The Official 2012 Snow Calendar

Visitor reviews for Sunshine Village Ski Resort

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• January 14, 2012
  ski,ride or die from Canada
  

  I lived in Banff for about 10 years and now living in Golden B.C. I used to ski and ride a minimum of 150 days/years up there. Unfortunatly, the resort changed a lot over that period, sometimes not for the best. The resort became known woldwide for it's high prices, attracting the elite (not talking about elite skier here!) from around the world so they can spend their money. The resort claim that ski resort operations in a national park are in a serious disadvantage compare to resort outside a national park. Using this reason to raise prices on virtually everything.. Food has become really bad and seriously overpriced for junk food. The Chimney's Corner and Eagle's Nest fine dining use pre-made and store bought products and pretend making everything from scratch. I had a pizza there once and honestly the dough was tasting like cardboard. I didn't pay for the pizza but stayed hungry since I couldn't find items that suited my food preferences. Bring food, it will save you money and at least you know that you get what you pay for.
  As many people noticed, the ski industry is shifting to B.C. With amazing new resort like Revelstoke and Kicking Horse. The best Canada has to offer: dry, deep snow and steep terrain with friendly locals showing you the way instead of showing you their tricks like Whistler's wannabes. So before booking at Sunshine Village consider other options. Expand your ski experience to other resort that will probably treat you better as a customer therefore sending a message to Sunshine Village resort to start caring again for the people that kept this place alive for soooooo long..loyalty should not be a one way road...
  

• Sunshine Village Ratings

  Based on 7 votes. Vote

  Access: 3.3 (1) At least one overnight stop, (2) requires a whole day, (3) requires more than half a day – you may have time for a few turns (4) arrive by lunchtime and ski all afternoon, (5) there is a main airport within an hour of Sunshine Village.	Public Transport: 3.2 (1) There are no buses or taxis to Sunshine Village, (3) there are slow or infrequent buses / trains available, (5) getting to the resort is easy with frequent bus / train connections.
  Scenery: 4.7 (1) An ugly resort in a bland setting, (3) average mountain views and resort, (5) a spectacular setting and a beautiful / historic resort town.	Accommodation: 2.9 (1) No places to stay in/near Sunshine Village, (3) a few places to stay in the resort, (5) a wide variety of accommodation suitable to suit all budgets.
  Cheap Rooms: 2.1 (1) No budget accommodation available, (3) just one or two hostels so book ahead, (5) several cheap hostels and pensions available.	Luxury Hotels: 3.0 (1) No luxury accommodation available, (3) just one or two luxury hotels so book ahead, (5) several up-market hotels in Sunshine Village.
  Ski in/Ski out: 2.3 (1) The ski area is located far from any accommodation, (3) a free ski bus takes you to the ski area in a short trip, (5) Ski-in ski-out accommodation is available.	Childcare: 2.7 (1) There are no child care facilities at Sunshine Village, (5) the resort has excellent child-care facilities including at least one reasonably priced creche.
  Snowsure: 4.3 (1) Occasionally gets enough snow for skiing, (2) is often closed due to a lack of snow, (3) occasionally suffers from a lack of snow, (4) rarely suffers from a lack of snow, (5) Sunshine Village is snowsure even in the poorest seasons.	Snowmaking: 1.7 (1) Sunshine Village relies entirely on natural snow, (3) there are just a few snow cannons, (5) there are snowmaking facilities on all pistes.
  Snow Grooming: 3.4 (1) There are no snow groomers at Sunshine Village, (3) occasionally some pistes are left ungroomed and in a poor state, (5) all the runs at Sunshine Village are groomed daily.	Shelter: 2.7 (1) there is nowhere to ski when it is windy or visibility is bad and lifts often shut, (3) there are some trees for poor visibility but main lifts sometimes close, (5) Sunshine Village is mostly in forest where you can ski in flat-light and windy days, lifts rarely close.
  Nearby options: 2.6 (1) If snow conditions are poor at Sunshine Village, it will be poor everywhere nearby, (3) there are good alternatives within an hours drive, (5) other locations on the same lift pass provide a rich variety of snowsure ski conditions.	Regional rating: 3.7 (1) Sunshine Village usually has poor snow conditions compared to other resorts in region, (3) has average conditions for the region, (5) usually has the best snow conditions in the region.
  Lift Staff: 3.0 (1) The staff at Sunshine Village are rude or unhelpful, (5) lift staff at Sunshine Village are pleasant, cheerful and eager to help.	Crowds/Queues: 3.1 (1) the resort is always busy and there are usually long lift queues, (3) it is quiet apart from occasional weekends and school holidays, (5) it is uncrowded and lift queues are very rare.
  Ski Schools: 3.7 (1) No ski schools available, (2) one or two ski schools but local language only, (3) a few ski schools but book early for multi-lingual instructors, (4) plenty of ski schools and multi-lingual instructors available, (5) excellent ski schools with friendly multi-lingual ski instructors.	Hire and Repairs: 3.2 (1) Nothing can be sourced, not even ski-wax or ptex. (3) there are some ski shops but rentals need to be booked in advance, (5) good quality ski equipment can be purchased or hired and overnight repairs are possible.
  Variety of pistes: 3.4 (1) The ski runs are featureless and unvaried, (3) the ski runs are varied but not extensive enough for a week, (5) Sunshine Village has diverse and interesting pistes including forests and high alpine terrain.	Beginners: 4.0 (1) Beginners can only watch others ski and snowboard, (3) a few gentle slopes but beginners will get bored in less than a week, (3) Vast areas of gentle terrain.
  Intermediates: 3.9 (1) No intermediate terrain at Sunshine Village, (3) intermediate skiers will get bored after a few days, (5) vast areas of cruising runs.	Advanced: 3.2 (1) Nothing for advanced skiers and snowboarders, (3) enough steep terrain for a few days with some good offpiste, (5) Enough steep terrain and offpiste areas to entertain advanced skiers for at least a week.
  Snow Park: 3.0 (1) Not even a kicker at Sunshine Village, (3) average sized park quite well looked after, (5) huge park area and expertly crafted pipes, jumps and boardercross trails.	Off-piste: 3.5 (1) No off-piste worth mentioning, (2) off piste is out-of-bounds, (3) some varied offpiste that stays fresh for one or two days, (5) a vast array of off-piste routes that can stay untracked for several days.
  Cross-country: 2.1 (1) There is nowhere to go for cross-country skiing around Sunshine Village, (3) there are some cross country trails available, (5) the area features many spectacular and well maintained cross-country trails.	Luge/Toboggan: 1.0 (1) No designated luge or toboggan runs, (3) there are toboggan runs that open quite often, (5) Sunshine Village has long and well maintained luge / toboggan facilities suitable for all ages.
  Mountain Dining: 2.3 (1) Nowhere to buy food by the pistes, (3) some places to eat up on the mountain but they are often busy and expensive, (5) there is a variety of excellent mountain eateries right next to the slopes to suit all budgets.	Eating: 3.0 (1) Bring your own food, there isn't even a shop. (5) A wide variety of places to eat and drink in the resort, from fast food to fancy restaurants.
  Apres-Ski: 2.6 (1) Nothing to do, not even a bar, (3) there are a few bars in the resort but nothing special, (5) clubs and bars stay open until very late and have a friendly atmosphere.	Other Sports: 1.5 (1) No sports facilities at all apart from ski lifts, (3) resort has just a small public swimming pool, (5) resort has all kinds of sports facilities, including a full-size swimming pool.
  Entertainment: 1.3 (1) Besides the snow and walking there is nothing to do here, (3) the non-skier will find things to do for few days but may become bored after a week, (5) the resort area is a fascinating place to visit, regardless of winter sports.	Winter Walks: 2.0 (1) Very limited walking and no snowshoe trails, (3) a couple of designated scenic walking/snowshoe trails, (5) extensive and diverse winter walking trails for all abilities.
  Ski Pass Value: 2.3 (1) A 1 week ski pass is overpriced compared to the number of lifts available, (3) the ski pass is averagely priced and covers a reasonable number of lifts, (5) ski passes are excellent value for money and cover a lot of lifts spanning a big area.	Value (National): 3.0 (1) Overall, Sunshine Village is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the country and not worth the money, (3) overall represents average value for money, (5) overall offers the best value resort in the country.
  Value (Global): 2.9 (1) Overall, Sunshine Village is one of the most expensive ski resorts in the world, (3) overall it offers pretty average value for money compared to resorts from other countries, (5) internationally the resort offers excellent value for money.

  Based on 7 votes. Vote

• August 22, 2011
  kelly williams from Canada
  

  Banff's Sunshine Village-Love this Mountain. I mean 3 Mountains. Skied there May and powder snow. Not corn snow, real powder. stayed on the slopes at Sunshine Mountain lodge and got first tracks before other skiers arrived. Love Sunshine!

• May 28, 2011
  spice from Canada
  

  Visited this season and found the resort is way overpriced for what it has to offer. The terrain is mostly for beginners, with lots of flat areas you need to keep your speed for, or you're walking. The steep terrain is seldom opened even though they advertise the heck out of it and the food is of very low quality while the price for the food is out of this world. I don't recommend this resort!

• May 14, 2011
  Pete from Canada
  

  This season has been amazing everywhere.

  It's hard to knock anything about any of the ski hills this year.

  Firstly, the patrol matter. I don't really care about it but it's understandable that they've blasted the hell out of the Dive this year. What would have happened if they hadn't done it enough and something happened. Screwed either way.

  To SSV (Sunshine Village): Advertising 9 super lifts is pushing it. Wawa may have the potential to be a superlift but it's always running slow, it would be lots better if it ran quicker. TeePee isn't a super lift! Jack rabbit? Strawberry? hmm... Need a drag/small lift to service the terrain park for the park rats, Divide chair is a pain in the arse if all you wanna do is lap both parts of the park (Lake Louise had you hands down on the terrain park this year).
  Also look after your seasons pass holders a bit better. I'd definitely go for the big 3 pass next year so I can go to Lake Louise more often (25c large drinks plus better, cheaper food & beer). SSV does have The Beef Burrito at Goats Eye which is the best value meal for season pass holders discount.

  However, the back-country at Sunshine was amazing this year and I certainly had a great time this season. Like I said before, I would buy the BIG3 next time so I can still ride Sunshine as well as Louise and Norquay on hangover days.

  Recommended but improvements need to be made to be a first class resort.

• May 11, 2011
  kelly williams from Canada
  

  Sunshine has the best spring skiing in the Rockies.
  Located only a few miles from Banff, Sunshine Village is beautiful.
  May 10th and I just skied powder. 3 Incredible mountains, my favorite is Goat's Eye. Daycare is excellent and my kids had fun.
  Delirium Dive is the most amazing run ever (need a peeps and shovel).
  I will be back for Slush Cup on May long weekend.

• May 05, 2011
  ssv snowsafety from Canada
  

  I think we've done a better job of updating the phone every morning for the last couple weeks. We now try to do it by 8:30 every morning and change it during the day if closures/openings change.

  We've also started a Twitter account so you can get updates on your phone. Follow us at ssvsnowsafety.

  Sorry for the late updates in the past and thanks for the feedback. We're on it now.

• April 21, 2011
  720D from Canada
  

  Well it's quite obvious that SSV (Sunshine Village) has dispatched it's PR team to add some reviews on here. Let me address some of the issues as I have been a season pass holder for 4 years now.

  1. Yes, they have been open for a bit now, but with the snow that SSV has gotten, how would they not be? It's actually quite sad it took them this long. And every time there is 10 cm of snow they obliterate the place by bombing. I have never heard so many charges being set off in the 7 years I have been at this place. It's quite obvious that things aren't the same without the fired staff. Last time I checked the phone was updated around 9:00-9:30, as the previous poster highlighted. Some of the people who rent beacons/shovels to ride this terrain are totally hooped by this.

  Unfortunately, I will be buying another season pass, as the the slack-country/out-of-bounds areas around SSV are truly epic. At least then I don't have to deal with all the drama and I can assess the conditions myself.

  [Editor's note: edited slightly for purpose of relevance]

• April 11, 2011
  SSV long time rider from Canada
  

  While it is nothing short of amazing that the patrol managed to open the Dive and the WW without their fired co-workers, it is not a smooth operation at all this year.

  Differences riding freeride terrain between this years and years prior:

  Lack of confidence. They kept blowing up Delirium all year like we've never seen before, resulting in no snow on top 100m vertical of the ridge for most of the year. Delirium wasn't closed cause there was no snow, this was a huge snow year, but that's useless when you blow it all away after every storm, until we got to the good old stable spring snow pack.

  They are short staffed and opening steep terrain is delayed by days after every single storm and timing is completely unpredictable.

  The hotline is never updated early in the morning like it was years prior. Takes them hours each morning to get into steeps and scope them out.

  They are blowing the entire ridge line after every storm instead of having the confidence that it's stable.

  They are too short staffed to get to work on terrain on time, resulting in too much settling and consequently the avalanche running to ground when they do get to it (Milky Way and Cream).

  The only time Delirium is functioning normally this year is when its been a 10 days since the last storm and there is no avalanche danger cause it was shredded to pieces 5 days ago when it opened unexpectedly 5 days after the storm.

  SSV patrol did amazing work and they have my full support, but things are not as usual at SSV steeps.

  If you ride groomed runs, everything is fine. If you want to ride steep and deep, good luck with the terrain being open on the day that you arrive - not likely.

• April 10, 2011
  Staff from Canada
  

  I am just one of many staff members working at Sunshine, and also one of many who is truly enjoying the experience. From day one, I've loved every moment from the amazing snow to the new and repeat guests and to my co-workers.

  The snow has been more than plentiful and with the Spring sun peaking around the corner these days, I have had some of my best days out here. The Dive AND Wild West are open (weather and avalanche conditions permitted) giving guests big smiles and positive reviews! If you're finding some terrain blues and not getting the thrill you are looking for, take the time to ask the staff on some insider hot spots.

  It's a shame that the ski patrol/SSV dispute has turned a lot of folks away from such beautiful mountains. I don't know the hard facts and personally avoid drama like the plague. I do, however, understand sticking to your beliefs of not supporting companies who don't treat their staff well. But when was the last time you bought something at Walmart or a box store in a mall? I'm sure you can google a few disputes there as I am sure some of their employees have had better employers.

  I have never once felt mistreated and disrespected. I love my job and plan on coming back next year, as I know others are as well!

  You may have been following the media over the past few months and have your mind jet set on "boycotting" Sunshine, but just think of this: there are approx 600-800 staff that still provide the best service they can for guests and love doing it! Is that not something to support? Also, avoiding Sunshine and putting a bad name to it puts a huge dent on Banff tourism, which already has been struggling. SSV is an asset to Banff Tourism and community, which needs the support of the Bow Valley citizens and visitors alike.

  sincerely,
  a proud staff member of Sunshine Village.

• March 26, 2011
  Visitor from Australia
  

  I think it's really funny that everyone was talking trash saying Sunshine wouldn't open the Dive or Wild West this season cause of the who ski patrol who ha.

  Funny that the Dive has been open for two weeks and Wild West has been open for nearly a week all without problem and all without the fired 4. There are very competent people in snow safety, ski patrol and operations new and old that remain at Sunshine. Why not show a little support for your local resort.

  Sunshine has amazing snow and great spring skiing. It should be about the sport not the drama.

• March 15, 2011
  Bob S from United Kingdom
  

  I love skiing in Canada but I've found this year's experience at Sunshine deeply disappointing. If I'd known I would have to walk across town to catch the ski bus I would have gone elsewhere.

  I've been tracking the snow safety/ski patrol debate with interest but the simple fact of the matter is that the best terrain at Sunshine is closed and doesn't look like opening this season. Lake Louise, whilst often having poorer, more weather affected snow, is a much better bet this season.

  Come on guys, stop treating your customers poorly. I hate the thought of going through US immigration but at this rate I'll be visiting Utah or Colorado before I come back to Banff.

• March 08, 2011
  Dick Baker from Canada
  

  Generally SSV (Sunshine Village) has good powder, however, with DD and WW closed, the terrain available is rather ho-hum.

• March 03, 2011
  Ralph from Canada
  

  The "junior patroller" was a mid-level employee with 3-4 years patrol experience. He was the patroller who first stopped Taylor Scurfield from taking his friends into an area that was closed due to shallow snow and natural hazards. He was fired by Ralph Scurfield personally even after providing a letter of apology for doing his job and being left to sweat for a few days. His ROE indicated he was "laid off" however he was replaced almost immediately by an inexperienced foreign worker employed on a temporary visa at a lower rate of pay who was working on trail crew. That action alone is illegal.

  Sunshine Village is not telling the real story here.

• March 03, 2011
  charles parr from Canada
  

  Sunshine has been my hill since I was a little kid, but now at the age of 45, I will not be renewing our seasons passes. While the snow is excellent, and the terrain is entertaining, the hill experience has grown steadily worse for several years.

  The staff, frankly, are treated like crap, and it shows in their demeanour and their attitudes. The owners treat the hill as a private fiefdom, and recently when a member of the owners family was caught skiing in out-of-bounds severe avalanche terrain, the ski patrollers who kicked him and his friends off the hill were fired.

  I strongly suggest to anyone considering a trip to sunshine that you boycott, and send the hill an email telling them of your decision.

  I will most likely be buying a pass at Kickinghorse resort instead. It's another 90 minutes down the road, but I simply will not support a hill that allows the owners family to endanger lives and flout rules that would have any of the rest of us banned from the slopes.

• March 02, 2011
  gasmask from Canada
  

  Wild West & Delerium Dive, would be epic right now.

  Due to the loss of the guys who helped get those new areas open to off-piste in-bound skiers, SSV will be struggling to open that area again within the next 5 years. (struggling is a gross understatement)

  That area won't open again.

• March 02, 2011
  mj from Canada
  

  2 x fries
  1 x chicken strips (3 of them WTF)!!!
  1 x small diet pepsi (from the fountain not bottle)
  1 x coffee

  season pass discount 20%

  $20 DOLLARS !!!!!

  What part of fries pepsi or coffee cost twenty fricken dollars? Be warned if you have a family you are trying to feed for 5 days !!!

• February 24, 2011
  HF Owens from Canada
  

  Stayed at the Sunshine Inn (Sunshine Village) at end of Jan. Nice building in a fantastic setting but food not great and overall, not value for money considering all that is available in Banff. Patrol issues seem to have prevented getting stuff open after a good snowfall. Overall, place seems to suffer from a so-so staff engagement and does not really have a culture of excellence when it comes to customer experience. Back-country access good from ski area but too bad you have to pay so much just to get up there and do some trekking around.

• February 15, 2011
  Mediator from Australia
  

  Just a note to all those people complaining about lack or parking and modernisation of lifts etc.; please keep in mind that Sunshine Village is within a National Park (and subject to Parks Canada Rules and Regulations) and one of their main concerns is not infringing on nature any more than absolutely necessary. To expand on the car park would be to knock down more trees and take away more land from the park, is that really worth it just for a little bit more convenience on your part?
  And Maybe you should all read into how much work it was to put in the new Strawberry Lift before you start complaining there.
  Personally, I think Sunshine is doing a great job with what they have got, even though there have been some setbacks, it is a great hill and everyone should try it at least once.

• February 15, 2011
  Richie from Canada
  

  Sunshine continues to disappoint. We've been taking trips to the Rockies every couple of years for the past 30. Sunshine has been a stop simply for the Dive and a few other steeper slopes. That's fine, we have fun in the okanagan resorts too, despite a lack of challenging terrain. What's not fine is demoralized staff, bad food and this recent spat with patrol. We've had several interactions with the snow safety and patrol members and have always found the experience to be informative, friendly and completely justified (this last was in regards to a slight speeding altercation, our bad :) ).

  Doing some digging on our trip last week we asked around. Officially everything is fine as staff are freaked out to talk for being "laid off", as the mountain PR guy below has plugged, is a very real threat. Unofficially, everyone supports those staff who got canned because they enforced completely appropriate safety measures.

  Well, we as a group of families made a decision- out with Sunshine and in with Louise and Norquay. Sorry Sunshine but you've lost the vibe. Too bad.

  Snow-forecast, please publish this. It's true.

• February 13, 2011
  Brad L from Canada
  

  My wife and I will finish out this year skiing at Sunshine Village only because we have season passes. I will be avoiding Sunshine village in the future due to the extreme arrogance of the owners (Scurfields). I am disgusted at the lack of class shown by the management of Sunshine Village in the way they treat their staff, Yes they have good snow but it is very hard to understand and get over the arrogance, the customers come first not the owners.

  The trails at Lake Louise are better, the snow at Sunshine is better most of the time.

  The wife and I were thinking about changing locations to Lake Louise or buying a place in Panorama. We will not be returning to Sunshine Village.

• January 28, 2011
  BC13 from United States
  

  News of the recent firings of many experienced operations managers (Director of lift operations, Dir of mountain operations, Dir of ski patrol) along with the termination of some of the most senior and experienced ski patrollers has caused me to cancel my scheduled family vacation to Sunshine Village. I will instead be skiing at Lake Louise, where management has taken steps to retain its highly skilled workers who provide the public and enjoyable and safe skiing experience. I can not trust my family's safety to a CEO who terminates skilled and experienced employees for voicing unpopular positions that need to be heard by the CEO. Those responsible for a safe skiing experience should not be "Yes" men or women. I am just thankful the wonderful town of Banff has Norquay and nearby Lake Louse to offer it's guests.

  [Editor's note: comments from a member of the resort staff have been added to create a balanced perspective on this review.]

  "The employees were terminated for just cause, not for voicing 'unpopular positions'".
  "These notes also suggest all experience has been stripped out of safety patrol and senior management in operations. This is also completely untrue".
  "There is no evidence presented that Lake Louise has taken steps to retain its highly skilled workers."

• January 28, 2011
  Christine Scarlett from Canada
  

  Nice enough resort, but there are serious safety concerns and a lack of expert terrain open this season.
  Sunshine (Sunshine Village) management fired their mountain manager, avalanche forecaster, senior ski patroller and lift operations supervisor over reprimanding the owner's son for breaking ski hill rules, and the law.
  Since then, they have fired the junior patroller on scene (for refusing to write a letter of apology to the owners) the assistant avalanche forecaster and the paramedic.
  The ski bus service no longer picks up at most hotels.
  Definitely come to Banff, ski at Lake Louise (full ski bus service) and enjoy the best that the area has to offer.
  Sunshine will have a good product again in a few seasons, when they have the experienced staff to open the steep terrain.

  [Editor's note: comments from a member of the resort staff have been added to create a balanced perspective on this review.]

  "South Side Chutes opened this week, and the Shoulder is open as well, so the only expert terrain NOT open is Delirium Dive and Wild West. In any year, those sections are subject to intermittent closures, based on conditions. In one recent year, the Dive didn’t open until March".
  "This item provides false information on the cause for the dismissals, merely repeating unsubstantiated rumour".
  "The junior patroller was not 'fired' - he was laid off, and could be rehired at some point. And the cause for his lay off is incorrect i.e. it was not for refusing to write an apology".
  
  

• October 25, 2010
  Adrian from Canada
  

  Y'all don't want to ride at Sunshine... There is all sorts of rocks, trees, cliffs and deep DEEP snow which is hard to walk through. You won't have any fun of there. ;)

• April 23, 2010
  BanffAddict from Australia
  

  Sunshine (Sunshine Village) gets the best snow out of all the Banff resorts and it stays good for a few days. We're heading into the end of the season now and the cover is still good.

  Terrain, overall, is better and good terrain is much easier to access at nearby Lake Louise. But for those with avalanche gear and don't mind a bit of trekking, Delirium Dive offers the best in-bounds terrain out of all Banff ski resorts.

  Regarding buses and bus prices, people on vacation don't need to worry about bus prices - bus is free with the multi-day tri-area (Lake Louise, Sunshine, Norquay) lift pass that you get.

• April 19, 2010
  Belloq from Canada
  

  Snow: excellent quality & lots of it. Conditions at Sunshine Village are such that it is generally nice for longer than average. Very long season (goes to late May). I spend a lot of time here in the late season.

  Terrain: highly varied. Something for literally everyone. Terrain park and lots of rocks, cliffs and other features for the park rats. Ultra steeps for the adrenaline junkies. Moguls. Back-country tree runs off Wawa are excellent. Lots of good learner runs too. Flats are no worse than at Louise. The worst flats are in some of the ski-out routes, but these can mostly be avoided. (Hint: For an easier ski-out, go up the Jack-Rabbit lift on your way out.) Beginner boarders who are worn out at the end of their day might want to consider taking the gondola down.

  Mountain Layout: very broad, but not particularly high. Probably more than 90% of the terrain is above the 2200m mark, or "midpoint" on this site's forecast. The lower mountain is mostly ski-out, which you will probably go over just twice a day. Having most of the terrain at the top of the mountain is probably a big reason why the snow stays nice for such a long time here. Your typical run will be relatively brief, as compared to Kicking Horse, Revelstoke, or even Lake Louise, but lift lineups are usually shorter than any of the above mentioned resorts, especially at out of the way lifts like Teepee Town.

  Amenities: typical ski hill food. There's cafeteria crud, outdoor grill dogs and burgers, and a couple of sit down restaurants that will taste a lot better but grind upwards of an hour off your day and fill your belly with lead that will only slow you down for the rest of the afternoon. The only thing that seems pricier than other resorts is the drinks (e.g. bottled water prices are murder here!). Haven't stayed at the hotel, but I hear good things.

  Parking: the lot next to the gondola is very small for a resort that gets this much traffic. There are small places to park along the side of the road coming in and, if you arrive later in the morning, you'll most likely wind up parking a long ways from the gondola. Fortunately, Sunshine Village resort runs fairly frequent shuttle buses that will get you to the gondola in short order. Leaving at the end of the day can be a bit of a fustercluck though. Take it easy and have a coffee. The shuttles will keep running until the lineups are gone.

  Tips for a perfect day:
  -Try to arrive early if it's a powder day so you can park close.
  -Bring sunscreen. On a sunny day you'll need it here because of the altitude.
  -Bring a water bottle or canteen. Stay hydrated without paying through the nose!
  -If it's spring and there are freeze-thaw conditions, start your day out on Wawa. It gets the most sun early in the morning. Rotate around to other mountains as they thaw.
  -Don't be afraid of the Teepee Town chair. It might be an ancient two-seater that's a bit of an adventure getting on to, but it usually has next to no line-up and services some very nice terrain.

• March 29, 2010
  Brian from Canada
  

  Sunshine Village is an epic ski hill but absolutely disgusting food that is grossly over-priced so bring a packed, healthy lunch and save yourself lots of money. The Goatseye "daylodge" is a bunch of trailers with filthy washrooms that haven't ever been properly cleaned.

  Good thing the skiing makes up for the other stuff at Sunshine Village.

• March 17, 2010
  P from United Kingdom
  

  All of you moaners need to chill out. There is some seriously good stuff to ride at Sunshine (Sunshine Village). It's been a strange season across Canada, but for what we have had the snow has held up amazingly! There is some properly fun stuff to hit on Standish, you just need to to know the routes.....and no...they're not impossible to find, just ride it a couple of times. When there is powder Goats Eye has got some good good runs, steep, fast, open and smashing through the trees with things to hit everywhere.

  Sounds like the bus pass is a bit of a joke, my best tip for that is just walk to the train line in Banff and hitch a lift. I've never waited more than 15 minutes and a really good way to meet people.

  Anyways...the more people moan about it the less will come.

  Sunshine Lifty

• March 08, 2010
  Elaine from United Kingdom
  

  I can only presume that all these negative people have never ski'd or boarded in Europe. Next week will be my 4th visit to Sunshine Village and I can not wait! Sunshine is worth every penny and the 9 hour flight to get there.

  I would suggest that anyone going to a new resort does some investigation before they go, as all the bus times and information on the resort can be found on the internet, so leaving it till you get there and still whinging is no excuse. I would swap the bus system in Banff any day for the hectic sardine cans they call ski buses in Europe. At least you are guaranteed to be taken and not left behind!. Don't get me wrong, when the conditions are good, the Alps are a great place to be, but the people of Canada are just so lucky to have this place on their doorstep.

  I have never waited more than 2 mins for a lift in either Sunshine (Sunshine Village) or Lake Louise even at the weekend and even when the locals say that the snow is bad, compared to the icy slopes of the Alps at this time of the year, the snow at Sunshine is always great to me!

  I would suggest that you stop moaning and start enjoying what is one of the most breathtaking and fun places on earth!

• January 23, 2010
  dissapointed from Australia
  

  The bus system at Sunshine Village is the biggest joke I have seen in the world. You have to pay to get to the mountain and there are like 5 buses going up in the morning. We wanted to go up later one day after 11am: bad luck no buses after 11am. So we had to pay 50 dollars to get a taxi there and 10 for the bus back. The lines for the buses back are horrible. So many taxes to pay yet they can't supply a bus to get from Banff to the hill. I just bought a season pass to Sunshine, what a mistake!! They don't even have a lift at the park. You have to get a seperate lift that goes straight past it. I hope the powder days make up for it!!!!

• December 21, 2009
  Kevin Lee from Canada
  

  Sunshine is a good hill for beginners and intermediates because except for a very few black runs, that's the only kind of runs they have there. It's all green and blue, in spite of what they claim on their map. The only black runs are one run down teepee town and a couple runs on goats eye. The goats eye run itself is half above the tree line on a wind swept mountain. Even in the height of the season you'll be digging up rocks, they can't keep snow on it even with the permanent snow fences they have up there. The expert runs on the bottom half of goats eye are small and get heavy traffic so the snow on the steep sections always gets pushed away right down to bare earth making it necessary to close them. So many times I've been to Sunshine when they advertise "all runs all lifts open" and you get there to find several runs on Goats eye closed due to "marginal conditions". False advertising in my books. Another bone of contention is the hype they make over the Delirium run. After you walk down the steel staircase with guard rails and hand rails to get to the run, it's just a normal run. Nothing scary, nothing unusual. There are many many steeper runs on the back side of Louise and half the runs at Red mountain are steeper and scarier with no hype and labeled as black runs, not double black. Dileruim starts out moderately steep, but wide open and easy to turn on. After a half dozen turns it mellows right out to the steepness of a good blue run for the rest of the ride down. Then once you're at the bottom you have a 10 to 15 minute hike out, and that's if there is a packed trail. If you have to break trail count on a half hour hike out. They don't mention that little factoid in their marketing hype. All in all a good area if you don't want anything challenging, and you don't mind short runs. Most of the runs are really really short. I think they have the record for the shortest length detachable quad lift on the planet, check out Jackrabbit.