Sunshine- A View from on top of the world! (Banff)

Name: ukusa

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Product:	Banff
Date:	30.03.05 (378 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: REAL snow, Variety of runs, Beautiful scenery

Disadvantages: Can get VERY cold!

Sunshine Village is located in the heart of the Canadian Rockies and only minutes from Banff, Canada. It touts itself as being "The Premier Ski and Snowboard Resort" and I think they are right.

WHERE IS SUNSHINE VILLAGE?

Sunshine Village is located just 15 minutes from Banff in the Canadian Rockies. The nearest airport is Calgary International, served by direct flights from around the world. We took a direct flight from Manchester to Calgary. Banff is about 1½ hours from Calgary on a well maintained four lane highway. If it is day light when you arrive, you get to see some spectacular views!

WHAT ARE THE MOUNTAIN STATS?

There is 3,358 acres of Skiable Terrain!. The top Elevation is 8,954 feet / 2730m with a base Elevation of 5,440 feet / 1660m! Total Vertical is 3,514 feet / 1070m. The average annual snowfall is up to 33 feet / 9m. While we were there it was about half that and only on one occasion did I see a small bare spot on a piste. Also, out of the 10 days we were there, there was only 1 day that we didn't have fresh powder!! Lift Capacity is 20,000 people/hr . We were there during the VERY busy time between Christmas and New Year and the longest we ever had to wait for the gondola to go up the mountain was 15 minutes and it was a virtual sea of people!! Lift time was even less! The longest I waited for a lift was about 5 minutes on the 30th of December! There are 107 named runs spreading out over 3 mountains and 2 provinces. The terrain is broken down into 20% beginner, 55% intermediate, 25% expert.

Lift system:
1 high speed 8 passenger gondola
5 high speed quad chairs
2 quad chairs
1 triple chair
1 double chair
2 magic carpets

The season length is from Mid November to late May . They say in April and May many people actually ski in their swimwear!!

It can get VERY cold! On the last day of our ski it got to below -30!! Unfortunately, I just couldn't take that cold and we only skied for 3 hours on that day with A LOT of warm up breaks!! However, it averaged between -8 to -15 on the other days and if you dress in layers (I had 4), then you won't find it that cold most of the time. The coldest times are always the lifts and expecially if you decide to ski above the Alpine line.

WHAT ABOUT SKI SCHOOL?

My better half has been skiing most of his life as had my in-laws who came with us. I had learned to ski in the Real Snow indoor slope at Castleford called Xscape (I have a review also on this.). Though I knew the basics, I felt I should take some skiing lessons there. There are several options.

Adult options:

Discover Skiing / Discover Snowboarding- about 4 hours at about £65 per day

Daily Group Workshops - Learn to Ski or Ride- about 4 hours at about £60 per day.

Performance Group Workshops - Improve Your Skiing or Riding- about 4 hours at about £70 per day.

Private Lessons ranging from 2 to 6 hours at about £125 to £250 per lesson.

I choose the Private lessons. In the private lessons the cost includes from 1 to 5 people and is a VERY good option for a group of adults of similar ability. However, I did this on my own and was VERY satisfied. Because I was a private lesson, I got special treatment and got on lifts from the front of the que and had one on one attention from an amazing instructor. After assessing that I could do basic skiing, the instructor took me straight to the slopes and by the end of the lessons I had done more than 5 runs and felt very comfortable and confident on the skis. I didn't take any other lessons and withing 2 days I was skiing from the top of the mountain all the way to the base sight at the bottom!!

There is also various Children programmes and clubs that help to make the experience of families more enjoyable. The children really amaze me with their fearlessness and their ability to pick it up so quickly. From the top of the mountains they follow their instructors like little ducks in a line. AMAZING!!! They are extremely well supervised and a close eye is kept of the children by EVERYONE at Sunshine. My own ski instructor stopped and thought she saw a lost child. The child was not lost but I thought that is was good policy. Packages range from £25 to £40 per day with exceptional packages for longer stays.

SKI RENTALS?

If you stay in Banff, there are MANY places to rent ski equipment from ski boots, skis and poles to ski jackets and pants. However, there is a ski rental place at the base of Sunshine that has rates that are very similar to the ones in Banff. A complete package of ski gear will cost you about £65 for 6 days for an adult and £50 for 6 days for a child.

LIFT PASSES?

Lift passes are about £140 per adult and £ 100 per child for a 5 day lift pass. You can get group rate passes with a tour company. This is what we did. We got a 6 day lift pass for £130 and this gave us free access to a bus service that ran between Sunshine and Banff. This was exceptional value since the bus cost about £6 per day if you pay for it individually. The shuttle bus runs about every 1/2 hour all morning taking people to Sunshine and about every 1/2 hour in the afternoon taking people back to Banff. We never had any problems with the shuttle. If a shuttle fills up there is another bus waiting to take the remaining people! We were always able to time ourselves to leave the top of the mountain to be able to get to base, have a warming drink before getting on the bus. The trip only takes about 20- 30 minutes depending on which hotel you are staying in.

FOOD and DRINK?

There are 9 places to get food and drink. Cost for a large oatmeal cookie and a coke cost about £3. Once we got 2 hotdogs, chips and a large drink and that cost us £10. Food is not cheap on the mountain. However, we had said we could spend £20 a day on food on the mountain (2 people) and we never spent it all. Too much mountain to ski!!!

Tours?

Sunshine offers FREE daily tours. Twice a day the Snowhosts give free tours of the mountain. These relaxed and informative tours are perfect to help intermediate skiers or riders here for the first time to find their way around our network of 12 lifts and provide a fun way for to explore different parts of our ski area with a group of skiers and riders. I did not take a tour. However, my in-laws have on several occasions and have said they are EXCELLENT!

ACCOMODATION?

We stayed at a hotel in Banff. However, there is Sunshine Inn at the resort. 6 nights will cost about £350 to £450 per person. It is a ski in/ski out hotel. The rooms have wonderful views!!

WHAT TO BRING/WEAR?

You want to ensure a fun first day on the slope so it is wise to plan ahead. Make sure you have clothing that will keep you warm and dry as well as equipment that fits properly.

Clothing
Layering is the concept of dressing in a way that allows you to adjust to a wide range of conditions. Dress in layers, instead of one bulky "do everything" garment. As the ski day warms up it is easy to shed layers. This definately worked for me and I didn't complain about the cold until the last day when it got below -30!!!

Inner Layer
- Polypropylene underwear, top and bottom, synthetic materials help to keep moisture away from your skin, unlike cotton. Experts recommend that you do not wear cotton as an inner layer and I agree. The cotton holds in the dampness. Never once did I feel wet or sweaty even after a very long and warming run!
- Warm, dry socks, one pair at a time only - no cotton

Middle Layer
- Turtleneck, sweater

Outer Layer
- Jacket/Parka & Pants (Snow/Water Resistant)
- Hat, 60% of heat-loss is through the head!
- Neck Warmer, do not wear a scarf, it could get caught on lift equipment! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!
- Water proof Gloves/Mittens - mittens are the warmest. However, I find them harder to hold my poles!
- Goggles, strongly recommended on cold or snowy days for warmth and increased visibility. Invest in a GOOD pair. My first pair was not of the best quality and kept freezing over. I ended up buying a new pair on the mountain!
- Sunglasses, the sun is 40% stronger at this altitude, plus glare from snow

Plus
- Lip Balm, Sunscreen, SPF 15 or higher
- Snack, Fruit, Energy Bar and Water - stay hydrated to help with altitude acclimation
- ID, Wallet, Cash
-

Skiing/Boarding Equipment
- Skis, boots and poles or snowboard and snowboard specific boots
- My suggestion is to invest into a good pair of boots before you go skiing for the first time. Where them around the house A LOT to start bedding them in to fit your foot. My feet NEVER hurt during the time I was there skiing and on many days my feet remained in these boots from 8 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon- 8 hours!!


OTHER TIPS

Follow the sun- starting out on Wawa, Standish, or Strawberry for early morning sun, then on to Divide, Angel, Tee Pee Town or Goat's Eye for great afternoon rays.

Snowing Heavily- Stay below the Alpine line. Most of these are green runs, but the trees help shelter from the falling snow. The top of the mountain can be blinding at times!

Other Comments:

Sunshine Village is 100% REAL SNOW!!! They don't have any snow cannons and the pistes are very well maintained. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. The runs are fantastic and very well maintained. It is a place I will definately go back to!

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