Ski Slopes in Banff National Park, Alberta
We here at the Canadian Rockies office take every opportunity during the long ski season to get out onto the slopes so we can share our vast knowledge with you. However, sometimes, with all the activities at our front door, it is just impossible to get onto all the slopes to test them out. This is where our faithful readers come in. This season, three vistors to the Rockies let us know what they thought of Banff’s own Marmot Basin ski.
Steve Fowler, London:
“This is a smashing place to go to. I didn’t have any ski knowledge before I came here with my Canadian girlfriend but the instructors soon fixed that. I must admit that when I skied in Sunshine Village, the instructors were a bit more experienced but no big deal. We went in March this year. Even that late in the season, there was loads of snow, the sun shone and thankfully for me and my kamikaze skiing, the slopes were delightfully quiet!
With no experts flitting by me, I felt so much more comfortable pottering about at my own pace. This gave me the confidence to eventually become one of those mad skiers I originally feared!
There are some brilliant green and blue runs right at the top of the caribou chair and the views down the Rockies range was truly amazing. The highlight was that we never had to queue for lifts so we could keep on going until we dropped and renting the skis was so easy too. I thought it would be much more complicated. Awesome trip. Cannot wait to return.
Taylor Lindseman, Ottowa:
Marmot is an amazing hill and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! I have skied all my life but have only snowboarded about 5 times. In Banff alone I have skied Sunshine, Norquay and now Marmot and Marmot was by far my favourite. It is so darn huge with runs everywhere, and many of the runs are blues and greens which is awesome, especially when I was trying to get better with my snowboard.
There was tons of powder when we first arrived on the Saturday, by Sunday most of it was groomed but it was still a blast. Because Marmot is so sheltered, the weather was incredible too. I hate that feeling when your hands feel like they are about to fall off. Kind of takes away from the ski. I was staying with a friend in Edmonton and it really wasn’t far at all to get to. It definitely has my vote. .
Paul Kennedy, Banff:
For me, Marmot Basin takes the biscuit out of the ski hills in Banff. It is a great ski location for those who love friendly “real” people who are just out on the slopes to have some fun. The fancy skiers who seem to ski for social reasons seem to stay around the other hills instead and that’s just fine by me.
Lift lines are very small (2 or 3 minute wait on a Saturday afternoon) thanks to wide variety of skiing options provided on the mountain and off peak season, you can just stroll on. Bliss on a warm Sunday morning.
One of Marmot’s outstanding attributes is its dry snow. It makes skiing through powder a wonderful experience. For the skier looking for a bit more excitement, there is thin powder available on most runs and a game of cat and mouse in the trees is always fun (if a little dangerous!)
For prices and more information, see here.