“Road Trip” to Sunshine and Lake Louise
March 2, 2026
Someone had to be the sacrificial lamb. Someone had to leave Utah for a week so a huge storm would crash into the Wasatch. Charlotte and I, along with our good friend Billy, volunteered. We spent last week in the Banff region of Canada and sure enough, Alta got hammered to the tune of a 48 inch storm. But I am here to tell you we have absolutely no regrets! Banff Sunshine Village (weird name eh?) and Lake Louise Ski Resort delivered the goods. No, they didn’t deliver lots of new snow, but the two mountains offer an impressive array of terrain, lift systems and ambiance that you need to check out.
We have had these two areas on our list of road trip candidates for years. The only reason it took us this long to make it there is their annual snowfall numbers are generally anemic, although it is a little hard to get reliable information. Sunshine claims to receive 360 inches in a winter, but that is very suspect. Third party sources (On the Snow for instance) state that Sunshine gets 230 inches and Lake Louise gets 210 on average. These numbers seem more accurate given that the two areas are on the eastern side of the Canadian Rockies, and most major weather systems tend to exhaust themselves well before reaching Sunshine and Lake Louise.
But in the weirdest of winters, the Banff area had received record amounts of snow in November and December, setting them up well for the winter, and we decided this was the winter to venture to the Canadian Rockies. A simple check on google maps convinced us this trip would not technically qualify as a “road trip.” Fifteen hours in the truck from Alta to Banff seemed like a tad too much. Hence I hopped on a plane for the 2 hour flight north to Calgary, Bill flew in from San Francisco and Charlotte from Portland, Maine. Our experience suggests Calgary is an easy one flight poke from any western or mid western city and a two flight venture from the east coast.
We tackled Sunshine Village first, it being an easy 1.5 hr. drive from Calgary. The name is a bit misleading since there really isn’t a village. The area has a unique set up in that you take a 15 minute gondola ride up to the ski area. We had decided to stay right at the base of the ski area at the Sunshine Mountain Lodge, which offers the only ski in/ski out lodging for both Sunshine and Lake Louise. The Lodge makes the whole process relatively seamless though since they take your luggage up to the Lodge during the day while you get to ski. We would recommend staying at the Lodge – it is modern, comfortable, incredibly close to the lifts and offers good dinner options.
We ended up skiing two days at Sunshine and then three days at Lake Louise. The snow depth at both resorts was impressive due to their early season storms. Unfortunately, they had suffered through a month of very little new snow like much of western North America and, thus, the base was firm. We were saved by an eight inch snowfall our first night at Sunshine which freshened up the surfaces really well.
Despite their closeness to each other (45 minute drive) the areas are quite different. Both areas have impressive terrain above tree line but the similarities end there. Sunshine has lifts laid out in a horseshoe shape so while it has 3,300 acres of skiing and a vertical of 3,500 feet, the runs aren’t particularly long and the vertical is hard to ski in one continuous run. However, it offers a wide variety of terrain for every ability skier, and we had lots of fun hopping around from lift to lift. Bottom line – great hill and worth a two day stay.
Our real love ended up being Lake Louise. It has a front and back side that couldn’t be more different. The front side offers a small section above tree line with incredibly long continuous pitches back to the base. We had a blast doing non-stops top to bottom. And then there is the WTF backside. It is almost completely open with large bowls and numerous chutes. Much of this terrain is skiable by an upper intermediate skier, and for the expert it is must try terrain. The diversity of the back and front side is really amazing. We occasionally had a hard time deciding where to next. And while conditions weren’t particularly conducive to this, there are many gladed runs. Lake Louise. with 4,200 acres, is substantially bigger than Sunshine, and while the vertical is less (3,250 feet) the whole front side offers that continuous vertical every run.
No resort is perfect and the one common fault the two areas share is the lack of on-mountain dining. Sunshine’s lunch options are few and are primarily located at the main base area. Lake Louise does have two mid mountain lunch spots – one way too small and the other a fancy sit down lodge. The result is the base lodges during midday at both areas are more conducive to wrestling matches than eating. The only exception we found was Nikko Ramen at the base of Sunshine, but eat there off hours to avoid the line it warrants.
Historically when I traveled to ski, I really only cared about whether the skiing was good. These road trips have taught me to take a broader view. This trip really hammered that lesson home. You enter another world when you go to the Banff area. Despite being less than two hours from Calgary, these two resorts have an incredibly unique feel. Much of the terrain is above tree line offering stunning 360 views of the incredibly jagged Canadian Rockies. Sorry for the cliche, but words fail at adequately describing the scenery. In addition, we have always found Canadians to be relaxed hosts who provide service with grace. A welcome contrast.
We also usually meet some very unique people on these ventures. This trip we lodged at The Post Hotel in Lake Louise (highly recommended!) and had a fascinating dinner with that establishment’s equivalent to the “Gentleman In Moscow” who essentially lives at the hotel and skis every day. (If the Gentleman In Moscow reference is lost on you, find the book so entitled by Amor Towles. A must read!)
So, I would encourage you to hit the road, step out – adventure indeed awaits. And do it with friends/family. Charlotte, Billy and I skied together the whole time, curled up together watching the Olympics at night and laughed a ton.
Be Well; Ski Well.
Kevin Dennis is a life long ski bum with a 34 year legal career on the side. Now retired, he skis 80+ days a year. While he lives in Alta UT in the winters, he has traveled extensively through skiing and has skied almost every major resort in North America (and many you have never heard of). He continues to hit the road often throughout the western United States and Canada and trips over the last several years have included ventures in British Columbia, Montana and Colorado. Whether you want to know about the behemoths like Aspen or Squaw or are interested in the road less travelled (Lost Trail Powder Mountain in Montana or Whitewater in BC anyone?), Kevin has been there, has an opinion and you will most likely have to tell him to shut up after a half hour!
SEND