Banff/Lake Louise late February?

[berkshireskier]

My wife and daughter surprised me last night by telling me that my combined birthday/Christmas gift this year will be treating me to a late February/early March trip to Banff to ski with my daughter. My 28-year old daughter who lives in Montreal has already planned some of the trip and made a hotel reservation in Banff. I've never skied in western Canada. I'm not sure if it is worth skiing Norquay or just stick to Sunshine Village and Lake Louise? Also, we're going to rent a car to drive from Calgary up to Banff but it looks like they have good shuttle service from town to the ski areas. What are good places to eat in Banff? What else is there to do besides ski (we make a day off from skiing). My daughter looked at Whistler too but was concerned about the possibility of rain and fog there.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

not sure if it is worth skiing Norquay or just stick to Sunshine Village and Lake Louise?

As noted in my 2007 report, you should absolutely include a day at Norquay to provide balance to the excellent but industrial-level SSV and LL.

 

[Skieric]

A winter hike or snowshoe in the area can offer amazing scenery. Go see the Lake Louise (daytime or evening).

 

[EMSC]

Norquay

can be interesting and is super close to town, but generally is much firmer and less snow than either LL or Sunshine.

Plenty of decent enough eating places in Banff; the only one that really stood out to me the couple times I've been was: Waldhaus. Though I'm sure there are some other decent upscale places in town.

As Skieric said, some outfitters will throw you in a van and take you on some interesting snowshoe hikes. Worth a few hours.

Sounds like you already have hotel, but I will throw out that Fox Hotel has been my favorite for some reason. Not that it's that special, but fairly good quality with some funky fun 'cave pool in the basement, etc.. thrown in to the mix.

 

[Tony Crocker]

As noted in my 2007 report, you should absolutely include a day at Norquay to provide balance to the excellent but industrial-level SSV and LL.

If you are there for a whole week, probably, noting EMSC's caveat above.

industrial-level SSV and LL

James has a broad standard here, and that description would not occur to me. Both are in the national park with extremely stringent limits on development.

I know most people don't want to spend as much time on the road as I do, seeking variety and quality. But my first visit to the region during Adam's spring break in 1999 was what I call the Calgary loop trip. The last 4 nights were at Chateau Lake Louise (that was the $150/night bargain including lift tickets) skiing SSV and LL. The first 2 days were at Castle and Fernie, which to this day are my favorite lift served areas in interior western Canada. It's a 4 hour drive from Fernie to Lake Louise but we broke that up staying at Fairmont Hot Springs and skiing a day at RK Heli (same location as Panorama). On the front end Calgary airport to Pincher Creek is 2 hours drive, with another half hour to Castle from there.

My daughter looked at Whistler too but was concerned about the possibility of rain and fog there.

Whistler is very reliable for snow conditions if not so much for weather, and rain is rare in the alpine where the best skiing is. You may prefer Banff's ambience as Whistler is definitely "industrial skiing." Banff's snowfall is not abundant, average 257 inches at SSV and 175 at Lake Louise. Fortunately most of the snow is well preserved by cold weather, which can go below 0F. As easterners, berkshireskier and daughter in Montreal can presumably handle that.

Just looking at those snowfall numbers, I would be very nervous about much of a deviation below average. But I had good conditions most of the time in the 8 seasons that I have skied there (usually just one or two days on a road trip). The mixed conditions in 2005 and 2015 were better than most of British Columbia which was plagued with repeated rain in those seasons. However, the last two seasons have been lean, so I aborted my plans to go to Banff (same time frame, late February) after my skiing in Fernie/Castle/Island Lake both times. Thus I last skied Lake Louise in 2017 and Sunshine in 2020, both excellent days.

I've never skied in western Canada.

To me that means you want to go the extra mile to maximize the experience. Banff like Jackson is primarily a summer resort. I don't see the need to make winter hotel reservations far in advance. I never did that except when I was hosted by Travel Alberta at their expense. Do it like we do in Europe: Buy the air tickets and reserve the rental car. Absolute worst case scenario is that Banff sells out and you are 15 miles down the road in Canmore. Most of the time you will know enough a month ahead to do the hotel reservations then.

The one caveat on hotel reservations is the Canadian "family day holiday," same as our President's Weekend. Fernie lodging can be limited by my past experience. Those dates are Feb. 14-16 in 2026. Banff + Canmore have much more lodging than Fernie does.

If Banff conditions are poor, you have lots of options. Castle/Fernie can be extended 2+ hours south to Whitefish. Or you can go farther west past Louise to Kicking Horse/Revelstoke.

 

[Sbooker]

Hike Johnston Canyon: Icewalk | Discover Banff Tours

Our most popular winter tour, the Johnston Canyon Icewalk takes you to the Lower Falls cave and Upper Icefalls on a fun guided hike of Johnston Canyon.

banfftours.com

If you get a spare couple of hours off skis that is well worth doing in my opinion.

 

[Skieric]

the last two seasons have been lean,

I have skied Lake Louise nearly every January for the last 8 years. My experience has been, surface preservation mid winter is unparalleled. Winter is cold in Banff, sun angles are low. Even in very low tide last winter, surface conditions were generally good. The issue is rocks. I brought my new skis for Fernie and Revelstoke and used my older rock skis for Castle and Lake Louise last year. Despite the lacklustre base, east of the divide, I still had a great time. Of note, I found the locals at Castle extremely outgoing and spent the day skiing with a group that has been skiing the mountain for 40+ years. I agree with Tony that Castle and Fernie are great stops if willing to drive a little more. Panorama is an option, however for some reason they are in a very dry location. Kicking Horse is also along the loop between these resorts and has amazing steep chutes, however its very limited skiing if the light is flat or the top is socked in the clouds. So many great resorts in that area that its taken years for me to get to them.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Kicking Horse is also along the loop between these resorts and has amazing steep chutes

KH is a little extra detour on the Fernie to Lake Louise route. It's also somewhat limited in non-advanced terrain; I'm not sure if that's an issue for berkshireskier and daughter. I hope he'll embrace the Calgary loop plan but I have my doubts. I suspect he's averse to road trip vacations after he sat out the 2024 Northeast eclipse.

Panorama is an option, however for some reason they are in a very dry location.

Yes, rockier than Lake Louise when I skied them on consecutive days in 2004, but worth a stop if you know it has adequate coverage.

So many great resorts in that area that its taken years for me to get to them.

+1 That's the argument for flexibility; no need to commit early to lodging.

 

[berkshireskier]

KH is a little extra detour on the Fernie to Lake Louise route. It's also somewhat limited in non-advanced terrain; I'm not sure if that's an issue for berkshireskier and daughter. I hope he'll embrace the Calgary loop plan but I have my doubts. I suspect he's averse to road trip vacations after he sat out the 2024 Northeast eclipse.

Yes, rockier than Lake Louise when I skied them on consecutive days in 2004, but worth a stop if you know it has adequate coverage.

+1 That's the argument for flexibility; no need to commit early to lodging.

You know me too well, Tony! (see bolded section). I'm not totally adverse to a road trip vacation (in fact, I like "scenic driving") but for this ski trip, I think the plan is just to go to Banff and ski the areas around there. I don't think we want to be schlepping hours all over western Canada to, MAYBE, get marginally better snow conditions. Plus, there are the options to do other things around Banff if the skiing is sub-optimal or it is too cold. It is partially a "ski vacation" but also just a father-daughter trip to enjoy and have fun. But who knows? We've just begun to think about planning the trip and our itinerary may change.

PS: I STILL regret not driving the 3 or so hours to see the 2024 total eclipse. I admit I got somewhat discouraged when people were predicted 6 to 8 hour drives back down the Northway - I-87 - towards Albany (although it turns out the traffic was not that bad) and the weather forecast was a little "iffy" about how clear it would be.

 

[Tony Crocker]

marginally better snow conditions.

That depends on the season, can be more more than "marginally." I would still hold off on the room reservation. A big part of road trip extra logistics is relocating the lodging base. Fernie works as a lodging base for Castle, Kimberley and maybe Whitefish.

used my older rock skis for Castle and Lake Louise last year.

In 2024 at Castle the lower third of the mountain was thin so I needed to stick to groomers there. Upper parts were still good. Fernie/Castle had average coverage in 2023. A couple of days got down below -10F, which would have been even colder in Banff along with the sketchier snowpack.

 

[jimk]

My wife and daughter surprised me last night by telling me that my combined birthday/Christmas gift this year will be treating me to a late February/early March trip to Banff to ski with my daughter. My 28-year old daughter who lives in Montreal has already planned some of the trip and made a hotel reservation in Banff. I've never skied in western Canada. I'm not sure if it is worth skiing Norquay or just stick to Sunshine Village and Lake Louise? Also, we're going to rent a car to drive from Calgary up to Banff but it looks like they have good shuttle service from town to the ski areas. What are good places to eat in Banff? What else is there to do besides ski (we make a day off from skiing). My daughter looked at Whistler too but was concerned about the possibility of rain and fog there.

I had a nice visit to Banff area and Revy in March 2018. I had Mtn Collective Pass for that trip. Skied Louise two days, Sunshine three, Norquay one. Highlight was staying mid-mtn at Sunshine with fresh snow, but Louise actually may have better terrain. Norquay was freebie with Mtn Collective and I did it as a half day before leaving town. It's a nice, smaller throwback area and the scenery is as good as the other two. It has some tough bump runs under the old North American chair. If the rental car is nearly the same as shuttle I'd get it because it gives you a little more freedom to move around. Louise is something like 15-20 miles from Banff. I had my non-skiing wife with me and we hiked Johnston Canyon, took high tea at Chateau Louise and snowshoed on the lake there. Also went to Banff Springs Hotel hot pool. Had a memorable meal at the Grizzly House. It's very touristy, but fun. Cooked meat on hot stone in front of me. Here's a trip report with a few pics: https://www.skitalk.com/threads/northern-rockies-roadtrip-part-2-revelstoke-and-banff.12769/

 

[snowtrekker]

I did this exact trip in late Feb / early March 2022 with my GF (now wife), a friend, and my sister and brother-in-law. We flew into Calgary on a Saturday and rented a car, then were based at the Moose Hotel in Banff until departure the following Saturday. I like to lock-in lodging early but with the get-out-of-jail-free option of free cancellation, which was easy to come by. However the Banff areas had a strong start to the season that year, so I was confident in our itinerary by December. We did luck out some as a major cold spell struck in late Feb but was on its way out by the time we arrived. Three of us had IKON base basses good for 5 days total across Sunshine, Lake Louise, and Norquay.

Here was our itinerary:
Saturday: Fly into Calgary, drive to hotel in Banff, arrival by late afternoon.
Sunday: Skied Sunshine. Surface conditions were excellent with 1-2 inches of fresh over packed powder, though we had off-and-on snow showers with limited visibility in the upper elevations.
Monday: Ski Lake Louise. Again excellent surface conditions with scattered snow showers. Visibility was good enough to avoid vertigo in the alpine, but unfortunately no
Tuesday: off day, rented microspikes in town and hiked Johnston canyon to the lower falls, watched ice climbers for a bit. This was a great short hike, and sees enough traffic that you generally only need microspikes rather than snowshoes. Then continued up to Lake Louise (the lake) to enjoy the Chateau and slide around on the ice.
Wednesday: Sister and brother-in-law departed for Calgary via shuttle. Friend and I skied Sunshine again in 3-4" fresh snow and only high clouds for better visibility. GF enjoyed a spa day at the hotel.
Thursday: Skied Lake Louise again, with more snow showers but very brief cross-valley views.
Friday: Half-day at Mt. Norquay. Conditions were inferior to the other two areas (as expected, more like dust-on-crust) but we enjoyed some variety and the change of scenery. In the afternoon we hiked up Tunnel Mountain just outside town for some great views of the valley and surrounding peaks.
Saturday: morning departure to Calgary and fly home.

Hotel: There are plenty of options in Banff, but I was very happy with the Moose. It's a little unconventional in that the corridors are open-air balconies (like you'd find in a motel) but that somehow makes the rooms feel more like individual cabins. The main selling points for our group were the rooftop hot tub and sauna (which we used daily), and the spa. I was also able to book in advance with free cancellation up until the week before.
Dining: Again, plenty of options here, but one that really stood out was Bear Street Tavern: great pizza served with sides of honey and chili oil to drizzle on top. On Sundays they had a pizza + stein deal that was an absolute bargain.

If I were traveling solo or with my college buddies the Calgary-Castle-Fernie-Banff loop sounds great. But for a group that wanted a base that combined good skiing with plenty of other options, Banff was ideal.

 

[Tony Crocker]

We did luck out some as a major cold spell struck in late Feb

We were at Island Lake during that time, fortunate to be riding up the hill in a snowcat and not on chairs. By the weekend when we left and snowtrekker presumably arrived, temps were around 15F, though still with some wind.

In 2022 you had to take a COVID test upon arrival at a Canadian airport, and another one on your departure day before returning to the U.S.

 

[tseeb]

I'm considering Banff starting Feb. 23 (when my 3 days at Mustang end) or March 22, 2026. I've had a timeshare trade request in for a while for the only place near Banff (short shuttle ride to downtown and their weeks run Sun-Sun) through company who sometimes have availability and does not charge annual free. It's $229 for trade, giving up week I have banked and I have $75 off if I book trade before end of year.

There is exchange availability at World Mark Canmore, but I don't like that route recommended by Google maps from WorldMark to Banff is 27 min/33 km. I think my wife would much prefer short shuttle to town if she takes day off from skiing. And being car-less there could be a challenge as it would be for trying to visit the Fairmont and lake at Lake Louise after skiing from Banff.

I booked the Banff Aspen Lodge that includes free breakfast for March 22-27, when SkiTalk will be having a Phil and Tricia-less Gathering. Six nights there is not much more than I paid for 3 nights in hotel-style room at Copper Mountain in early March 2025. Both the room and flights for Lucia and I booked using Alaska points are cancelable without penalty. We depart from SJC, but our return is to OAK as returns to SJC require overnight layover in Seattle due to SJC curfew. Not sure I'd want to take shuttle to and BART home after midnight

 

[Tony Crocker]

Late March is a good time in general for Banff. I can't imagine going there without a car rental though, especially for someone like tseeb who has done nearly all of his ski travel by car.

 

[berkshireskier]

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions. So far, the only item reserved is the hotel Elk and Avenue in Banff. Looks fairly nice. See link below. I'm not sure if we have the option to cancel if something else looks better? Probably the next step is to make airline reservations. I can't fly non-stop to Calgary from any close-by airports, so I may drive to Montreal (about 4.5 hours for me) and then fly with my daughter direct from Montreal to Calgary. We'll see.

Elk + Avenue Hotel Official Site | Stay Modern, Stay Central in Downtown Banff

Modern comfort meets rustic relaxation. Book today & make your stay in Downtown Banff unforgettable.

www.banffjaspercollection.com

 

[ChrisC]

Banff is a great area!

Some thoughts on its ski areas:

Lake Louise - Super scenic area! I'm not sure how James can call this 'Industrial Skiing,' but I think his definition encompasses anything that is large, modern, and has decent infrastructure/lodges. However, this resort is located in Canada's oldest national park and features stunning, undeveloped, old-growth, tree-filled valleys. Its north-facing back bowls are on par with Vail's, and its south side has great long groomers and steep open areas on top. It has improved its lift system, and I believe a new intermediate back bowls lift is scheduled to come online this year. Its expert terrain is stellar as well, with some hike-to areas that retain powder for days.

Sunshine - Great as well. Fewer trees so that I might avoid flat light days here. Its intermediate terrain is generally in smaller vertical pockets. It actually has better extreme expert terrain than Louise, but only excellent snow years, a partner, and an avalanche transceiver. Sunshine, AB - 03/27/07

Norquay - Scenic, closeby but totally unimpressive, with passable skiing. Less snow. The only interesting area is an HSQuad far to the looker's right. Middle - slow chair is pure NE man-made snow groomers. The North American lift has significant bumps, but it is quite steep. I was very bored by 11:30 am, so I decided to drive an hour to go over and check out the 1998 Olympic Mountain, Nakiska. You might be able to combine another activity with a Norquay ski day.

Nakiska - If you think Norquay is a mediocre area with poor snow, Nakiska is even worse. It's far from the divide and has some of the lowest snowfall totals for a Western resort (100"). Everything was a machine-made or hard surface, and winds seemed to scour the upper mountain slopes. They have removed surface lifts/closed trails since the Games because I think they are too $ to maintain. It might a closeby option for Calgary skiers. Again, Alberta/Canada was forced to build a new resort to host the games due to Banff National Park restrictions, but considering how many FIS races come to Lake Louise - not sure this was a prudent decision.

I skied Norquay and Nakiska during a record snow year for Sunshine, Louise, and Kicking Horse; the only impressive thing was how little snow they recived compared to other Alberta/BC resorts.

Old 1988 Nakiska Map

Alternative areas:

Panorama - Great terrain for all levels if snow. See: Norquay/Nakiska.

Kicking Horse - Beautiful, but super limited intermediate skiing.

Jasper/Marmot Basin - Drive the Icefield Parkway - perhaps the most scenic mountain highway in North America. Marmot is a surprisingly modern, likable resort.

 

[ChrisC]

I have stayed at a few hotels on Banff's main street/Banff Avenue, over the years. Generally, my criteria were walking distance to downtown, decent facilities/value, parking and on the bus route:

Hotel: There are plenty of options in Banff, but I was very happy with the Moose. It's a little unconventional in that the corridors are open-air balconies (like you'd find in a motel) but that somehow makes the rooms feel more like individual cabins. The main selling points for our group were the rooftop hot tub and sauna (which we used daily), and the spa. I was also able to book in advance with free cancellation up until the week before.

I really liked the Moose Hotel and concur about the rooftop hot tubs; I have stayed there twice now. We used it daily, even when it was -15/-20 F out, and your hair would freeze within 1-2 minutes.
I have also stayed at the Ptarmigan Inn, which was good too.

Sounds like you already have hotel, but I will throw out that Fox Hotel has been my favorite for some reason. Not that it's that special, but fairly good quality with some funky fun 'cave pool in the basement, etc.. thrown in to the mix.

I have not stayed here, but this looks like a good option as well.

So far, the only item reserved is the hotel Elk and Avenue in Banff. Looks fairly nice. See link below.

That looks like a good option too!

Most of the hotels on Banff Avenue are owned/managed by the same company, so they are similar - mostly modern, with good rooms, easy parking, and on the bus route, etc.


Restaurants:
Most of Banff's restaurants are good, and you can find a reasonable meal. There was one I liked, but I couldn't remember its name even with a simple web search.
Edit: I liked a micro-distillery/brewery on Banff Avenue: Park Restaurant + Bar
Overall, Banff's lodging/food is a superior value compared to Western American ski resorts.


Bus System
Works very well. I have used it a couple of times. If your lodging is at the end of the line for pickups, I could see crowding as a potential issue in the morning (which is your location). The same applies to lining up for returns at the end of the day. However, they run frequently enough.

 

[Tony Crocker]

It actually has better extreme expert terrain than Louise, but only excellent snow years, a partner, and an avalanche transceiver.

Very unreliable. Goat's Eye, the advanced chair, faces SW. The steepest runs traversing skier's left, face even more south and usually have considerable rocks.

Delirium Dive was open 4 of the 7 days I have skied Sunshine. It is more likely open in March/April than in earlier months. My best day at Sunshine was the one I linked in Post #5 above from 2020 and was the only time I've been there when Wild West was open. Those 7 days at Sunshine were in 6 different seasons.

Despite less snowfall, the backside steeps at Lake Louise are much more reliable due to north exposure. Frontside south facing there is more intermediate and can be managed better with grooming.

Sunshine's SW exposure on Goat's Eye and NW on Continental Divide also result in wind scouring. It is remarkable in that climate zone how much better the snow is when leeward of the wind with deposition instead of scouring at Castle Mt. So I vote with my $: I have 21 days at Castle in 12 different seasons.

 

[ChrisC]

Very unreliable. Goat's Eye, the advanced chair, faces SW. The steepest runs traversing skier's left, face even more south and usually have considerable rocks.

Delirium Dive was been open 4 of the 7 days I have skied Sunshine. It is more likely open in March/April than in earlier months. My best day at Sunshine was the one I linked in Post #5 above from 2020 and was the only time I've been there when Wild West was open. Those 7 days at Sunshine were in 6 different seasons.

Despite less snowfall, the backside steeps at Lake Louise are much more reliable due to north exposure. Frontside south facing there is more intermediate and can be managed better with grooming.

Sunshine's SW exposure on Goat's Eye and NW on Continental Divide also result in wind scouring. It is remarkable in that climate zone how much better the snow is when leeward of the wind with deposition instead of scouring at Castle Mt. So I vote with my $: I have 21 days at Castle in 12 different seasons.

Would agree with the above. However, Delirium Dive has been open 100% of the time, albeit for a limited period of four visits (one in January, two in March, and one in April). I found it to be reasonably reliable terrain with high powder potential due to limited access. Goats Eye is as you described, and one has to be very lucky to catch it with good snow. There are some fun shots of the Teepee Town or Standish Lifts.

However, Lake Louise is the expert star of the Banff area. There are numerous unique sets of truly steep chutes in its Back Bowls. And curious about its expanded Front Side steeps with new lifts - looker's left. The ski area exhibits the best attributes of European off-piste areas: low capacity, extensive terrain, and the untracked regions where one can ski or not.

Of course, many North American areas rank as top expert zones, including Alta/Snowbird, Jackson/Targhee, Squaw/Alpine/Kirkwood, and Whistler. However, I would rank a road trip of Sunshine, Lake Louise, Kicking Horse, and Revelstoke - and perhaps add a snowcat/heli day - better than many of the above. Of course, there is the caveat of less snow, similar to the Alps; however, the combination of low skier density, extensive alpine terrain, and reasonable prices mitigates much of this.

My brother bought a Mountain Collective Pass this year to revisit these ski areas.


I have tried many permutations of the Alberta/BC 'Powder Highway' resorts; I have highlighted my preferred routes.
2002 Friends - Calgary: Banff/Sunshine+LL, Panorama, RK Heli, Fernie-2
2007: Solo - Whitefish: Big Mountain, Fernie-2, Red, Whitewater, Kicking Horse, Banff/Sunshine+LL, Norquay, Nakiska
2017: Brother - Calgary: Banff/Sunshine+LL, Kicking Horse-2, Revelstoke, Eagle Pass Heli (Purcell Heli - cancelled)
2018: Solo - Spokane: Silver MT, Schweitzer, Whitewater, Red-2, Big Red Cats
2019: Solo - Calgary: Banff/Sunshine+LL(2), Marmot Basin - 2
2022: Friends - Spokane: Big Red Cats, Valhalla Cats, Revelstoke, Eagle Pass Heli, K3 Cats, Stellar Heli


I will continue to avoid Kimberly and Fairmont Hot Springs. I need to convince my friends/brother to visit Fernie and Castle.

The Powder Highway website BC-Only

I want to encourage a 'Southern Powder Highway' in the future with bases in Nelson and Fernie: Powder Highway BC.