fill out a so-called waiver at the same time. I sign that I am aware that skiing involves certain risks and that you could die from it. Um, yes. I am well aware of this, but when you have to put your signature on such a document, it makes you think for a moment.

Another challenge: attaching the lift ticket to my ski jacket. The very first time, I am so clumsy that a co-worker has to help me. The adhesive film doesn’t want to work like I do. You won’t find any magnetic keycards here. Apparently, they used to exist, but they led to problems because they were resold too often. By the way, it doesn’t have turnstiles either. The ski tickets are scanned by hand by the “lifties”.

The chairlifts

“How does it have no footrests?” At first I was irritated, from the relatively modestly developed chairlifts. In our country, this would be disparagingly referred to as “old”. In Canada, on the other hand, you find it strange that we place so much emphasis on details that are useless to you, such as footrests. In terms of infrastructure, expensive expansions have so far been dispensed with. The main thing is that the lift reliably goes up the mountain.

The name of the slope

There are green (beginner), blue (advanced), black (expert) and so-called double black diamond (pro) slopes. It is striking that black slopes are usually used synonymously with mogul slopes. Since mogul slopes are rarely encountered in Switzerland, I am quite inexperienced in mastering them elegantly. That’s why the black slopes in Alberta are definitely more difficult for me to ski than the black slopes I know from Switzerland and Austria. When you buy your ticket, take a trail map with you and look at it in between. There are ski resorts with chairlifts that only serve expert areas and so it can happen that you suddenly have to go down a mogul slope because there is no other alternative. If you are travelling without a piste map, you will find the relevant information on a large overview board at almost every mountain station.

Another difference to our piste system is that within the ski area boundaries – a fence separating the controlled ski area from the uncontrolled backcountry – everything can be skied. There are no wildlife protection zones. Any route, even those through dense forest sections, may be driven. A true Mecca, especially for off-piste riders!

Wild versus well-groomed

With us, everything is flattened by the snow groomers through the night. The guest should be allowed to be out and about on perfectly groomed slopes again the next day. “If we did that here, there would be a lot of nagging,” said Jason Connell, director of sales in Lake Louise. In Alberta, only a portion of the slopes are groomed with snow groomers during the night. Every morning there is information in the ski resorts about which slopes have been cleared and where the fresh powder snow has remained untouched. For me, it’s one of those special features that makes skiing in Alberta so special. The quality here lies in the fact that not so much is done at the moment and thus a touch of adventure spirit and challenges are preserved.

Pure
nature

You won’t find summit restaurants or alpine huts in the national parks. Around the slopes there is forest as far as the eye can see. Sunshine Village is the only ski resort within Banff National Park where you can spend the night right on the edge of the slopes. Otherwise, the lodges with restaurants and toilets are located in the immediate vicinity of the valley stations.

Who should definitely go on a ski holiday in Canada?

The snow freaks among you who feel underchallenged on the European slopes and like to be off-piste. Of course, every piste skier can also go on a ski holiday in Canada – after all, I’m one of them. But the big difference between the ski resorts in the Alps and those in the Rocky Mountains can be seen in the variety of slopes, the greater range of difficult slopes, the secured backcountry runs and the possibility to choose between groomed and unprepared slopes.

This trip was supported by Travel Alberta and Canusa – thank you very much! As always, my readers can be sure that I always represent my views and enthusiasm.