Ski Banff: resort guide - Telegraph We don't like It's a 20-minute bus ride then a long gondola ride away You'll probably want to ski Lake Louise too - 45 minutes away Most lifts/runs are of limited vertical Can be very cold (-30°C or less) Banff lacks ski resort atmosphere - though it's not an unattractive town Pleasantly touristy Banff consists basically of a long main street connecting the "downtown" area - a small network of side roads built in grid fashion, lined with clothing and souvenir shops aimed at summer visitors - with a large area of hotel and condo lodgings. The buildings are low-rise, and some are wood-clad. The town is pleasant enough, but it's essentially a modern tourist town, without the character of the classic American cowboy or mining towns. Sprawling town, outlying slopes Banff is a sprawling place, and many of the lodgings (even on the main Banff Avenue) can be quite a way from the downtown area. A car can be helpful here, especially in cold weather. But there are plentiful taxis. To get to the slopes there is an efficient, regular bus service that picks up from all the main hotels - free with the Tri-area lift pass. The buses pick up from a number of hotels, so getting from your hotel to the lift base can take much longer than the advertised time. For Sunshine this is 20 minutes, but then there is a long access gondola to ride. Distinctive and dramatic Banff National Park offers spectacular scenery - that's what brings the millions of summer visitors - and the town's setting is dramatic. Sunshine's Lookout mountain, right on the Continental Divide, gives panoramic views into British Columbia. Excellent Sunshine Village claims "100% natural snow," a neat reversal of the usual snowmaking hype. In a poor snow season, some black runs can remain rocky (especially those on Goat's Eye), but the blues are usually fine. "Three times the snow" is another Sunshine slogan - a sly comparison between the impressive average snowfall here (360 to 400 inches, depending on the source) and the modest 180 inches at Lake Louise and 120 inches on Norquay. But we're told the Sunshine figures relate to Lookout, and that Goat's Eye gets less snow than this. At Norquay there is snowmaking on all green and blue pistes. Late-season snow on Sunshine is usually good (we've had great April snow there). Some great ideas Each mountain has its own school. But recognizing that visitors wanting lessons won't want to be confined to just one mountain, the resorts have organized an excellent Club Ski Program - three-day courses starting on Sundays and Thursdays that take you to Sunshine, Norquay and Lake Louise on different days, offering a mixture of guiding, instruction and fun social events. Reporters are generally full of praise for these. Excellent choices There are various school and activity programmes for all ages. Some lodges have family lounges, with games and TVs. We've had good reports of the schools: "kind and friendly instructors" and "very accommodating - my boy is now a tremendous skier." All three resorts offer childcare. The Tiny Tigers Ski and Play Program introduces youngsters to the slopes. more on Skiing in Canada Where to Ski and Snowboard Last year's snowfall provided by the Ski Club of Great Britain December January February March Upper (cm) Lower See the latest snow reports