Skiing and Snowboarding

Five world-class alpine resorts are perched among the high peaks of Alberta [1]’s Rockies. The largest in Alberta, and second largest in all of Canada, is Lake Louise [2], overlooking the lake of the same name in Banff National Park [3]. The area boasts 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of skiing and boarding on four distinct faces, with wide-open bowls and runs for all ability levels. Banff’s other two resorts are Sunshine Village [4], sitting on the Continental Divide and accessible only by the world’s fastest gondola, and Ski Norquay [4], a resort with heart-pounding runs overlooking the town of Banff. Just outside Banff in Kananaskis Country [5] is Nakiska [6], developed especially for the downhill events of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games. Marmot Basin [7], in Jasper National Park [3], has minimal crowds with a maximum variety of terrain.

Nearly 50 other ski hills are scattered throughout the province, most with less than a 150-meter (500-foot) vertical drop. One area unique for its proximity to the city center is the Edmonton Ski Club in the North Saskatchewan River Valley, overlooking downtown Edmonton [8]. Canada Olympic Park [9], within the Calgary [10] city limits, was built for the 1988 Winter Olympic Games and maintains some of the world’s finest ski-jumping facilities. Most major resorts begin opening in early December and close in May or, in the case of Sunshine Village, late May.