jimk
Well-known member
I'm working on a lengthy trip report of a very successful 18-day ski road trip I made from Salt Lake City to as far north as Jasper, Alberta in late March and early April 2026. I skied five different resorts along the way and enjoyed generally excellent conditions and magnificent scenery, with favorable road conditions covering a total of close to 3000 miles.
Partial report starts here:
19 March to 5 April, 2026. Wow, what a trip! My wife, son, and I just completed an 18 day ski road trip from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Jasper, Alberta with various stops along the way.
I'm going to keep editing this so that it's one or two long posts solely on my Canadian trip. Might take me a day or two to load all photos and comments.
Straight line SLC to Jasper is over 1000 miles due north. We probably logged close to 3000 miles with our wanderings, SLC-PANORAMA-BANFF-JASPER-BIG SKY-SLC. It paid off with numerous powder days and full-on, peak mid-winter conditions. When we left SLC on 19 March 2026 it was 80+ degrees. The US West has had an extremely mild winter. It was still nearly 70 degrees when we crossed the US-Canada border. However, a couple hours into British Columbia we found WINTER.
My first ski day of the trip was Saturday, 21 March and I was solo at Panorama Ski Area in southern British Columbia. Panorama had just received three days of rain followed by a freeze. Conditions were like a rough, 25 degree day in January in the mid-Atlantic; i. e., bullet-proof hardpack on the groomers and coral reef off-piste. Nonetheless, the scenery was wonderful and I had an Ikon Base pass burning a hole in my pocket (Panorama is on the Ikon pass). I broke out the narrow carving skis and stuck it out for about 4.5 hours. During the day of my visit they re-opened the summit quad and I rode that lift multiple times to enjoy the views.
View of the summit chair at Panorama ski area.
Vertical Drop of 4265 ft, a Summit Elevation: 8038 ft, and includes 2975 patrolled acres. There is plenty to explore for an extended stay.
This is a photo of the summit restaurant. Panorama's signature off-piste terrain (Taynton Bowl) is behind it and beyond the blue sign. Unfortunately, it was hard as a rock and closed during my visit.
View of the Canadian Rockies off the backside of Panorama's summit. The previous rain had destabilized the snowpack and a huge avalanche slide path can be seen in that Aspen Highlands-like bowl in center.
I skied this nearby bump run called, IIRC, Roy's Run. It was a bit too firm for this old guy's knees. And those chunks were like little blocks of granite.
I stumbled onto a Canadian junior national mogul competition at Panorama...
...and got a lucky photo with my old cell phone camera.
A view of the Panorama base area.
The next day my wife and I continued our drive up to Banff, Alberta for a one week stay to ski several days at Lake Louise and Banff Sunshine ski areas (both on Ikon). We traveled two hours on beautiful Highway 93 in Kootenay National Park. It was breathtaking and just a preview of additional scenic drives we'd take in Western Canada during our sojourn.
This view was about halfway between Panorama ski area and Banff, Alberta on Highway 93. It was almost like twin Matterhorns going on here.
On my second ski day of the trip, 22 March 2026, I joined a large contingent of SkiTalk.com friends at beautiful Banff Sunshine ski area. It straddles the boundary between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, with trails in each.
This is a friend from the Baltimore area named Mark, with a nice Banff Sunshine backdrop.
There is some incredibly wide open intermediate terrain at Sunshine, but it was windy in exposed areas this day.
Here's another friend at Banff Sunshine. It was a cold and breezy day so I didn't take too many action shots.
We had a group dinner on the evening of the 22nd in Banff. The US dollar is strong in Canada. It's like lodging, restaurants, and shops are all discounted 25-30%.
My third ski day of the trip was on 23 March 2026 at Lake Louise ski area. It was one of my favorite ski days of the entire winter. We got a few inches of new snow on top of an existing snowpack at the ski area of mostly packed powder, It was sunnier and a little warmer, perhaps 25 degrees F? And I really enjoyed the terrain on the backside of the mountain with a trifecta of great tree-lined runs, open bowls, and steep chutes. I seemed to find better and better snow conditions as I explored the mountain throughout the day.
This is a very cool trail at Lake Louise called Rock Garden off the Larch chair. It is littered with several clusters of giant boulders along a lengthy stretch of trail. They were safely covered with snow this season.
This was the first day I was joined by my son Vince. He flew into Calgary and drove up to Banff the night before. He would travel with us for the next two weeks. Vince led us into the Alphabet Chutes where there was great snow providing the confidence to tackle some very steep terrain seen directly behind Vince in center.
Got this nice shot of a young friend in one of the Alphabet Chutes.
A friend named Tony took this photo of me in G Gully, one of the Alphabet Chutes.
Another view from the steep Alphabet Chutes area. The snow was superb, loose powder over soft chalk. Slough followed you down after each turn.
A Canadian friend skiing soft, friendly, powder bumps under the Paradise Chair at Lake Louise. These are the conditions we came for! And with plenty of elbow room. Crowds were very manageable throughout my Canadian travels.
Louise's backside was picturesque from every angle.
The view down the frontside was not too shabby either. The actual Lake Louise is in distant center.
24 Mar 2026, I took a day off from skiing and went to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise with my wife Kathy and two friends. We had a leisurely and elegant lunch while it dumped snow outside. You should have seen the desserts, a warm peach cobbler type thing with ice cream on top that cracked open like an Easter egg, and a blueberry cheesecake. We ate them before I thought to take a photo.
I was too tired to have FOMO about skiing the fresh snow, plus there was a long way to go and many more ski days on this trip. The Chateau is a huge upscale hotel with a gift shop area the size of a small indoor mall. We spent 3-4 hours there dining and shopping among the one percenters.
This is the hotel exterior, the world famous mtn/lake view is in the opposite direction. Wouldn't see it this snowy day, but I saw if from afar while skiing Lake Louise and my wife and other friends saw it close up the day before on a bus tour to this hotel and other sights.
25 March 2026 I returned to ski Lake Louise. This visit was my second time skiing in the Banff region. I skied six days here in March 2018, two at Louise, three at Sunshine, and one at Mt. Norquay. On that trip the highlight was staying mid-mtn at Sunshine and skiing three consecutive days with great conditions including about one foot new snow in small crowds.
This time my days at Lake Louise ski area were the highlight. I skied the backside of the mountain 90% of the time. Snowed 3-5 inches several nights during the week and the sun came out for much of the time. The crowds were a bit larger than 2018, but it was spring break for Calgary schools. Also, I think some of the additional traffic was due to Banff having a banner year while many other western ski destinations were not.
On the 25th we revisited many of our favorite runs from the 23rd and hit a few new spots.
Skiing Rock Garden trail again.
This is a friend in one of the Alphabet Chutes, see what I mean about the slough following you down the slope!?!
Same person seconds later, these shots more accurately capture the steepness of this terrain. Notice few moguls, just a nice loose layer of snow over a soft chalky surface.
Again
Vince dropping from a big cornice to the skier's right of the Paradise chair on the backside of Lake Louise ski area. IIRC this area is called Swede's. That's the Larch lift line behind him.
Photo by a friend named Al, from another angle and slightly different part of the same cornice. Vince lapped this area a few times, it required a short hike/skate.
Vince skiing powdery bumps under the Larch chair lift line.
Spectacular vistas from every chairlift ride at Lake Louise.
Panoramic photo from the summit of Lake Louise looking towards the backside of the mountain. The grandeur is very inadequately captured.
Scenes from the town of Banff. It is about 25 minutes from Sunshine and 45 from Lake Louise ski areas. It's far more busy in summer, so in winter there is an over-supply of great hotels/lodging and many fine restaurants and shops. It's surely one of my favorite ski destinations ever!
26 March 2026, I went back to Banff Sunshine ski area this day. It was a mix of sun, snow, and clouds. A few inches of fresh snow had fallen overnight.
This is a friend in the Goat's Eye area of the mtn on a slope called Cleavage after two big rocks.
The great snow spoiled us, this is another friend from Dawson Creek, Canada in same area.
Me and a long time Ski Talk friend named Mark in the Goat's Eye area.
Goat's Eye view, lots of acreage per skier.
A friend in Bye Bye Bowl off Lookout Mtn, elev 8954', the highest lift served point at Sunshine.
Greetings from Bye Bye Bowl at Sunshine.
27 March 2026, this was my last ski day in the Banff area and I returned to Lake Louise to ski with a large group of Ski Talk.com friends. For an area without slopeside lodging, the base lodge complex at Louise is huge. It's like a huge day-lodge.
I didn't ski the frontside of the mtn very much, but it had great views too. The Chateau Lake Louise and famous lakeview can be seen in the distance of this photo.
Guess who?
to be continued...
Partial report starts here:
19 March to 5 April, 2026. Wow, what a trip! My wife, son, and I just completed an 18 day ski road trip from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Jasper, Alberta with various stops along the way.
I'm going to keep editing this so that it's one or two long posts solely on my Canadian trip. Might take me a day or two to load all photos and comments.
Straight line SLC to Jasper is over 1000 miles due north. We probably logged close to 3000 miles with our wanderings, SLC-PANORAMA-BANFF-JASPER-BIG SKY-SLC. It paid off with numerous powder days and full-on, peak mid-winter conditions. When we left SLC on 19 March 2026 it was 80+ degrees. The US West has had an extremely mild winter. It was still nearly 70 degrees when we crossed the US-Canada border. However, a couple hours into British Columbia we found WINTER.
My first ski day of the trip was Saturday, 21 March and I was solo at Panorama Ski Area in southern British Columbia. Panorama had just received three days of rain followed by a freeze. Conditions were like a rough, 25 degree day in January in the mid-Atlantic; i. e., bullet-proof hardpack on the groomers and coral reef off-piste. Nonetheless, the scenery was wonderful and I had an Ikon Base pass burning a hole in my pocket (Panorama is on the Ikon pass). I broke out the narrow carving skis and stuck it out for about 4.5 hours. During the day of my visit they re-opened the summit quad and I rode that lift multiple times to enjoy the views.
View of the summit chair at Panorama ski area.
Vertical Drop of 4265 ft, a Summit Elevation: 8038 ft, and includes 2975 patrolled acres. There is plenty to explore for an extended stay.
This is a photo of the summit restaurant. Panorama's signature off-piste terrain (Taynton Bowl) is behind it and beyond the blue sign. Unfortunately, it was hard as a rock and closed during my visit.
View of the Canadian Rockies off the backside of Panorama's summit. The previous rain had destabilized the snowpack and a huge avalanche slide path can be seen in that Aspen Highlands-like bowl in center.
I skied this nearby bump run called, IIRC, Roy's Run. It was a bit too firm for this old guy's knees. And those chunks were like little blocks of granite.
I stumbled onto a Canadian junior national mogul competition at Panorama...
...and got a lucky photo with my old cell phone camera.
A view of the Panorama base area.
The next day my wife and I continued our drive up to Banff, Alberta for a one week stay to ski several days at Lake Louise and Banff Sunshine ski areas (both on Ikon). We traveled two hours on beautiful Highway 93 in Kootenay National Park. It was breathtaking and just a preview of additional scenic drives we'd take in Western Canada during our sojourn.
This view was about halfway between Panorama ski area and Banff, Alberta on Highway 93. It was almost like twin Matterhorns going on here.
On my second ski day of the trip, 22 March 2026, I joined a large contingent of SkiTalk.com friends at beautiful Banff Sunshine ski area. It straddles the boundary between the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia, with trails in each.
This is a friend from the Baltimore area named Mark, with a nice Banff Sunshine backdrop.
There is some incredibly wide open intermediate terrain at Sunshine, but it was windy in exposed areas this day.
Here's another friend at Banff Sunshine. It was a cold and breezy day so I didn't take too many action shots.
We had a group dinner on the evening of the 22nd in Banff. The US dollar is strong in Canada. It's like lodging, restaurants, and shops are all discounted 25-30%.
My third ski day of the trip was on 23 March 2026 at Lake Louise ski area. It was one of my favorite ski days of the entire winter. We got a few inches of new snow on top of an existing snowpack at the ski area of mostly packed powder, It was sunnier and a little warmer, perhaps 25 degrees F? And I really enjoyed the terrain on the backside of the mountain with a trifecta of great tree-lined runs, open bowls, and steep chutes. I seemed to find better and better snow conditions as I explored the mountain throughout the day.
This is a very cool trail at Lake Louise called Rock Garden off the Larch chair. It is littered with several clusters of giant boulders along a lengthy stretch of trail. They were safely covered with snow this season.
This was the first day I was joined by my son Vince. He flew into Calgary and drove up to Banff the night before. He would travel with us for the next two weeks. Vince led us into the Alphabet Chutes where there was great snow providing the confidence to tackle some very steep terrain seen directly behind Vince in center.
Got this nice shot of a young friend in one of the Alphabet Chutes.
A friend named Tony took this photo of me in G Gully, one of the Alphabet Chutes.
Another view from the steep Alphabet Chutes area. The snow was superb, loose powder over soft chalk. Slough followed you down after each turn.
A Canadian friend skiing soft, friendly, powder bumps under the Paradise Chair at Lake Louise. These are the conditions we came for! And with plenty of elbow room. Crowds were very manageable throughout my Canadian travels.
Louise's backside was picturesque from every angle.
The view down the frontside was not too shabby either. The actual Lake Louise is in distant center.
24 Mar 2026, I took a day off from skiing and went to the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise with my wife Kathy and two friends. We had a leisurely and elegant lunch while it dumped snow outside. You should have seen the desserts, a warm peach cobbler type thing with ice cream on top that cracked open like an Easter egg, and a blueberry cheesecake. We ate them before I thought to take a photo.
I was too tired to have FOMO about skiing the fresh snow, plus there was a long way to go and many more ski days on this trip. The Chateau is a huge upscale hotel with a gift shop area the size of a small indoor mall. We spent 3-4 hours there dining and shopping among the one percenters.
This is the hotel exterior, the world famous mtn/lake view is in the opposite direction. Wouldn't see it this snowy day, but I saw if from afar while skiing Lake Louise and my wife and other friends saw it close up the day before on a bus tour to this hotel and other sights.
25 March 2026 I returned to ski Lake Louise. This visit was my second time skiing in the Banff region. I skied six days here in March 2018, two at Louise, three at Sunshine, and one at Mt. Norquay. On that trip the highlight was staying mid-mtn at Sunshine and skiing three consecutive days with great conditions including about one foot new snow in small crowds.
This time my days at Lake Louise ski area were the highlight. I skied the backside of the mountain 90% of the time. Snowed 3-5 inches several nights during the week and the sun came out for much of the time. The crowds were a bit larger than 2018, but it was spring break for Calgary schools. Also, I think some of the additional traffic was due to Banff having a banner year while many other western ski destinations were not.
On the 25th we revisited many of our favorite runs from the 23rd and hit a few new spots.
Skiing Rock Garden trail again.
This is a friend in one of the Alphabet Chutes, see what I mean about the slough following you down the slope!?!
Same person seconds later, these shots more accurately capture the steepness of this terrain. Notice few moguls, just a nice loose layer of snow over a soft chalky surface.
Again
Vince dropping from a big cornice to the skier's right of the Paradise chair on the backside of Lake Louise ski area. IIRC this area is called Swede's. That's the Larch lift line behind him.
Photo by a friend named Al, from another angle and slightly different part of the same cornice. Vince lapped this area a few times, it required a short hike/skate.
Vince skiing powdery bumps under the Larch chair lift line.
Spectacular vistas from every chairlift ride at Lake Louise.
Panoramic photo from the summit of Lake Louise looking towards the backside of the mountain. The grandeur is very inadequately captured.
Scenes from the town of Banff. It is about 25 minutes from Sunshine and 45 from Lake Louise ski areas. It's far more busy in summer, so in winter there is an over-supply of great hotels/lodging and many fine restaurants and shops. It's surely one of my favorite ski destinations ever!
26 March 2026, I went back to Banff Sunshine ski area this day. It was a mix of sun, snow, and clouds. A few inches of fresh snow had fallen overnight.
This is a friend in the Goat's Eye area of the mtn on a slope called Cleavage after two big rocks.
The great snow spoiled us, this is another friend from Dawson Creek, Canada in same area.
Me and a long time Ski Talk friend named Mark in the Goat's Eye area.
Goat's Eye view, lots of acreage per skier.
A friend in Bye Bye Bowl off Lookout Mtn, elev 8954', the highest lift served point at Sunshine.
Greetings from Bye Bye Bowl at Sunshine.
27 March 2026, this was my last ski day in the Banff area and I returned to Lake Louise to ski with a large group of Ski Talk.com friends. For an area without slopeside lodging, the base lodge complex at Louise is huge. It's like a huge day-lodge.
I didn't ski the frontside of the mtn very much, but it had great views too. The Chateau Lake Louise and famous lakeview can be seen in the distance of this photo.
Guess who?
to be continued...
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