SLC-Panorama-Banff-Jasper-Big Sky-SLC 18 days March & April 2026

[jimk]

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.

• 

While the scenery was superb, I certainly didn't get to ski Panorama at its best, which means that I have to go back again someday?!? It has a
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...

 

[berkshireskier]

Thanks for your trip report and great photos! I was in Banff at the same time, skiing with my daughter. It really is incredibly beautiful (you're right, the photos and videos don't really capture the grandeur of the scenery). As my daughter said, it truly takes your breath away.

 

[jimk]

27 March 2026 at Lake Louise ski area continued...

The summit lift at Lake Louise tops out at elevation 8,650'. It was the gateway to some terrific runs, chutes and bowls on the backside of the mountain. It's relatively new and replaced a notorious platter lift a few years ago.

Groomer to right is called Boomerang and is an example of the stupendous terrain and scenery served by the summit lift.

Apres ski time with friends @tseeb and wife.

On Saturday, 28 March 2026, I dropped Vince off for a morning ski session at Banff Sunshine. He took his avalanche safety gear with him in the hopes of getting to ski Delerium Dive. Meanwhile, my wife and I packed up and cleared out of our room at the excellent Banff Aspen Lodge after staying there for six nights (totaling about $1118 for a two part room sleeping three and including a very nice breakfast each day). We picked up Vince a little after noon time and he had just successfully made a lap in Delerium Dive. Photo here:

Then we headed straight up to Jasper, Alberta, which took about four hours, including about two hours on snowpacked roads and a couple of snow squalls.


Passing Castle Mountain a few miles outside Banff on the drive north.

Eventually we used the magnificent Highway 93, the Icefields Parkway, where the snowpack was super deep.

The Columbia Icefield (glacier) was impressive in ominous light.

Jasper was small compared to Banff, but had several good motels/hotels and a number of restaurants.

Jasper owes its origins to the Canadian railway system.

On 29 March Vince and I logged our first ski day ever at Marmot Basin ski area. It is legit, with 1720 inbound acres, and 3000' vertical. The base elevation is 5570', the highest of all major ski areas in Canada. The summit is 8570', which is quite high considering a latitude.

It was spring break for the Edmonton school district and the base lodge was hopping.

There was lots of recent fresh snow in Marmot, including a few squalls during our ski day.

The advanced terrain on the upper mountain was not seeing much traffic and we quickly stumbled into a snowy and nearly empty mountainside off the skier's left of Paradise chair. It was called Tres Hombres. It was steep, huge, and nearly empty, and it had excellent soft, fresh snow.

Vince's first run down Tres Hombres.

Marmot has a nice mix of trees and open terrain. This is the Eagle Ridge Chair.

It served a steep, treed area called Eagle East.

But after lunch we couldn't resist going back to the Tres Hombres area for more great snow. These two shots are from a section there called El Diablo.

Coming...

Going...

Monday, 30 March 2026 was a cold (high of 5 degs F), but beautiful ski day at Marmot Basin with terrific snow conditions. It was another of my favorite ski days of the trip and season. It was sunny for much of the day and perfect for exploiting 6+ inches of "cold smoke" snow in the last 24 hrs (and 21 inches in the last six days) at Marmot Basin.



I haven't mentioned that there was a shocking amount of damage from a huge forest fire in the summer of 2024. It went on for 25 or more miles in the vicinity of Jasper. I'm told even a portion of the town was destroyed. We saw quite a bit of construction there. Fortunately, it did not reach all the way up to the ski area, but it came close.

On our second day at Marmot Basin Vince and I concentrated our skiing on the summit area served by The Knob quad chair. It features a huge cirque which on Monday the 30th was filled with high quality, accumulated snow. We had avoided this magnificent, mostly treeless area in the low viz conditions of the previous day.



I took this photo beneath the Eagle Ridge Chair. The Knob/summit chair is to the far right. Everything in between comprises The Cirque, much of it lift served via traverses. The highest parts of the Cirque are inbounds, but hike-to only. It was quite reminiscent of The Cirque at Snowbird, only more acreage, but not quite as much gnar as some of the short, cliffy chutes at Snowbird.

Looking the other direction from the Eagle Ridge lift the town of Jasper can be seen in the distant center.

We stored our brown bag lunch in the mid-mtn Paradise Lodge and later ate there. It's center in this photo. Most Canadian ski areas seem to be quite accommodating to brown baggers and have a very down-to-earth vibe. The Canadian Express and Paradise chairs can be seen to the right. We barely scratched the surface of the tree skiing at Marmot.

A highlight of the day was heading out from the Knob chair to make fresh tracks in the Cirque.

Further out, traversing to the saddle of the Cirque. The next day Vince would twice make the hike up to Marmot-2 Peak on the right.

Fresh tracks and cold smoke on March 30. It was 5 degrees, windless, nice sunshine and little competition for the powder!

Again, we drove 1000 miles due north of Salt Lake City for this and it was worth it

Cool patrol shack buried in snow at the top of Knob chair. Hikers can be seen above it. We climbed this bootpack on our way to the Crest of the Cirque.

Marmot is the kind of place where the fresh snow on the mtn, particularly on the expert parts of the mtn, doesn't get skied out in one day. This photo of the Marmot-2 chute was taken from The Knob chair at 3:35 PM.

Later in the evening my wife Kathy recruited me to drive her to dinner at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge's Orso Trattoria.

Exterior.

31 Mar 2026, Vince made some early runs at Marmot Basin while my wife and I packed up and checked out of our hotel in Jasper. We started driving the Icefields Parkway in the southerly direction at about noon. Both the road and the visibility was much better/clearer than last Saturday when we drove up this route (HWY 93).

Note about lift tickets at Marmot Basin; it's not part of Ikon, but since I'm old and have a season pass at Snowbird I got a double discount, 50% off because Snowbird and Marmot are both Mountain Collective ski areas, and a senior discount. My full day pass cost about $47.50 USD.


Heading south from Jasper the Canadian Rockies were blanketed in deep, white snow.

We made a quick stop at Athabasca Falls. It's about 70 feet tall including several plunges and is located about 20 miles south of Jasper.

This Icefields Parkway scenery went on for 2+ hours.

The plow drivers were our friends.

Approaching the Columbia Icefields where there are multiple glaciers nearby.

I donned my snowshoes for the glacier.

Vince broke out his touring skis. This area had a violent micro-climate. It was super windy and 20 degrees.

A few miles down the road we made a pit stop at the most scenic outhouses in Canada

We found WINTER. It was really cool to see such an incredibly deep snowpack after such a mild winter in the western USA.

We saw some monster avalanche slide paths and debris, this was 20-30 feet deep.

After leaving Canada we drove to Big Sky, MT for a three day visit...to be continued.

 

[berkshireskier]

Thanks for the trip report and great photos! Is there any better mountain scenery in North America (excluding Alaska)?

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Is there any better mountain scenery in North America (excluding Alaska)?

Scenery connected to lift-served skiing? In my experience, you're right. Is Telluride the other frontrunner?

 

[Tony Crocker]

Is Telluride the other frontrunner?

In terms of surrounding peaks, yes. I'll and ask James where those places would rank in the Alps. Slightly above average I'd say.

Alyeska has both water views and surrounding peaks views. In terms of water views, the Tahoe resorts, Heavenly and Homewood in particular, are on most North America short lists. James initiated a thread on water views. He posted several from lower altitude places in the Alps farther from the high spire measure peaks.

I skied one day at Marmot in 2007, was very impressed with terrain quality, but the expert stuff was a bit sketchy in this chronic modest snowfall region. It was great to see Jimk and Vince score Marmot at its maximum potential with a deep snowpack.

Castle Mountain

I'm tempted to say "wrong Castle Mt." but Castle Mt. ski area like Panorama was too warm during the storm the week before Jimk arrived in Canada. As for Panorama, that sounded ugly and I would have taken a pass. Kicking Horse might have been better, but if so only on about its upper third I'd guess. My February day at Panorama had not seen any rain but it had snowed only 7 inches in the past month and while intensely groomed the manmade base was evident on most turns.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

I'll and ask James where those places would rank in the Alps. Slightly above average I'd say.

Where LL/SSV/Telluride rank compared to the Alps' best? Average/not even close but hey, I live in the East and you can have great skiing without mindblowing scenery.

 

[jimk]

Where LL/SSV/Telluride rank compared to the Alps' best? Average/not even close but hey, I live in the East and you can have great skiing without mindblowing scenery.

Having skied LL/SSV, Chamonix and Grindelwald in the last three months I'd diplomatically say they are all equally gorgeous. My impressions of Banff area are biased because the snow quality was so good. Having that and scenery was a big WOW. I've also skied Telluride and it's quite beautiful as well. At some point this gets very subjective and beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

 

[Tony Crocker]

Since Jimk missed the original thread on spire measure several years ago, I invite him to read the description here. There are links to several lists by state or region. Clicking on the places you know should confirm that spire measure is a quite good quantification of visual impression.

More recently someone referred me to this webpage about Peak Jut. Peak Jut is a simple calculation based upon the overall steepest view of a mountain, its highest rise above the horizon from a specific location. Spire measure is much more complex as it measures steepness from a complete 360 degree radius of the peak.

At any rate Banff was such a standout vs. this mostly dismal western US ski season. Interestingly the Lake Louise and Sunshine record season snowfalls are from 2011-12, another bad season in California, Utah and Colorado. 2011-12 was my record season for powder skiing mainly due to 12 days of cat skiing in Canada.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

At some point this gets very subjective and beauty is always in the eye of the beholder.

I agree and wherever I am is fine. When I'm at Shawnee in the Poconos or Greek Peak in the middle of CNY farmland, I don't think "I wish I were in the Alps, Rockies, Andes, etc."

 

[EMSC]

I skied one day at Marmot in 2007, was very impressed with terrain quality, but the expert stuff was a bit sketchy in this chronic modest snowfall region. It was great to see Jimk and Vince score Marmot at its maximum potential with a deep snowpack.

This would absolutely be the year to ski Marmot. It has some great terrain in spots but rarely has enough snowfall to ski ski uninhibited on said steep terrain most of the time. Lots of hidden rocks to find most snow years. If they could consistently get, say, 50% more snow than prior averages indicate, they would be on a lot more trip itineraries for sure. Like the vibe there, but just needs to get more snow.

 

[jimk]

Later on 31 March 2026 we passed through Banff one last time and had a meal at The Boss Kitchen and Bar. It's named after a famous alpha-grizzly bear that still roams the area. Banff was one of my favorite locations ever for a large gathering of ski friends. The town is highly walkable and loaded with good hotels, restaurants, and shops. It was fairly busy, but winter is actually low season compared to summer in Banff, so we were able to have numerous group dinners and outings with little advance reservations or planning. And the vibe is much less pretentious than some of the upscale ski resorts in the USA, not to mention the highly favorable exchange rate, USD vs. CAD.

After leaving Canada we drove to Big Sky, MT for a three day visit. We passed through a very rural farming and ranching area in southern Alberta with some Hutterite "colony" farms. They apparently are similar to the Amish and Mennonite communities I am more familiar with near Lancaster, PA.

A colony farm in southern Alberta near the US border, 1 Apr 2026.

We arrived on Wednesday evening 1 Apr 2026 in a light rain. Later that night it turned into a very heavy 5" of snow. Vince and I were somehow slightly uninspired after a long drive and the terrific conditions in Canada, but we hit the hill from 11 AM to about 1:30 PM on the 2nd. It was a slush-fest. The best we could tell the mild winter left only about 30% of Big Sky's terrain open, mostly in the center of the mountain. Still, a third of Big Sky is bigger than a great many American ski areas.

Slush-fest at Big Sky.

Fortunately, the snow kept coming and on Friday morning 3 Apr 2026 I cleaned another 8 or 9" of snow off my car. It was colder and better quality and continued a bit during the day. We put in a full day of storm skiing, frequently among the advanced terrain off the Challenger chair.
There was enough new snow that avalanche mitigation work limited operations to only three lower lifts (two bubble chairs and the gondola) early in the day and lift lines were massive. Bozeman is a boom town and the locals were out in force to enjoy a relatively rare powder day in this subpar western winter.

Once we got out of the base area things went better and the new snow totaled about 14" over the previous 36 hours.

It was not Alberta cold smoke, but it was pretty nice!

The next day, 4 Apr 2026, was another of my favorites from the trip. We had partial sun, the new snow set up well. The storm wrapped up and it was very fine "day after" skiing. Being Ikon base pass holders, Vince and I decided to pay the up-charge to take a single ride on the Lone Peak summit tram. The dynamic pricing was set at $25 per ride this day. It opened at 9:30 AM and we got in line ten minutes before then. We caught the second tram up to the summit.

The top 15% of the summit was clouded in, but still we enjoyed hanging out for a bit at the glass floored summit observation room.

I got a very nice view of the uber-exclusive Yellowstone Club private ski area as I skied down Liberty Bowl from the summit.

As we explored the mountain the scenery really started to pop.

Vince pointing to a chute he skied (without me) pretty far out in the expert Headwaters section of the mountain.

What a fun day and much better lift lines than the day before even though it was a Saturday! I believe Big Sky had opened another 15% of terrain after the new snow, helping to spread crowds.

Beside the Challenger chair again.

This view captures the upper mountain Powder Seeker bubble chair, to the left is the tram line and summit complex.

Vince was interested in skiing the Big Couloir. It's Big Sky's signature steep chute from the summit, but it was closed this visit due to icy/bony conditions. It is just to the left of center in this photo.

This giant igloo (they call it Iglu) contained a bar inside. Outside a DJ was playing tunes on a fun and beautiful day.

Wildcat man checking his social feed.

One last look at Lone Peak (elevation 11,167') at Big Sky as we headed south to Salt Lake City and complete a really fine 18 day road trip.

5 APR 2026, Finally back in SLC area. 18 day road trip. 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.
When was the last time you skied in single digit temps and multiple snowstorms, yet upon return home had to wash millions of bugs off your car, ski rack and skis? When we left SLC on March 19 it was 80+ degrees. When we returned on April 5 it was 70+. It was full-on spring down here, bugs included, while it was full-on winter up there!

Thanks for reading.

 

[berkshireskier]

Thanks again for your great trip report and photos! Looks like a very worthwhile but long drive to get some of the best skiing in North America. My daughter and I also ate lunch one at The Boss restaurant and we had a good meal. Yes, "The Boss" is a legend in the Banff valley. As his name implies, he is considered the alpha male of the grizzly population in the Bow River valley. Apparently, he is 28 years old and weighs over 800 pounds (at the end of the Summer, after feeding for a few months); he's estimated to have sired over 70% of all the grizzly bears in that area; he also was apparently hit by a train at one point and survived; another time, a large, young grizzly challenged him for superiority and The Boss won the fight, splitting the lip of the younger bear. That bear is now called "Split Lip" and The Boss is still the King. That's the hotel we stayed in the background of your Banff photo - the Elk and Avenue Hotel which I would highly recommend. And I agree with you about Banff. I thought it was a great town, with lots of eating options and great shopping, although a little touristy.

 

[Tony Crocker]

had to wash millions of bugs off your car

This is fairly routine for us in the Owens Valley on April/May trips to Mammoth. But bug season started way early this year. We had them driving from Big Sky to SLC on March 7. We also had them earlier this week driving from the Alps to the last 3 days of our Euro trip in Florence.

On my 5 week road trip Bridger Bowl had by far the worst conditions, not surprised it closed March 22. Big Sky was about 3/4 open our days March 4-5 with OK conditions prior to the big March meltdown. But in a temporary cloudy spell expert terrain with bad exposure (Lone Peak and Challenger) were off limits. I'm very surprised Vince skied a Headwaters chute. When we were there the lift was closed and Headwaters looked very bony. One perversity of Big Sky is that the north facing steeps that should have the best snow seem prone to windstripping. I asked, and North Snowfields were closed too because Rip's and Great Falls did not have adequate coverage. But big picture we were lucky with Montana. The 11-inch powder happened at exactly the right time for us: the day at Yellowstone Club.